Cedar Money and Noah have announced a strategic partnership aimed at improving cross-border payment infrastructure for businesses trading between Africa and international markets. The collaboration combines Cedar’s regulated compliance framework with Noah’s stablecoin-powered payment technology to help importers and exporters settle international invoices more efficiently while meeting global regulatory requirements.
The agreement addresses a long-standing challenge in international trade involving emerging markets: enabling African businesses to meet the compliance expectations of financial institutions and payment providers in Europe, North America, and other global markets.
Under the partnership, Cedar will provide the regulated onboarding and compliance layer for businesses entering the platform. The company will conduct know-your-customer (KYC), anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions screening, and politically exposed person (PEP) checks under its financial institution licence. This allows businesses to access international payment infrastructure through a compliance process aligned with global regulatory standards.
Noah will provide the stablecoin-based payment infrastructure that enables businesses to hold named virtual EUR and USD accounts and send programmable payouts across multiple currencies. By combining regulated compliance with blockchain-based settlement technology, the companies aim to reduce delays, improve payment transparency, and simplify international fund transfers for businesses operating across borders.
The partnership focuses particularly on importers and exporters in Africa, where access to international financial services has often been constrained by underwriting requirements and differing regulatory expectations. Many financial institutions have found it difficult to onboard businesses from emerging markets because of the complexity involved in meeting Western compliance standards. At the same time, businesses engaged in international trade increasingly require virtual accounts that allow overseas trading partners to identify and reconcile incoming payments more efficiently.
Cedar, which specialises in cross-border payments and foreign exchange infrastructure for emerging markets, has developed its platform around these challenges. The company operates across the United States, Canada, Nigeria and Israel, supporting businesses moving funds into and out of African markets. Its regulatory framework includes registration with the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Canada’s Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), and registration under the Bank of Canada’s Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA), enabling it to meet the compliance and risk management standards expected by international financial institutions.
Meanwhile, Noah provides API-first stablecoin payment infrastructure designed for enterprise use. Its platform enables businesses to collect, convert and disburse funds through real-time settlement while supporting multiple currencies and payment corridors. The company focuses on integrating stablecoin technology into cross-border payment workflows through programmable infrastructure and enterprise-grade compliance.
Benjy Feinberg, CEO of Cedar Money said: “Africa represents a significant opportunity for global trade finance, but access has always been gated by compliance complexity. Cedar exists to remove that gate. Our partnership with Noah means African businesses can now settle invoices with their global counterparts using best-in-class infrastructure — and the compliance layer travels with them.”
Shah Ramezani, Founder and CEO of Noah said: “Working with Cedar has given us a genuinely differentiated path into African markets. Their compliance depth is exceptional — it’s the kind of infrastructure that changes what’s possible for Western payment platforms looking to access African business flows responsibly. We’re building something meaningful together.”
According to the companies, testing of the joint infrastructure has been completed and live transactions are already underway. They expect the partnership to support broader adoption of compliant stablecoin-based payment rails for businesses operating in underserved markets, providing an alternative to traditional cross-border settlement processes while maintaining regulatory oversight.
