Yellow Card, the stablecoin payments startup operating across 34 countries, is discontinuing its retail services to focus exclusively on business clients in what it describes as a “strategic refocus” driven by growing demand from enterprises.
The startup notified users via email on October 29 to withdraw all funds from its app before December 31, after which retail users will no longer be able to access withdrawals. Accounts with zero balances were sent separate notices on November 1, informing them that those accounts would be deactivated the following day.
For users who miss the December 31 withdrawal deadline, Yellow Card said it will lock unclaimed funds, which can later be accessed with proof of ownership. From January 1, 2026, the startup will focus entirely on its institutional-grade stablecoin infrastructure business.
“Over the years, we’ve seen a drastic increase in demand from businesses seeking seamless cross-border payments and treasury management,” John Colson, chief marketing officer at Yellow Card, told . “This clear market signal gave us the conviction to make this strategic decision.”
Founded in Nigeria in 2019, Yellow Card has grown to become one of Africa’s leading digital asset infrastructure providers, supporting stablecoin transactions, fiat settlement rails, custody wallet services, and local stablecoin issuance. The startup now operates across key emerging markets, including Brazil, India, Mexico, and China, as well as financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong.
Colson said the decision to exit retail “isn’t a pivot away from its mission,” but rather it is doubling down on providing regulated, institutional-grade infrastructure that businesses need to scale after seeing “growing demand” from that side of its business.
The shift mirrors a wider industry trend among African crypto startups such as Quidax and Busha, which have been betting on business-to-business (B2B) crypto payment rails to drive growth amid tighter regulation and volatile retail activity. Business clients, unlike retail traders, tend to be more stable and predictable, transacting in larger volumes that sustain platform liquidity and revenue.
“By focusing fully on our B2B Institutional Suite, we can deepen our core strengths, scale faster, and deliver the institutional-grade infrastructure that businesses, and by extension, consumers, rely on,” Colson said. “It is also worth noting that a number of our retail customers have already started transitioning to our treasury portal.”
Yellow Card has raised a total funding of $88 million and now serves more than 30,000 businesses. In 2024, it processed over $3 billion in transactions, dominated by stablecoin transactions. The startup emphasised it remains financially strong and continues to grow, adding that retail will “remain available in markets with strong retail demand” during the transition. However, it did not name specific markets where its retail services will remain active.
Yellow Card’s B2B business spans stablecoin payment infrastructure, fiat settlement rails, custody wallet services, and local stablecoin issuance, providing end-to-end financial plumbing for businesses in emerging markets.
The startup’s refocus has also been buoyed by its partnership with Visa in June, which enabled Yellow Card to extend its footprint beyond Africa into Latin America (LATAM) and Asia. With these expansions, Yellow Card now serves clients in 34 countries, underscoring its ambition to become the go-to stablecoin infrastructure provider for businesses operating across frontier and emerging markets.
Colson said that the company’s evolution reflects both opportunity and maturity.
“We are simply evolving our business model to focus on the B2B market, where we see the greatest opportunity to solve critical financial challenges.”
