VitalSwap is broadening its cross-border payment infrastructure between the United States and Africa, introducing support for smaller remittance transfers and stablecoin checkout for businesses as the fintech works to make international transactions more accessible.

The company previously concentrated on high-value cross-border payments, processing transactions between $5,000 and $5 million for invoices and large purchases across Nigeria, the US, Europe, and China. It is now opening the service to lower-value transfers used for expenses such as family support and travel.

“We are extending the service to lower value remittances like family support, travel expenses, etc.,” Akinsola Jegede, VitalSwap's founder, told Technext.

The expansion involves strengthening the company's US-to-Nigeria remittance corridor through a partnership with US-based payments company Veem, while also extending its remittance infrastructure to Ghana. Together, the moves give people in the US additional ways to send money to West Africa.

Nigeria remains one of the largest recipients of diaspora remittances, but moving money into the region can be costly. The World Bank has consistently identified Sub-Saharan Africa as the most expensive region in the world for remittances, with transaction costs averaging close to 8% in some reporting periods — well above the 3% target United Nations member states have committed to for remittance costs by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals.

VitalSwap says its expanded services are designed to address those challenges through competitive exchange rates, lower transfer costs, and faster settlement, enabling individuals and businesses to move money across borders for family support, school fees, healthcare, and commercial expenses.

Under the Veem partnership, the payment process is split between the two companies. Veem collects funds from customers in the US, while VitalSwap manages settlement in Nigeria.

“Veem handles collection of funds from US customers; VitalSwap handles settlement in Nigeria,” Jegede said. He added that the arrangement allows VitalSwap to serve customers in US states where it was not previously licensed.

Transfer costs depend on how the sender pays. According to Jegede, customers paying by bank transfer can send $200 without an additional transaction fee and receive a more competitive exchange rate. Card payments typically carry a fee of about $3 on a $200 transaction.

Jegede cited a rate of approximately ₦1,375 per dollar on VitalSwap, against ₦1,365 on a competing platform at the time of his response. At those rates, a recipient would receive ₦275,000 rather than ₦273,000 on a $200 transfer, before applicable charges. The comparison has not been independently verified.

Alongside its remittance business, VitalSwap Business's Checkout infrastructure now lets merchants accept stablecoins, including USDT and USDC — the two largest dollar-pegged stablecoins — along with other supported crypto assets, without having to build separate cryptocurrency payment infrastructure. Stablecoins are blockchain-based tokens designed to maintain a stable value against a reference currency, most commonly the US dollar.

The feature targets businesses, freelancers, and remote workers who receive international payments in digital assets. For example, a Nigerian developer paid in USDC by an overseas client can convert the stablecoin into naira and withdraw the funds directly to a local bank account.

“Stablecoin simplifies things. A Nigerian receives stablecoin and off-ramps to Naira. Withdraws directly to their bank accounts,” Jegede said.

Businesses can generate payment links without integrating the checkout system into their websites. Customers can then choose from the available payment methods, which include bank transfers, debit cards, and stablecoins. Technical integration is also available for companies that want to embed the service into their own platforms.

Jegede said the service charges 0.8% per transaction, with the fee payable by either the sender or the recipient. The company has completed a stablecoin pilot with selected customers and businesses, recording $600,000 in total payment volume.

The crypto functionality complements VitalSwap's foreign exchange marketplace, where users can set their preferred exchange rates or explore available market options. Jegede also said the company ranked first on RateWatch's USD-to-naira comparison at the time of his response, although that ranking was not independently verified.

VitalSwap says it serves more than 30,000 users across over 30 countries, with payment services spanning Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe.

Jegede told Technext that the platform processes approximately ₦1.1 billion in monthly total payment volume and has around 11,000 monthly active users, many of whom use its virtual card service. Most of its transaction activity comes from the Nigeria, US, and China corridors.

The company said it and its partners hold the relevant regulatory authorisations in the US, Nigeria, and Ghana, citing FinCEN, the US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Bank of Ghana. However, it did not identify the specific licensed entities responsible for each service.

As cross-border payments increasingly involve both traditional currencies and digital assets, VitalSwap is positioning itself to give individuals and businesses more ways to send, receive, and convert money across markets. Its ability to deliver on that goal will depend on the costs, reliability, and accessibility of its services as the new payment options reach more customers, as well as on clearer disclosure of the licensed entities behind each offering.