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As part of a broader initiative to expand access to essential banking infrastructure across Africa, Cantor8 has revealed plans to bring leading mobile money systems — including M-PESA and EVC Plus — on-chain via Yiksi Limited.
Cantor8 has secured exclusive MOUs with Yiksi Limited outlining plans to enable direct digital money-to-crypto conversion via blockchain rails. Through its partnership with Taran App, a leading African fintech platform, and Yiksi — Taran App’s cryptocurrency exchange, Cantor8 will leverage Taran App’s infrastructure to bring both mobile money systems on-chain via the Canton Network. The partnership serves as a pilot for a broader rollout across additional African nations and mobile money ecosystems.
Why Mobile Money? Why Africa?
Limited banking infrastructure in regions such as Kenya and Somalia has driven the widespread adoption of mobile-first financial systems. In Somalia, formal banking penetration stands at just 15%, held back by a scarcity of branches and rigid ID requirements. Since 1991, the country has evolved into a mobile-first economy led by EVC Plus (operated by Hormuud Telecom), which now serves nearly 5 million users, with over 87% of the population relying on mobile money for daily transactions.
 
Kenya tells a similar story. M-PESA dominates the financial landscape, with 85% of Kenyan adults accessing financial services through digital platforms as of 2025. SIM subscriptions hit 78.4 million — a penetration rate of 149.5% — underscoring the central role of telecoms in the country’s economy.
Three factors have driven the success of these systems across both nations: limited access to traditional banking, high mobile phone penetration, and structurally challenged local currencies. Somalia’s decades of central banking limitations have pushed the market toward the US Dollar and mobile money for stability. Kenya’s Shilling, while more globally integrated, reflects the same broader shift away from physical cash toward digital financial foundations.
Enter Canton Network and Cantor8
By leveraging Cantor8’s infrastructure — including its C8 Registry token issuance engine — mobile money systems like M-PESA and EVC Plus can be brought directly onto Canton Network’s blockchain rails, unlocking a set of capabilities that legacy mobile money infrastructure simply cannot offer.
Instant Settlement. Blockchain rails enable atomic settlement, meaning transfers are completed instantly in a single transaction. No settlement gap. No extractive middlemen. No in-transit risk.
Compliant Privacy. Unlike public blockchains such as Ethereum or Solana, which expose all historical transaction data, Canton Network is built for regulated industries. Sensitive details — counterparties, balances, timing — remain confidential, while tamper-proof audit trails are accessible only to authorized regulators and auditors. Users maintain full financial privacy without sacrificing regulatory compliance.
Interoperability. Canton operates a network-of-networks architecture, in which separate institutions maintain their own ledgers, while the network’s Global Synchronizer enables seamless interaction among them. For mobile money users, this means funds can be used and transferred across borders and merchants — without the lengthy, high-risk conversion processes that currently create friction across African markets.
The Bigger Picture
Through an interoperable system of mobile money platforms, users will be able to leverage the stability of the US Dollar, move funds seamlessly across borders, and access a fully integrated digital financial system that bypasses conventional infrastructure entirely.
Cantor8’s end goal is a seamless pan-African payments system — one that remedies deep inequalities in banking infrastructure and builds a more interconnected, efficient African economy.
This is just the beginning.