Crypto and Fintech Are Colliding. Who Wins, and How? - Ep. 856

Take the Unchained 2025 survey! unchainedcrypto.com/survey

-------

Cross-border payments. Mobile money. Stablecoins. Crypto.

Elizabeth Rossiello has lived through every cycle, not from a trading desk, but the front lines of African markets.

Now, the founder of AZA Finance is selling her company to global fintech giant dLocal, a signal that the line between crypto and traditional finance is blurring fast.

In this episode, she talks about:

• How stablecoins are powering 24/7 commerce in emerging markets

• Why new entrants keep failing to gain traction

• And how liquidity, not tech, will determine who wins this new game

All that, plus the inside story of AZA’s journey from a Nairobi-based Bitcoin exchange to one of the most important fintech players in Africa.

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

• Bitwise

• Human Rights Foundation

• Xapo Bank

Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO and Founder of AZA Finance

Previous appearance on Unchained: BitPesa's Elizabeth Rossiello on Necker Island

Links

dLocal announces intention to acquire AZA Finance to strengthen

AZA Finance: dLocal announces intention to acquire AZA Finance to strengthen presence in Africa and expand capabilities

• Bloomberg: Uruguay’s DLocal to Buy AZA Finance in Africa Push

• American Banker: What experienced payment execs can pass to a new generation

• The Startup Leap: Building A Remittance App for Africa’s $1tr Market | Elizabeth Rossiello | Aza Finance
• Jack Zhang of Airwallex tweet saying he doesn’t see “a single use case” for crypto

Timestamps:

• 🎬0:00 Intro

• 🌍 3:30 What Africa’s early payments scene looked like and how Elizabeth launched the first Bitcoin exchange there

• 📲 10:54 How the continent’s payment rails evolved

• 🔥 16:15 How Western Union dropped its pricing after her company launched

• 💸 20:42 Why stablecoins became a game-changer for cross-border payments

• 📊 25:24 What the real volume drivers are

• 🌐 28:53 How crypto adoption in Africa shifted post-COVID

• 🤝 37:00 Why AZA decided to acquire two companies

• ⚠️ 38:46 How the FTX partnership hurt AZA

• 💼 41:37 How the dLocal deal came together behind the scenes

• 🔄 45:08 Why crypto and fintech are on a fast path to convergence

• 🏁 50:58 Which players Elizabeth thinks will win in the new payments race

• 📵 53:47 Why “mobile money” is still tough competition for crypto

• 💥 56:48 How USDT has an edge in emerging markets

• 🇨🇳 58:50 How China’s deep ties to Africa have shaped the game

• 🚀 1:01:37 What it’s been like to build AZA as a young woman founder in crypto

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices