New research highlights how stablecoins and unified multi-rail settlement infrastructure bridge the gap between Africa’s rapid domestic digital innovation and fragmented global commercial trade.

HONG KONG, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PhotonPay, a next-generation financial operating system powered by stablecoins, today published its latest industry research report, The Next Payment Infrastructure in Africa: From Fragmented Payment Rails to Unified Cross-Border Settlement.

The whitepaper explores the unique evolution of Africa’s digital economy — where rapid mobile-first innovation coexists with high cross-border fragmentation — and outlines how next-generation payment architectures solve key liquidity and settlement frictions for growing enterprises.

To read the key findings and access the full research, visit: Download the Full Report: The Next Payment Infrastructure in Africa 

PhotonPay’s comprehensive study breaks down the macro trends, systemic bottlenecks, and technological innovations reshaping African commerce into structural dimensions.

The Paradox of Innovation vs. Fragmentation

Africa has built one of the world’s most dynamic financial ecosystems by leapfrogging traditional banking infrastructure directly into mobile-first networks. Driven by a young median age of 20 and rapid urbanization, domestic demand for digital services, e-commerce, and merchant payments continues to accelerate.

However, domestic digital success has not created a unified continental ecosystem. Payment adoption remains deeply uneven — spanning from over 70% digital payment usage in Senegal to under 10% in Niger. For businesses, domestic efficiency stops at national borders, exposing a stark contrast between fast local mobile transactions and complex, costly cross-border commercial settlement.

Four Frictions Limiting Payment Efficiency

While domestic Instant Payment Systems (IPS) expanded to 33 active networks generating 65.6 billion transactions in 2024, cross-border business payments remain constrained by severe structural inefficiencies:

The Formalization Gap: With 85.8% of African employment situated in the informal economy, smaller enterprises and merchants struggle to access standardized formal banking and payments.Payment Rail Fragmentation: Incompatible technical and regulatory frameworks across national borders restrict direct payment routing and degrade cross-border success rates.FX and Liquidity Traps: Currency fragmentation forces intra-African commercial transactions through foreign currencies and overseas correspondent banks, generating an estimated $5 billion annually in unnecessary transaction costs.Settlement Latency: Multi-hop correspondent banking pathways increase processing friction, resulting in high fees and settlement delays spanning multiple business days.

Stablecoins as a Value Movement Layer for Global Trade

To overcome traditional banking friction, commercial enterprises across Africa are turning to alternative blockchain-based settlement mechanisms. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa received approximately $205 billion in total on-chain value (+52% YoY).

Dollar-denominated stablecoins (such as USDC and USDT) are increasingly integrated into real-world trade flows between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia — including multi-million-dollar energy and merchant settlements. By routing value across blockchain networks into local off-ramps, stablecoin pathways reduce correspondent banking bottlenecks, secure dollar liquidity, and compress cross-border settlement from days to minutes while lowering costs from $5–$15+ to under $1.

Multi-Rail Interoperability & PhotonPay’s Integrated Solution

The whitepaper emphasizes that stablecoins are not a replacement for traditional systems, but a complementary settlement layer within a broader multi-rail landscape. The future of African commerce relies on seamlessly connecting diverse payment mechanisms:

Digital Wallets & Mobile Money: Enabling broad financial inclusion and high-frequency consumer transactions.Instant Payment Systems & Cards: Supporting domestic commercial operations and international card clearing.Stablecoins & Digital Assets: Providing direct, low-cost pathways for cross-border liquidity and value transfer.

As businesses navigate this multi-rail ecosystem, the primary challenge transitions from simple payment acceptance to managing end-to-end liquidity, routing, and currency conversion across fragmented borders. PhotonPay solves this complexity by providing an integrated global financial platform:

Global Liquidity & Virtual Accounts: Collect, hold, and manage funds in multi-currency accounts across major fiat currencies and digital assets.Unified Payout & Settlement Network: Connect over 60 local payment methods, cards, and mobile wallets with 24/7 real-time settlement channels.Seamless FX & Stablecoin Conversion: Convert digital assets and foreign currencies into local payment rails at competitive market rates, eliminating intermediary bank markups.Enterprise Risk & Operations Management: Streamline global receivables, supplier payouts, and corporate expenses with automated fraud detection and real-time tracking.

The evolution of African payments is moving past domestic digital adoption toward seamless global interoperability. As cross-border trade between emerging markets expands, success will no longer depend on adding isolated payment channels, but on unifying existing rails into a cohesive, intelligent financial operating stack. By bridging local payout networks, stablecoin settlement layers, and global liquidity, modern financial infrastructure is transforming regional payment friction into a frictionless catalyst for global economic growth.

About PhotonPay

PhotonPay is a stablecoin-powered financial operating system built for global infrastructure. Designed for modern enterprises, PhotonPay enables businesses to send, receive, convert, and settle funds across both fiat and stablecoin rails through a single, compliance-first integration, spanning 200+ countries and territories.

For more information, visit [www.photonpay.com].

Disclaimer

This material is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or investment advice, nor an offer or solicitation for any product or service. The availability, features, and regulatory treatment of PhotonPay’s products and services may vary depending on the user’s location, business model, and the laws and regulations that apply. Any descriptions of functionality, performance, efficiency, cost savings, or compliance support (including, without limitation, references to “real‑time”, “24/7”, “high‑efficiency”, or “compliant” solutions) are aspirational or forward‑looking in nature. Actual outcomes may differ due to market conditions, technological constraints, and regulatory developments, and PhotonPay makes no express or implied representation, warranty, or guarantee as to the achievement of any particular result.

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Vibebeats AI gives cafés, gyms, retailers, bars and hotels fully licensed, AI-curated streaming music for business from any phone, tablet or browser — no hardware, no lock-in contracts, no licensing paperwork — from A$29 a month with a 7-day free trial.

BRISBANE, Australia, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — VibeBeats Launches AI-Powered Music Streaming Service for Businesses globally

Vibebeats AI gives cafés, gyms, retailers, bars and hotels fully licensed, AI-curated streaming music for business from any phone, tablet or browser — no hardware, no lock-in contracts, no licensing paperwork — from A$29 a month with a 7-day free trial.

Most venues playing music through consumer apps are doing it on the wrong licence. VibeBeats, an Australian-built, AI-powered streaming music for business platform, has launched across Australia and worldwide to fix that — turning any phone, tablet or browser into a fully licensed venue sound system in under five minutes. One agreement covers commercial performance rights across OneMusic and APRA AMCOS in Australia, and ASCAP, BMI, PRS and other rights bodies internationally — the same platform serving a café in Melbourne or a gym in London.

The “Spotify for business” that actually exists

Every month, thousands of venue owners worldwide search for “Spotify for business” — a product that doesn’t exist. Consumer streaming accounts are licensed for personal use only, leaving businesses that play them exposed under copyright law in Australia and virtually every other market. VibeBeats fills that gap: a business music streaming service where the commercial music rights are handled under one agreement — no separate music licence for business paperwork to manage.

“The number one thing we see is venue owners assuming it’s fine to play their personal Spotify account in the café — most don’t realise a licence fee even applies,” said Damien King, founder of VibeBeats. “It’s not bad intent. Licensing is complex, and when you’re running a small business there are a hundred competing priorities. VibeBeats solves it with one app, one licence, one platform.”

What VibeBeats delivers

Fully Licensed for Commercial Use — one agreement covers the rights that would otherwise involve OneMusic, APRA AMCOS, ASCAP, BMI, PRS and more.No Hardware Required — any phone, tablet or browser becomes the venue sound system — set up in under five minutes.AI-Curated Background Music for Business — stations matched to venue type and time of day, from morning coffee trade to peak gym floor to late-night bar.Smart Scheduling — playlists by daypart, with music that keeps running through connection drops.Multi-Venue Dashboard — manage every location from a single account.Simple Pricing — from A$29 per month per venue with a 7-day free trial — no lock-in contracts.

Pricing and availability

VibeBeats is available now from $29AUD/$20US per month per venue, and globally, with a 7-day free trial at vibebeats.ai. Purpose-built stations are available for cafés, gyms, retail and in-store environments, bars and hotels.

About VibeBeats

VibeBeats is an AI-powered commercial music streaming platform for businesses, offering direct-licensed music for cafés, restaurants, bars, retail stores, gyms and hotels. One agreement covers commercial performance rights that would otherwise involve PROs, OneMusic, APRA AMCOS, ASCAP, BMI, PRS and more. Australian-built and available globally, VibeBeats AI streams to any device with no proprietary hardware required. Learn more at vibebeats.ai.

VibeBeats is not affiliated with Spotify.

Media Contact

Damien King, Vibebeats AI, 61 0408009067, hello@vibebeats.ai, https://vibebeats.ai

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SOURCE Vibebeats AI

Valmet Oyj’s stock exchange release (inside information) on July 24, 2026 at 9.01a.m. EEST 

ESPOO, Finland, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of Valmet Oyj (“Valmet” or the “Company”) has decided to initiate a strategic review to evaluate a potential separation of its two core businesses, Biomaterial Solutions and Services, and Process Performance Solutions, into two standalone publicly listed companies. The review will focus on assessing whether a separation of the two businesses and their operation as separately listed companies on Nasdaq Helsinki would create additional value for shareholders compared with the current combined structure.

Both Valmet’s core businesses report as separate segments and they have grown into large, mostly independent profitable businesses, each with strong market positions and scale that allow them to succeed independently. With the recent completion of the Severn acquisition taking Process Performance Solutions to approximately EUR 1.7 billion in annual net sales and the renewed operating model now firmly in place, the Board believes this is the right time to assess whether a separation would unlock shareholder value by enabling each business to better realise its full potential.

The Board also notes that the two core businesses operate relatively independently as they serve mainly different customer industries, exhibit distinct business drivers, and have different capital allocation profiles. Biomaterial Solutions and Services is a global technology and lifecycle services business focused on the pulp, board, paper, tissue and energy industries, where its competitive advantage is anchored in a vast installed base, advanced technology, global presence, strong customer references and global services penetration. Process Performance Solutions is a mission-critical automation and flow control business serving a diversified set of industries. Over the past decade, it has evolved from a business primarily focused on pulp and paper into a diversified industrial platform, with close to 70 percent of net sales generated from other industries today.

Based on the Board’s initial assessment, a separation would allow each business to pursue sustainable profitable growth opportunities more independently and efficiently, with the potential for sharper management focus, greater agility, more tailored capital allocation, and more flexible access to external capital to support both organic and inorganic growth. The Board will also assess whether, if implemented, a separation would improve transparency, simplify governance, and allow capital markets to better recognize the full value of both businesses.

Pekka Vauramo, Chair of the Board, said:
“The Board continuously evaluates how to create the greatest long-term value for Valmet’s shareholders. Today, Valmet consists of two strong businesses with distinct markets, growth opportunities and capital allocation needs. Through this review, we will assess whether they can create more value as independent companies than they can together. We will only proceed with a separation if we conclude after detailed analysis that separation is clearly in the best interests of our shareholders.” 

Thomas Hinnerskov, President and CEO of Valmet, said:
“Both of our businesses are well positioned, with strong customer relationships and market positions, as well as talented employees. The review reflects the strength and maturity of both businesses, which we have built through strong execution, organic growth and strategic investments into sizeable and successful operations with the scale, capabilities and opportunities to create further value both together and, potentially, as independent companies. This review does not change our commitment to our customers or our strategy. It is a priority for us to preserve the strength of our full offering and the value our customers gain from services, automation and technology working together. Throughout the process, our focus remains on serving our customers and delivering value for their success.”

Although the strategic review has been initiated, there is no guarantee that the review will result in any transaction, including a separation. The Board will only execute or recommend changes to the Group’s structure if clear evidence of enhanced shareholder value creation can be attained. Valmet will provide an update on the review latest in connection with the publication of its full-year 2026 results.

Further information, please contact:

For investors: Pekka Rouhiainen, VP, Investor Relations, Valmet, tel. +358 10 672 0020

For media: Valmet Communications, media@valmet.com

VALMET

Katri Hokkanen
CFO

Pekka Rouhiainen
VP, Investor Relations

DISTRIBUTION:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Major media
www.valmet.com

Valmet is a global technology leader in serving process industries. We work with our customers throughout the lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of 18,500 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow.

In 2025, Valmet’s net sales totaled approximately EUR 5.2 billion. Our head office is in Espoo, Finland, and we have experts in approximately 40 countries around the world. Valmet’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

Follow us on valmet.com | X | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram |

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