IOTA collaborates with Africa's AfCFTA to launch the "ADAPT" program: Reshaping cross-border trade among 55 countries with USDT, unlocking a potential value of $70 billion.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has teamed up with the IOTA Foundation to launch the ADAPT program, aimed at making stablecoins led by USDT the core settlement tool to promote paperless digital trade across 55 countries, with the goal of completely transforming the way cross-border goods flow in Africa. (Background: The Myth and Reality of Stablecoins: A Field Guide from 20 African Countries) (Supplementary Background: In-depth Report: The Potential and Development of Crypto Assets & Stablecoins in Africa's Digital Economy) The AfCFTA Secretariat and the IOTA Foundation jointly announced on November 17 the launch of the “Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT)” program, explicitly placing stablecoins (especially USDT) at the core of reshaping cross-border goods flow in Africa. The program is also supported by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and the World Economic Forum, with the goal of using Blockchain and stablecoins to completely replace outdated paper processes, significantly reducing trade costs, shortening delays, and improving overall trade transparency. The Perfect Combination of AfCFTA and IOTA AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world, covering 55 countries and 1.3 billion people, but currently, internal trade in Africa accounts for only 15% of total exports, far below the global average. In this project, the IOTA Foundation will be responsible for providing infrastructure technology, and has already piloted in multiple countries including Kenya and Rwanda, demonstrating the ability to compress trade clearance times from weeks to minutes and reduce trade costs by over 30%. How Stablecoins Change the Game? According to reports, the core mechanism of the ADAPT program includes three major parts: real-time cross-border payments dominated by USDT, avoiding forex fluctuations and banking delays; verifiable digital trade documents, completely eliminating document fraud; and an interoperable digital identity system, making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to access trade financing. AfCFTA estimates that digitizing trade could double Africa's internal trade volume, releasing $70 billion in new trade value and generating $23.6 billion in economic benefits annually; if connected with IOTA's global trade network, it could potentially reduce global trade costs by 25%. From Pilot in 2025 to Full Coverage by 2035 Regarding the implementation roadmap for the program, officials clearly state: pilot projects will first launch by the end of 2025 in Kenya, Ghana, and one undisclosed North African country; starting in 2026, the project will gradually expand across the continent; and complete integration of all 55 member countries is expected by 2035. Currently, Kenya generates 100,000 on-chain transactions daily, with exporters saving about $400 per month in paper costs, and border clearance times reduced from 6 hours to 30 minutes, showing impressive results. In this regard, IOTA Foundation founder Dominik Schiener stated: “We are helping Rwandan miners obtain real-time USDT payment channels at half the cost, which is a key step in moving cryptocurrency from speculation to real application.” Related Reports What is Tether developing in Africa: Solar kiosks and new stablecoin business Is the alt season really here? Google searches for “Altcoin” have reached a 7-year high, mainly driven by African countries An African investor: Zimbabwe taught me 7 lessons, don’t despair, money can still be made in a bad market… <IOTA collaborates with Africa's AfCFTA to launch the 'ADAPT' program: Using USDT to reshape cross-border trade for 55 countries and release $70 billion in potential value> This article was first published in BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.