Fintech illustration, Propel Africa journal
Propel Africa · original category artwork

News

Stellar Community Fund backs Surgepay and JoonaPay in SCF #41 grants

Two African payments startups, Surgepay and JoonaPay, have won Integration Track awards worth $115,000 and $90,000 in XLM in the Stellar Community Fund's 41st round.

By Propel Africa · 2026-03-30

The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) has awarded grants to two African payments startups, Surgepay and JoonaPay, in its 41st round, according to a round recap published on the Stellar Community blog on 30 March. Both were funded under the Integration Track. The grants were paid in XLM. The fund is run by the Stellar Development Foundation.

Surgepay

Surgepay received $115,000 worth of XLM. It provides USDC-based cross-border payments for Africa, with instant transfers and local currency on-ramps and off-ramps.

JoonaPay

JoonaPay received $90,000 worth of XLM. It is a B2B payments platform that handles payment collection, disbursement and reconciliation for small and medium-sized businesses. It operates in Côte d'Ivoire, has six live pilot customers and has processed about $45,000 to date.

At a glance

  • Companies: Surgepay and JoonaPay
  • Awarded: $115,000 (Surgepay) and $90,000 (JoonaPay), both in XLM
  • Type: Grants, SCF #41 Integration Track
  • Funder: Stellar Community Fund
  • Markets: Africa (Surgepay), Côte d'Ivoire (JoonaPay)
  • Key figure: Six live pilot customers at JoonaPay