Tether inks Nairobi MoU, eyes USDt as Kenya's newest settlement side hustle 💱

Tether has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nairobi Securities Exchange to explore tokenized securities and the potential use of USDt (USDT) as a settlement infrastructure layer within Kenya's regulatory framework. The agreement, announced Tuesday, sets out plans to study blockchain-based market infrastructure, digital asset education and real-world asset tokenization, including the possible use of Tether's Hadron tokenization platform for issuing and trading tokenized securities. The memorandum also calls for an assessment of instant settlement mechanisms and the role of USDt as a digital settlement layer where Kenyan rules permit.

The partnership arrives as tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) draw increased institutional attention. The sector's onchain value has grown to about $36.8 billion, excluding stablecoins, according to RWA.xyz. RWA.xyz separately tracks nearly $298 billion in stablecoins, which some market participants also classify as RWAs because they represent claims on offchain reserve assets.

USDT, with a market capitalization of roughly $184 billion, remains the world's largest stablecoin. Under the MoU, Tether and the Nairobi Securities Exchange will evaluate how Hadron and USDt could integrate into the exchange's existing market structure, subject to Kenyan regulatory clearance. RWAs have become Hyperliquid's largest trading category, underscoring growing onchain demand for tokenized traditional instruments.