Tether and Shiga Bring Self-Custody Financial Products to Africa and GCC
Tether and Shiga are expanding self-custodial financial products across Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council using Tether's Wallet Development Kit. This initiative is an extension of their partnership, which began with a $20 million investment in Shiga by Tether in June 2025.
The new collaboration will provide individuals, businesses, and institutions with access to financial products built around self-custody, including USD₮, Bitcoin, and XAU₮. This move aims to address practical payment challenges in markets where currency volatility, banking access, and cross-border costs remain significant concerns.
The average cost of sending remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa was 8.46% in the third quarter of 2025, compared with a 6.36% global average, according to World Bank data. This cost creates room for blockchain-based settlement networks and dollar-denominated digital assets to compete with traditional payment rails.
Shiga's ENTA product will allow individuals, high-net-worth users, and businesses to fund self-custodial wallets using local currency, U.S. dollars, or Bitcoin. They can then hold and transfer USD₮, Bitcoin, and XAU₮, creating a digital asset layer designed around savings and payments rather than trading alone.