For many African businesses, paying overseas suppliers remains one of the most fragile links in global commerce. Transfers are often slow, opaque, and costly, with failed payments disrupting supply chains and straining commercial relationships. A Nigeria-based fintech startup, Clea, is addressing this challenge with a blockchain-enabled payments platform designed to bring speed, transparency, and predictability to cross-border trade.
Founded in 2024, Clea has developed payment infrastructure that allows African importers to fund transactions locally, such as in naira, while ensuring that overseas suppliers receive U.S. dollar payments without the delays and uncertainty common in traditional correspondent banking systems. The approach reflects a broader shift in fintech toward building infrastructure that supports real economic activity rather than consumer-facing speculation.
Reducing Friction in Cross-Border Payments
International payments into and out of Africa often pass through multiple intermediaries, increasing costs and settlement risk. These challenges are particularly acute for small and mid-sized businesses that depend on timely payments to maintain supplier trust and manage working capital.
Clea’s platform is designed to remove these bottlenecks. By using blockchain technology as its settlement layer, the company enables traceable transactions with clearer timelines, reducing reliance on fragmented banking networks. Payments are executed in the importer’s own name, a feature aimed at lowering disputes and strengthening confidence with international suppliers.
Payments Built for Commerce
Rather than positioning itself as a general crypto product, Clea focuses on payments infrastructure tailored to trade. Businesses complete onboarding and compliance checks once, after which they can manage cross-border payments through a streamlined digital wallet accessible via mobile devices. Funding accounts, initiating transfers, and accessing foreign exchange rates are handled through a simplified workflow intended to mirror the ease of local payments.
Blockchain underpins settlement and transparency, helping to reduce fraud risk and improve visibility for both sides of a transaction. Depending on the payment corridor, transfers can be completed within the same day or by the next business day, an improvement over legacy systems that often take several days.
Behind the platform is a founding team focused on execution and reliability. Clea was founded by Sheriff Adedokun, who leads the company as chief executive, alongside Iyiola Osuagwu, who oversees the technical architecture, and Sidney Egwuatu, who manages operations. The team’s shared view is that payment uncertainty is not merely an inconvenience, but a structural risk that weakens African businesses’ ability to compete in global markets.
Early Market Validation
That view appears to be resonating with users. During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than 4 million dollars in cross-border transaction volume, indicating early demand from businesses navigating foreign exchange constraints and inconsistent settlement outcomes.
While the platform currently serves Nigerian importers, it has been built with regional expansion in mind. Clea is already embedded within trade and logistics networks, working alongside shipping operators and engaging merchant groups in key import hubs, placing the platform directly within the flow of goods where payment reliability is most critical.
Trade Infrastructure in a Changing Market
Clea’s launch comes as African trade continues to expand, driven by deeper participation in global supply chains and regional integration efforts. Yet, payment infrastructure has struggled to keep pace, particularly for smaller firms operating outside large corporate banking relationships.
By combining local currency funding, compliant dollar settlements, and transparent execution, Clea is targeting one of the most persistent bottlenecks in African commerce. Its approach underscores the growing maturity of Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem, which is increasingly focused on building infrastructure capable of supporting complex, cross-border economic activity.
As African businesses deepen their role in global trade, platforms like Clea highlight how Nigeria-based innovation is helping reshape the financial systems that underpin commerce across borders.
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