MANSA Secures $10M to Tackle Liquidity Challenges in Cross-Border Payments
Dubai-based fintech startup MANSA has raised $10 million in a funding round to enhance liquidity solutions for cross-border payments. The round, comprising both equity and debt financing, was co-led by Polymorphic Capital, with participation from Octerra Capital, Faculty Group, and Trive Digital. Stablecoin provider Tether led a $3 million equity investment, reinforcing its commitment to digital payment innovation.
Expanding Global Reach
With this fresh capital, MANSA is set to scale its operations beyond Africa, targeting Latin America and Southeast Asia—regions facing similar liquidity constraints. The startup provides real-time liquidity solutions, eliminating the need for traditional collateral-backed lending. Instead, it leverages transaction data to underwrite loans, offering a more flexible and efficient approach for payment providers.
MANSA’s CEO, Mouloukou Sanoh, emphasized the importance of its partnership with Tether:
“We are working closely with Tether to position it as the primary stablecoin in emerging markets.”
Founded by Sanoh and Nkiru Uwaje, MANSA has swiftly established itself in the payments sector. Sanoh, a seasoned investor in African fintechs, previously worked at web3 VC firm Adaverse, while Uwaje, formerly an innovation manager at SWIFT, led blockchain strategy for Dell in the UK and Ireland.
Addressing a Massive Market Opportunity
Global cross-border payments are projected to reach $290.2 trillion annually by 2030, and inefficiencies in the system could lead to significant financial losses for businesses. MANSA aims to bridge this gap by ensuring seamless liquidity for payment providers, helping them process transactions faster and at a lower cost.
To support its international expansion, MANSA has secured an additional $7 million in liquidity funding from corporate investors, quantitative funds, and hedge funds.
Rapid Growth and Market Impact
Since launching in August 2024, MANSA has witnessed remarkable growth. The company’s monthly transaction volume skyrocketed from $1.6 million in its first month to $11 million by January 2025, reflecting a compounded monthly growth rate of 37.5%. To date, it has processed nearly $31 million in transactions and is on track to achieve a $1 billion total payment volume run rate this year.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino praised the partnership:
“We are proud to collaborate with MANSA and support their efforts to reshape global payment infrastructure.”
Beyond liquidity solutions, MANSA is heavily investing in regulatory compliance. The company has onboarded industry veterans, including the former head of HSBC North Asia and the chief legal officer of Franklin Templeton, to strengthen its oversight. Compliance measures include AML checks, KYC, KYB, transaction monitoring, and blockchain analytics tools.
The Road Ahead
While liquidity provision remains its primary focus, MANSA has ambitious plans to broaden its service offerings.
“We aim to be the leading liquidity provider for the largest payment companies in emerging markets,” said Sanoh. “From there, we’ll expand into handling payouts, foreign exchange, and other financial services—creating an all-in-one payments platform.”
The startup’s growing client base includes B2B payment platforms, virtual card providers, stablecoin infrastructure companies, forex platforms, and remittance firms. Clients leveraging MANSA’s solutions have reported a 30% increase in transaction volumes and a 10% rise in revenue.
Polymorphic Capital’s managing partner, Vitaly Spassky, highlighted MANSA’s disruptive potential:
“MANSA is tackling a massive, traditional market with blockchain and Web3 innovation. The team is well-equipped for this challenge.”
Echoing this sentiment, Ashim Egunjobi, managing partner at Octerra Capital, noted:
“We invested in MANSA because of its high-caliber team addressing critical liquidity challenges in emerging markets. Decentralized finance and asset tokenization are game-changing technologies, and MANSA is uniquely positioned to drive real impact.”
As MANSA continues its rapid expansion, it stands poised to revolutionize global payments, making transactions more seamless, cost-effective, and accessible for businesses across emerging economies.
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