Valereum PLC (AQSE:VLRM, FRA:6TJ, OTCQB:VLRMF) has signed a strategic partnership to expand its digital asset business across Africa and the Indian Ocean.
The company, which is listed on the Aquis Stock Exchange and aims to become a leader in tokenised digital markets, has teamed up with Blockchain Digital Assets Limited (Africa).
The Kenyan-registered firm, known as BDAL or Koinon, is a specialist advisory and digital asset business with relationships spanning government, financial institutions and private enterprise across the region.
The tie-up combines Valereum's regulated ecosystem, tokenisation tools and payments infrastructure with BDAL's regional expertise and commercial contacts.
The joint venture will initially focus on three areas.
The first is the tokenisation of real-world assets, centred on land and mineral extraction covering gold, platinum and lithium, using the VLRM Markets platform.
The second is digital payments, expanding across Africa through the Koinon mobile app and integrating Valereum's white label payment platforms to offer full on and off-ramp services.
The third is digital banking, exploring next-generation financial services that combine advisory expertise with regulated infrastructure.
Matthew Mecke, founder and managing partner of BDAL, said the tie-up was a natural choice given how closely the two firms' roadmaps aligned.
He pointed to three decades building relationships across the continent and predicted significant adoption of digital banking in Africa.
Gary Cottle, group chief executive of Valereum, described the deal as an obvious geographical and product extension of its business model.
He said it made more sense for BDAL to use Valereum's platforms than to build its own, and that he looked forward to accelerating its route to market.
