Paycrest, a financial technology firm with Nigerian roots, has secured $404,000 in a pre-seed funding round to develop its decentralized stablecoin-to-fiat settlement infrastructure. The investment was led by a consortium of web3 and traditional venture capitalists, including Hashed Emergent, StarkWare, and Microtraction. This capital will fuel the company's mission to unify fragmented liquidity and streamline global cross-border payments.
Addressing Cross-Border Payment Fragmentation
Traditional cross-border transactions are often plagued by slow settlement times, high costs, and fragmented liquidity, creating significant bottlenecks. While stablecoins offer a potential solution, their adoption has introduced new challenges with liquidity spread across various chains and platforms. This fragmentation hinders the efficiency required for seamless global commerce, leaving a critical infrastructure gap that needs to be addressed.
Paycrest aims to solve this by building a decentralized orchestration layer that unifies disparate stablecoin and fiat liquidity pools. The platform functions like a blockchain-powered SWIFT, coordinating a network of liquidity providers to facilitate instant on-chain settlements. This innovative approach provides an automated and efficient alternative to manual peer-to-peer systems, creating a more reliable financial rail.
Strategic Funding in a Challenging Market
The $404,000 pre-seed round saw participation from a diverse group of investors, including LAVA and Sunny Side Venture Partners, alongside experienced angel investors. This blend of support from both the web3 and traditional finance sectors underscores the broad appeal of Paycrest's vision. The funding is earmarked for enhancing the protocol's long-term development and expanding its operational capacity.
This successful fundraise is particularly noteworthy given the current pressures on Africa's early-stage investment landscape. In 2025, pre-seed funding represented a mere 1.5% of total venture capital deployed across the continent, a stark contrast to mature markets. Paycrest's ability to attract capital in this climate highlights strong investor confidence in its model and mission.
A Vision for Reliable Decentralized Settlement
Founded in 2024 by Nigerian software leaders Chibuotu Amadi and Francis Ocholi, Paycrest is a US-headquartered company focused on solving foundational payment challenges. The founders' expertise is directed at building a system that aligns with market shifts, particularly the rise of peer-to-peer settlement in regions like Nigeria. Their leadership is central to creating dependable, decentralized financial infrastructure for a global user base.
Over the past year, the company has moved from exploration to execution, stress-testing its infrastructure in live environments with real-world transaction volumes. This practical approach has already gained international recognition, with Paycrest being named a finalist in Base’s Batches 002 programme. These milestones have validated the robustness of its model for high-speed, decentralized payment coordination.
Looking ahead, Paycrest is narrowing its focus to ensure profound reliability before scaling its operations globally. The immediate goal is to make one high-volume corridor exceptionally dependable, building trust through execution rather than adding complex features. This strategy involves deepening its liquidity provider network and hardening its multi-chain settlement capabilities to create a predictable system.
With its new funding and a clear strategic roadmap, Paycrest is poised to make a significant impact on the global payments landscape. The company's focus on building a dependable, decentralized settlement layer addresses a critical need in both emerging and developed markets. By prioritizing reliability and methodical execution, Paycrest aims to transform its infrastructure into an indispensable financial rail for global commerce.