Fintech Infrastructure for Emerging Markets: The Ledig approach
Twelve months ago, Ledig entered the African fintech landscape with a mission to address a persistent challenge in emerging markets: the difficulty businesses face in managing currency exposure and transferring value efficiently. The company, which began as an internal rethink, has since evolved into a multi-product infrastructure provider operating across more than 17 markets. Its latest initiative is the development of an on-chain derivatives protocol designed to modernise institutional FX hedging.
Currency Volatility and Capital Constraints
Currency instability and limited capital mobility have continued to shape the operating environment in emerging markets. Despite strong interest from multinational and regional enterprises, unpredictable exchange rates and liquidity barriers have made long-term planning difficult. These structural constraints have contributed to high-profile exits from markets such as Nigeria and have restricted expansion plans across the region. Ledig positioned itself to address these vulnerabilities.
The company’s first product, a dynamic rates hedging solution, facilitated over $55 million in volume and highlighted the demand for more sophisticated tools among market makers and corporate treasuries. This demand directly informed the development of an on-chain derivatives protocol using American-style options, designed to offer transparent and enforceable hedging with faster settlement and on-chain auditability.
Beyond risk management, Ledig turned its attention to treasury mobility. Cross-border value transfer in emerging markets has traditionally been slow and costly, particularly at an institutional scale. The company’s on-demand liquidity engine was introduced to streamline this process, enabling high-volume conversions without extended settlement cycles. Millions of dollars in stablecoin-fiat and fiat-stablecoin transactions have passed through the system over the past year, demonstrating the potential for faster and more reliable treasury flows when dedicated infrastructure is in place.
A key milestone came in June 2025, when Ledig reported surpassing $100 million in processed transactions within six months. For a young infrastructure company, the achievement served as evidence of market validation. The rollout of Ledig 2.0 followed shortly after, offering a more intuitive interface to support adoption.
Complementing its core infrastructure, Ledig has built out services aimed at simplifying operational processes for businesses. Cross-border virtual accounts allow firms to receive and route local currencies without establishing banking relationships. Borderless payments enable settlement in stablecoins while paying out in local currencies, reducing exposure to exchange-rate fluctuations. Embedded and white-label offerings allow partners to deploy digital-asset products using Ledig’s backend, and the platform now supports wallets, payment links, and an institutional OTC desk, although the company plans to phase out the latter for its on-demand liquidity offering.
In October, Ledig participated in the inaugural West African-Based Founders Fellowship hosted by Coinbase, an initiative that spotlights companies building on the Base ecosystem.
Regulation has remained a central focus. With clearer guidance emerging in Nigeria and across the broader blockchain landscape, Ledig registered under the Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Program and is awaiting approval. The company is also pursuing a VASP licence with the Nigerian SEC and a US MSB authorisation as part of its broader regulatory strategy.
As it enters its second year, Ledig plans to concentrate on launching its derivatives protocol, strengthening partnerships, and expanding coverage into additional corridors. The coming phase will test the scalability of its infrastructure and the durability of its model in rapidly evolving markets. What remains evident is the company’s intent to build long-term financial infrastructure tailored to the realities of emerging economies, with a focus on practical utility and institutional adoption.
