Partna in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana: Launched 2026-05-06, No Live Quote as of 2026-10-03
> Editor's note (updated 2026-10-03): Since 2026-05-07, at Partna's request, the Kenya (KES) and Ghana (GHS) corridors have been paused while Partna stabilizes those rails, and Swaps has no other live KES or GHS route — so buying or selling crypto with KES or GHS, including M-Pesa and mobile money, is not available on Swaps. Nigeria (NGN) was not part of that pause, but as of 2026-10-03 Swaps returns no live Partna quote for NGN either; the widget shows a Nigeria route only when Partna quotes it. The rest of this post describes the corridors as they launched on 2026-05-06, not current availability; we will update it when the routes return.
On 2026-05-06 we switched on Africa-native rails on Swaps.
Three corridors went live on launch day: Nigeria (NGN), Kenya (KES), and Ghana (GHS) — both for buying and selling crypto. Kenya and Ghana have been paused since 2026-05-07; for Nigeria's current status, see the editor's note above. The provider behind them is Partna, an Africa-focused fiat on/off-ramp that has spent years building local payment infrastructure across these markets.
Until today, African users on Swaps were largely limited to international card rails or workarounds. At launch, that meant bank transfers in their own currency, mobile money through their familiar wallets, and M-Pesa STK push for Kenya — the fastest way to move money in East Africa. The Kenya and Ghana rails (M-Pesa, mobile money, and KES or GHS bank transfer) have been paused since 2026-05-07.
This post covers what launched, how it works, and what to expect on fees, KYC, and timing.
Status as of 2026-10-03
| Country | Fiat | Buy | Sell | Payment methods | |---|---|---|---|---| | Nigeria | NGN | no live quote as of 2026-10-03 | no live quote as of 2026-10-03 | Bank transfer (launched with bank transfer and mobile money) | | Kenya | KES | paused since 2026-05-07 | paused since 2026-05-07 | None today (launched with M-Pesa, bank transfer, mobile money) | | Ghana | GHS | paused since 2026-05-07 | paused since 2026-05-07 | None today (launched with mobile money, bank transfer) |
At launch, crypto support was broad: USDT, USDC, CUSD, BTC, ETH, and BNB, across 9 networks (Tron, Solana, Celo, Ethereum, Polygon, Base, Avalanche, BSC, Bitcoin). USDT on Tron was the most popular pair on the Partna route — fast, cheap, and the de facto USD-stable for African traders.
Why this matters
If you are not in Africa, the change might look like a routine provider addition. For users in Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra, it is a different story.
For Nigeria. USDT is already a quiet second currency for many Nigerians — used for savings, freelance income, and cross-border payments. Until now, getting USDT into a wallet usually meant P2P (slow, friction-heavy, counterparty risk) or international card rails (high spreads, often declined). At launch, Partna's NGN bank rails were direct, transparent on price, and reversible if anything went wrong. At launch, selling USDT back to a Naira bank account became a one-click flow — historically one of the hardest things to do well in this market.
For Kenya (paused since 2026-05-07). M-Pesa is the rail. Anything that does not work over M-Pesa is a non-starter for most Kenyans. At launch, choosing "M-Pesa" on Swaps with Partna triggered an STK push to your phone — the same flow you use for paying utilities or sending money to a friend. The Kenya corridor has been paused since 2026-05-07, so M-Pesa is not available on Swaps today.
For Ghana (paused since 2026-05-07). Mobile money providers (MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash, AirtelTigo Money) carry the bulk of digital payments in Ghana. At launch, the Partna route covered Ghanaian mobile money and GHS bank transfer, for both buying and selling. The Ghana corridor has been paused since 2026-05-07, so GHS buying and selling is not available on Swaps today.
How to use it
Buying crypto with NGN
Kenya (KES) and Ghana (GHS) have been paused since 2026-05-07, so these steps describe the Nigeria (NGN) flow only. As of 2026-10-03 Swaps returns no live Partna quote for NGN, so the widget does not offer this route until Partna quotes it again.
Open Swaps — the homepage detects your country, or you can pick it from the country selector
Choose the crypto you want to buy and the amount in Naira (NGN)
Pick Bank Transfer as the payment method
You will see a quote: how much crypto you receive, the rate, and the fee broken out
Click through, complete identity verification if you are above the threshold, pay
Crypto arrives in your wallet — typically 5–15 minutes for bank transfer
Selling crypto for NGN
KES and GHS payouts (bank, M-Pesa, and mobile money) have been paused since 2026-05-07, so these steps describe the Nigeria (NGN) flow only. As of 2026-10-03 there is no live Partna quote for NGN, so this payout is not offered until Partna quotes it again.
Switch the widget to Sell
Choose the crypto you want to sell and the amount
Pick the payout: Bank Transfer to your Nigerian bank account
Send your crypto to the address shown
Funds settle to your bank — typically 5–15 minutes
The off-ramp flow is the bigger story, in our view. Nigerian users have been asking for a clean way to convert USDT back into NGN without going through P2P boards or informal Telegram exchanges. At launch, that became a built-in flow on Swaps.
KYC, fees, and limits
We will be honest about all three.
KYC. At launch, Partna required identity verification above a per-country threshold — typically a few hundred USD equivalent. Below the threshold, simpler email and phone verification applied, so small first transactions could complete without ID; larger ones triggered Partna's KYC because it is a provider in these jurisdictions and the regulator requires it. KYC was handled inside Partna's flow.
Fees. At launch, Partna's spread was around 1.4% on the FX leg, and Swaps added a 1% developer fee on top. Network fees were small (USDT on Tron was 0.01 USDT, USDT on Solana 0.05 USDT). Fees were surfaced before you clicked, and the headline rate matched the final receive amount within rounding.
Limits. At launch, approximately:
- Nigeria: ₦3,000 minimum, ₦5,000,000 maximum per transaction
- Kenya (paused since 2026-05-07): KES 500 minimum, KES 600,000 maximum at launch
- Ghana (paused since 2026-05-07): GHS 50 minimum, GHS 60,000 maximum at launch
These were per-transaction limits. Daily and monthly limits also applied based on the KYC tier.
How fast is settlement, really
This is the question that matters most.
M-Pesa (Kenya, paused since 2026-05-07): At launch, near-instant: the STK push appeared on your phone within seconds of confirming the order, and once you entered your PIN, payment confirmed and crypto was sent. Not available on Swaps today.
Bank transfer (Nigeria; Kenya and Ghana paused since 2026-05-07): At launch, 5–15 minutes during business hours, longer outside. Settlement depended on the bank and the time of day: tier-1 banks tended to be faster, and some smaller banks took longer in the evening. Off-ramp was similar — funds typically appeared in the bank account within the same window. As of 2026-10-03 there is no live NGN quote.
Mobile money (Ghana, paused since 2026-05-07): At launch, timing varied by mobile money provider, with MTN MoMo generally the fastest in Ghana. Not available on Swaps today.
Who is Partna
[Partna](https://getpartna.com) is an Africa-focused fiat on/off-ramp founded in 2022 and headquartered in Lagos. They have built direct integrations with local banks and mobile money networks across Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana — which is how M-Pesa worked on Swaps at launch (the Kenya corridor has been paused since 2026-05-07). Their approach is licensed and compliance-first, which is what made the partnership a fit for Swaps' aggregator model.
This was the first provider on Swaps where the integration was bidirectional from day one for emerging-market fiats — meaning sell to NGN, KES, and GHS worked at launch, not as a later phase. Selling to KES and GHS has been paused since 2026-05-07.
What was planned at launch
At launch, Partna documented Malawi (MWK) and Zambia (ZMW) as launching corridors; neither is available on Swaps as of 2026-10-03. Further Sub-Saharan expansion was expected to follow Partna's rollout cadence.
At launch we also planned smaller refinements: more accurate per-network withdrawal fees once real settlement data existed, and Partna admin health probes to detect provider-side incidents.
Check current availability
Kenya and Ghana have been paused since 2026-05-07, and as of 2026-10-03 there is no live Partna quote for Nigeria — check current availability in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana before you plan an NGN, KES, or GHS trade.
If you have questions, the Africa Coverage FAQ covers the most common ones — M-Pesa specifics, KYC thresholds, asset support, and off-ramp logistics.
If you hit anything that does not work as advertised, please tell us. Email [support@swaps.app](mailto:support@swaps.app) — feedback from real users in NG, KE, and GH is the most valuable input we can get right now.
Related Pages