Nigerian crypto platform Breet is rolling out an API that allows businesses to accept payments in stablecoins, marking its latest move beyond retail crypto users and into payment infrastructure for startups and enterprises.
The API is designed to enable businesses receive stablecoins such as USDT and USDC from customers, while handling settlement and conversion behind the scenes. For Breet, the push comes at a time when stablecoin usage is no longer just a consumer trend but an increasingly important payment rail for businesses operating in volatile, fragmented financial systems.
Across Nigeria and Africa, crypto transactions have grown steadily over the past few years. In 2024, stablecoins accounted for 43% of crypto transactions in sub-Saharan Africa.
Stablecoins now dominate crypto-based remittances across the continent, driven by inflation, FX scarcity, and cross-border settlement challenges.
The practical value of stablecoins has also played out in unexpected ways. Just recently, Internet personality iShowSpeed reportedly paid a luxury jeweller using stablecoins after traditional payment options failed, a small but telling example of how dollar-backed crypto can function as a last-mile payment solution when conventional rails break down.
For Breet, the API launch appears to be a response to this shift from crypto as an asset to crypto as infrastructure.
Why Nigerian businesses don’t accept stablecoins
Despite growing demand, it is hard to find payment gateways or physical stores that accept crypto payments. According to Breet, the reasons for this range from technical complexity to operational headache.
Accepting stablecoins requires monitoring blockchain networks, tracking confirmations, managing wallet infrastructure, and handling transaction fees across multiple chains. For businesses whose core product has nothing to do with crypto, this introduces a level of engineering complexity that is difficult to justify.
There is also the issue of operational risk. Even with stablecoins, businesses must decide when and how to convert funds, manage liquidity, and ensure that assets are stored securely. Custody of private keys alone presents a risk profile many startups are unwilling to assume, particularly in a regulatory environment that remains fluid.
Volatility, while reduced, has not disappeared entirely. Businesses that accept non-stable crypto assets face the risk of price swings between the time a payment is made and when it is settled. Absorbing that loss — or passing it on to customers — creates friction on both sides of the transaction.
How Breet is lowering the barrier to stablecoin payments
Breet’s stablecoin API is designed for businesses that want to reach crypto-native customers without taking on the operational burden that often comes with crypto payments. Rather than targeting individual users, the API is built for high-volume, operational platforms that process payments at scale.
For fintech companies, this can mean allowing users to fund naira wallets or virtual dollar cards using USDC, without the business ever directly custodying crypto assets. Gaming platforms can accept deposits in stablecoins while settling balances instantly, reducing delays and payout friction. Marketplaces, particularly those with international vendors or customers, can receive dollar-denominated payments without relying on slow or expensive cross-border banking rails.
At the infrastructure level, Breet handles wallet generation, transaction monitoring, and settlement. Businesses receive payment confirmations via webhooks and can choose how funds are settled—whether in stablecoins or local currency, without managing private keys
According to a case study by Breet: PIL, a B2B spend management platform whose clients needed to fund virtual cards using stablecoins. Rather than hiring blockchain engineers or managing cold wallets, PIL integrated Breet’s API. Wallet addresses were generated for clients, payments were made in USDC, and Breet handled notifications and settlement, allowing PIL to focus on card issuance and spend management rather than crypto operations. According to PIL’s product team, the integration fits cleanly into existing workflows without changing the core product.
Breet’s pricing model follows a usage-based structure, charging a percentage fee per incoming transaction, with custom terms for larger businesses. The logic mirrors other payment infrastructure providers: revenue scales only when transaction volume grows.
In a market crowded with complex crypto tooling, Breet’s bet is that convenience—not deeper exposure to crypto mechanics—is what most businesses are actually looking for.
