Xend Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) project supported by Binance and Google, is rolling out a new platform in Africa to offer tokenized access to global real estate and stock markets.
The launch is in partnership with Risevest, a digital wealth management platform that provides both individual and institutional investors with exposure to global markets. Notably, Risevest recently secured a broker-dealer license in the United States, bolstering its regulatory credentials.
FINTECH AFRICA | Nigerian 🇳🇬 Investment Fintech, Risevest, Acquires Hisa, a Kenyan 🇰🇪 Investment Fintech Startup
Risevest, which had its account frozen by the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2021 for suspected involvement with cryptocurrencies, says it has over 600,000 users with… pic.twitter.com/YETTop9sO2
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) September 12, 2024
According to a May 30 2025 announcement, this platform will allow users to invest in international real estate and stock markets by purchasing fractional shares through tokenization. The minimum entry point is low, starting at just $5, facilitated by stablecoins such as $USDT and $USDC.
“For us at Risevest, this is an extension of our global mission to make investment opportunities more accessible to everyone, especially Africans,” said Risevest CEO Eke Urum.
“Partnering with Xend lets us bring dollar investments on chain, giving crypto and DeFi investors equal access to long term returns.
This partnership with Xend Finance allows us to offer fractional, dollar-based assets like real estate and US stocks in a seamless, blockchain-powered format.
It’s a game-changer for young Africans looking to build wealth securely, transparently, and without barriers.”
Nigeria’s Xend Finance Hits 100K Users and Enables Local Currency Conversions to StableCoins
Users in 🇬🇭 and 🇰🇪 will also now be able to convert local currencies into stable cryptocurrency and save.https://t.co/05RaMEelgH @xendfinance @sandeepnailwal @0xPolygon pic.twitter.com/RsjFpH71wS
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) June 29, 2022
The new RWA investment product is built on Asset Chain, a high-performance blockchain optimized for real-world asset tokenization. With zero gas fees, real-time stablecoin settlements, and verifiable on-chain ownership, Asset Chain provides the foundational infrastructure needed to bring traditional financial assets into the decentralized world — at scale.
Why This Matters
Across Africa and many emerging markets, the road to building long-term wealth is blocked by:
- Limited access to stable, dollar-based investments
- High minimum entry thresholds (often $500+)
- Local currency devaluation and inflation
Now, everyday users can:
- Own a portion of global real estate portfolios
- Invest in global tech stocks
- Use stablecoins instead of going through bank hurdles.
- Hold secure, on-chain, asset-backed tokens.
“This launch marks a major step in fulfilling Xend Finance’s mission: bringing real-world assets on-chain with speed, scale, and zero friction,” said CEO of Xend Finance, Ugochukwu Aronu.
“Built on Asset Chain’s high-performance infrastructure, this product allows everyday users to own tokenized real estate and stock assets globally, with zero gas fees and no need for a traditional brokerage.
This is what decentralized access to wealth-building truly looks like.”
The platform launch aligns with a growing trend of Web3 projects targeting Africa as a crucial market for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Other initiatives on the continent include:
- Mozambique’s Empowa which is using the Cardano blockchain to tokenize real estate.
📰 Empowa enters the #Nigeria market – @BitcoinKE just covered our growing impact!
Proud to see increased attention on sustainable housing powered by Empowa 🌍
👉🏿 What’s next:
➡️ Aligning project timelines with co-op financing
➡️ Supporting developers like Millard Fuller…— Empowa🏠- LSPO Ticker: EMPL (@empowa_io) May 30, 2025
- South Africa’s AgriDex platform on Solana facilitating the trade of agricultural products across the continent.
According @henryduckw, the CEO of @AgriDexPlatform, the emergence of a #multipolar world brings with it increased risk which will likely drive the adoption of digital currencies, whether that is #stablecoins, #Bitcoin or other digital assets.https://t.co/6mrk0RKCVV pic.twitter.com/5e0rPA2vf4
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) May 15, 2025
As detailed in Chainalysis’s 2024 Geography of Crypto Report, Nigeria – home to both Xend Finance and Risevest – ranks second globally for crypto adoption. Other Sub-Saharan countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa also feature prominently in the top 30.
🇳🇬REPORT | #Nigeria Ranked 2nd Globally in #DeFi and the Only African Country in Top 20 by Chainalysis 2024 Crypto Adoption Index
“When we look at year-over-year growth in terms of types of services, we see that DeFi activity increased significantly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin… pic.twitter.com/foXhFCjaM1
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) September 13, 2024
Africans use crypto for diverse purposes: business payments, hedging against inflation, and everyday transactions. Stablecoins pegged to major fiat currencies, especially the US dollar, are becoming critical in this ecosystem. Acting as a hedge against inflation and enabling cheaper cross-border transactions, stablecoins account for 43% of all crypto volume in Sub-Saharan Africa.
🇪🇹REPORT | Stablecoin Transfers Account for 43% of All Crypto Transfers Across Africa, #Ethiopia is Fastest-Growing Market, Says Chainalysis
According to Chainalysis, Ethiopia has become the continent’s fastest-growing market for retail-sized stablecoin transfers, experiencing a… pic.twitter.com/pJMLHAp09T
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) October 4, 2024
Real-world asset tokenization represents a promising use case that could further accelerate crypto adoption across Africa by providing individuals with easier access to global financial markets.
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