Workers across sub-Saharan Africa are showing strong demand for stablecoin payouts as limited banking access, cash-heavy economies, and cross-border payment friction create challenges for digital workers, according to a Stripe survey.

The survey of 2,303 people across 20 emerging markets, including Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, found that 68% of independent workers in sub-Saharan Africa would accept stablecoin payouts, while 22% already receive them. Conducted in late 2025, the study included gig workers, contractors, creators, freelancers, and marketplace sellers.

Stripe said 40% of Africa’s population remains unbanked and that approximately 90% of financial transactions are conducted in cash. Against that backdrop, 72% of surveyed workers in sub-Saharan Africa said they already receive payouts through digital wallets. Meanwhile, 38% identified receiving payments as their primary use case for stablecoins.

The findings point to a payments problem rather than a purely cryptocurrency-related one. Across the survey, 35% of workers cited high transaction or currency-conversion fees as their biggest payout problem, while 26% pointed to delays.

Stripe said international wire transfers can take one to five business days and cost between $15 and $50 per transaction. By comparison, stablecoin transfers can settle nearly instantly and cost less than 10 cents, according to McKinsey data cited by Stripe.

For African workers earning income from global platforms, stablecoins can also provide access to dollar-denominated balances without requiring a traditional bank account abroad. However, adoption still faces several barriers. Globally, 40% of workers cited fraud or security concerns, 39% said they did not know where to acquire stablecoins safely, and 30% said converting stablecoins into local currency was difficult.

Stripe’s survey found relatively high confidence in stablecoins among workers in sub-Saharan Africa, with 65% agreeing that they are safe to use. The company said the challenge for platforms is increasingly to make stablecoin payouts simple to receive, convert, and spend, rather than requiring workers to navigate crypto infrastructure themselves.

The survey covered Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa alongside other emerging markets. Stripe cautioned that its sub-Saharan Africa figures should not be treated as representative of the entire region. The company said country samples included approximately 100 respondents and were skewed toward digitally literate, internet-connected populations.

Source: BitcoinKE