VALR Eyes Kenya for Expansion

VALR, the Johannesburg-based digital asset infrastructure provider, is accelerating its expansion into Kenya following the country’s recent cryptocurrency regulatory milestones. The firm served as diamond sponsor of the Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference in Nairobi on 14–15 May 2026, where it also hosted a meetup for local finance leaders.

Peter Mwangi, VALR’s newly named Country Manager for Kenya, delivered a keynote at the event. He compared Kenya’s early mobile-money adoption to the current opportunities in digital-asset payments, financial inclusion and infrastructure, positioning the country as a rising hub for crypto in Africa. Shelley Havemann, VALR’s Head of Payments, took part in a panel on stablecoins and the future of payments.

Kenya enacted the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Act in October 2025, with effect from November 2025. The Capital Markets Authority finalised supporting 2026 VASP Regulations, creating a clear licensing and oversight framework aligned with international standards. VALR says the regulatory clarity provides a solid foundation for growth in the country.

Founded in 2018, VALR is South Africa’s largest crypto exchange by volume and processes over $15 billion in stablecoin volumes annually. It ranks among the top 10 global minters of USDC. The platform serves more than 1.8 million registered users and over 2,000 corporate and institutional clients, including companies listed on the JSE and Nasdaq. Its product suite includes API infrastructure, an OTC desk, staking, lending, and VALR Pay. The exchange also recently launched an AI service featuring a chat assistant and API support for autonomous agents.

VALR is backed by investors such as Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures and Fidelity’s F-Prime Capital, and holds a licence from South Africa’s FSCA. The company said it welcomes partnership discussions with Kenyan financial institutions and businesses as it brings its institutional-grade infrastructure to the market.