5 Expert Insights from the Cedar Money Webinar on Expanding into Africa

If you're thinking about expanding your business into Africa, you're not alone and you're definitely asking the right questions.

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Last week, we hosted a power-packed webinar titled "Expanding into Africa: Navigating Payments, FX, and Regulations for Global Businesses." With over 80 registered attendees and a stellar panel featuring Seye Bandele (Founder/CEO, Paid HR), Perkins Ogedengbe (Global Partnerships Lead, Payaza), Dayo Oba-Fagade (Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development, Cedar Money) the session delivered actionable strategies for overcoming the most pressing payment and regulatory hurdles on the continent.

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Missed the event? No worries. We’ve distilled the session into five essential insights that every global business should know before diving into African markets.

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1. Africa’s Payment Infrastructure Is Still Fragmented

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“No two African countries operate the same way when it comes to payments,” said Perkins Ogedengbe.

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From high transaction fees to inconsistent banking systems, navigating Africa’s fragmented payment infrastructure can be daunting.

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As Perkins explained, African countries operate under different payment systems, making expansion especially challenging. Businesses often face banking bottlenecks, high costs, long processing times, and complex regulatory requirements.

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The takeaway? You’ll need a tailored payment strategy for each market and ideally, the support of local partners to make it work.

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What you can do: Partner with PSPs that understand the local payment landscape and prioritize flexibility in how you send and receive funds.

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2. FX Volatility Can Break Your Expansion Strategy

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Volatile exchange rates, especially in countries like Nigeria and Ghana, can erode margins and complicate financial planning. The panel recommended tracking liquidity patterns, building hedging strategies, and looking for opportunities to increase your export inflows.

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Perkins explained that the FX market often reacts emotionally, moved by liquidity, sentiment, and even global headlines.

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What you can do: Work with payment providers like Cedar Money that offer competitive FX rates and stablecoin-based settlements to reduce volatility risk.

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3. Regulatory Clarity Is Rare But Navigable

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Africa’s regulatory environment is anything but uniform. From licensing to capital controls, expanding into multiple countries means navigating multiple legal frameworks.

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As Seye put it, businesses can’t assume global strategies will copy-paste into Africa. “The local context matters. Study how people pay, what licenses are needed, and who your customers trust.”

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The best approach? A phased market entry: start small, learn fast, and scale smart.

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What you can do: Before launching, consult with legal and compliance experts, and consider entering new markets through partnerships with already licensed entities.

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4. Stable-coins & Crypto Are Gaining Traction (But Tread Carefully)

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Stable-coins aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but Perkins noted they can solve real cross-border payment challenges if used with trusted, licensed partners like Cedar Money.

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While regulation still lags behind adoption, forward-thinking businesses are already using digital assets to speed up transactions and sidestep liquidity constraints.

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What you can do: Explore payment providers like Cedar Money who leverage stable-coins and assess the regulatory landscape in your target markets before committing.

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5. Cedar Money Helps You Scale Across Africa with Confidence

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“At Cedar, we use stable-coins to move money compliantly and quickly across borders,” shared Dayo, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at Cedar Money.

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Cedar Money’s multi-currency infrastructure and API-first platform empower global businesses to pay and get paid across Africa efficiently. By leveraging stable-coins, local payout rails, and robust compliance features, Cedar removes the friction from cross-border growth.

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What you can do: If you’re planning to scale in Africa, let Cedar Money handle the complexities so you can focus on growth.

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Conclusively,

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Africa offers massive growth potential, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all market. The businesses that succeed in Africa will be the ones who adapt fast, build strong local partnerships, and choose the right infrastructure from day one.

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So, whether you're a startup looking to enter your first African country or a multinational fine-tuning your expansion strategy, insights from this webinar can help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

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Want to chat with us about how Cedar Money can support your expansion? Book a call with our team.

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