The institutional standard for the Digital Rand. Rand-backed, regulated, and built for instant settlement.
South Africa
Joined November 2025
- Tweets86
- Following22
- Followers1.4K
- Likes127
Pinned Tweet
Today, we’re announcing @ZARUniversal (ZARU), an institutional-grade, Rand-backed stablecoin developed in partnership with @LunoGlobal, @EasyEquities, @sanlam, and Lesaka, to modernise South Africa’s payment and settlement infrastructure.
Every ZARU token is fully backed by Rand reserves held at @StandardBankZA, in the form of cash, bank deposits, and government bond equivalents, managed by Sanlam with monthly independent attestations by @MooreSAfrica.
Built for both retail and institutional use, ZARU enables instant, low-cost, always-on payments and cross-border settlement, helping connect the Rand to the global digital economy while keeping its reserves within South Africa’s regulated financial system.
Read the full announcement: zaru.network/blog/leading-so…
Spend @ZARUniversal at @Engen_SA ⛽️
From groceries to petrol, the digital rand is now accepted at major retailers across South Africa via @LunoGlobal Pay.
Pay with ZARU. Earn digital gold. Find out more below👇
Your daily routine just got a major upgrade.
Whether you are filling up your tank at @Engen_SA, grabbing daily groceries at @WOOLWORTHS_SA or treating yourself to @KrispyKreme_ZA at Engen Forecourt, you can pay seamlessly with your Luno app.
Pay with @LunoGlobal Pay and enjoy 15% back in @tethergold ( $XAUT ) on eligible Engen purchases of R100 or more.
Just open the Luno app, tap Pay, and spend digital rands to earn digital gold at your nearest Engen today.
T&Cs apply. Learn more here: bit.ly/4dIz6Zk
ZARU retweeted
Blockchain Africa is coming to Gauteng, and @BlockTowerTech will be on the programme.
Our Chief Commercial Officer, Aleks Andjelopolj, takes the stage on Thursday, 15 October at 13:35 at PwC Waterfall City. He’ll give an overview of @ZARUniversal and the use cases it unlocks.
If you’re at the conference, make time for his session and say hello.
Programme and tickets: blockchainafrica.co/
Lipaworld officially plans to support @ZARUniversal, a rand-backed stablecoin on @JoinLipaworld Business.
Business customers will be able to hold digital rand alongside global stablecoins such as USDC & EURC, receive international payments and settle in rand.
Cross-border payments through correspondent banks typically settle in T+1 to T+3, tying up working capital. ZARU moves on 24/7 on-chain infrastructure.
Through Lipaworld Business, customers will be able to:
• Hold and transfer ZARU
• Move between ZARU, EURC and USDC
• Pay suppliers and run payroll in rand
"Stablecoins are changing how money moves globally, but we believe local currencies need to be part of that future." - Jonathan Katende, Co-founder & CEO, Lipaworld
Full details: zaru.network/blog/lipaworld-…
ZARU retweeted
Your @ZARUniversal issuance, in one place.
The @BlockTowerTech Issuance Platform gives qualified institutional customers a simpler way to manage their ZARU activity:
✅️ Mint and redeem through a self-service portal with built in controls
✅️ Track your ZARU position, with real time updates
✅️ View and export transaction history
✅️ Keep an audit trail of account activity
Built for businesses that use ZARU as part of their day-to-day operations.
Learn more: bit.ly/4yAo9kF
ZARU retweeted
Nkahiseng Ralepeli, @BlockTowerTech Director of Strategic Operations, joins a panel at Blockchain Africa on 15 October in Gauteng: “From Adoption to Trust: Building a Safe and Scalable Digital Asset Ecosystem in Africa.”
Attending? Find him afterwards and tell him what would make you trust crypto more.
blockchainafrica.co
BlockTower South Africa (Pty) Ltd is an authorised FSP (55172).
ZARU retweeted
Mobile money changed how Africa transacts. Stablecoins are set to be an even bigger leap.
In a recent @forbesafrica feature breaking down the continent's stablecoin moment, @BlockTowerTech's Strategic Operations Director, Nkahiseng Ralepeli explains why this shift is critical for financial infrastructure: "Where mobile money built new closed, friction-heavy networks, stablecoins provide an open network that any system can plug into."
From lowering exorbitant remittance fees to enabling seamless cross-border business, the transition to open networks is already underway.
See the numbers driving the shift and read the full piece here: forbesafrica.com/technology/…
ZARU retweeted
When @ZARUniversal is part of your business flow, your minting and redemption processes need to keep up with your activity.
The @BlockTowerTech Issuance Platform allows you to initiate, approve, and track your ZARU minting and redemptions, all from one place.
With real-time status updates, full transaction history, and a streamlined flow, you get the visibility and control your business needs.
For businesses that require certainty in your operations and high-volume liquidity, this distinction matters.
A simpler way to manage ZARU issuance. Learn more about our new Issuance Platform here: bit.ly/4y0FbaA
Mint in. Redeem out. Repeat. 🔁
The new @BlockTowerTech Issuance Platform makes @ZARUniversal issuance simple for qualified institutional customers.
Fund your verified bank account and receive ZARU in your wallet once funds settle. Send ZARU to redeem and receive rand in your bank account.
Learn more: blocktower.tech/issuance?utm…
Introducing the @BlockTowerTech Issuance Platform.
A self-service platform built to make @ZARUniversal issuance simpler for qualified institutional customers.
Fund your verified BlockTower bank account and receive newly minted ZARU directly in your wallet automatically, once funds settle.
Need to redeem? Send ZARU through the platform and receive the rand value in your verified bank account.
Minting it in, redeeming it out, repeatedly with our new issuance platform.
Built for institutional issuance customers who mint and redeem ZARU directly with BlockTower.
Learn more here: bit.ly/4y0FbaA
ZARU retweeted
Your business, your controls, one interface.
We are bringing a new level of autonomy to your digital asset operations. Soon, @ZARUniversal will be available to self-mint and redeem via the new @BlockTowerTech self-service issuance platform.
A simpler way to manage ZARU is coming.
Traditional cross-border ZAR settlement runs on correspondent banking: T+1 to T+3, working capital tied up in transit, cost added at each intermediary. It works, but it was built for banking hours, not for markets that run continuously.
@ZARUniversal on @circle StableFX settles the ZARU/USDC pair atomically on @arc. Execution is by RFQ. Both legs settle together, or the trade does not complete. Settlement is near-instant and runs 24/7.
Every ZARU is issued by @BlockTowerTech under an FSCA licence, fully reserved and independently attested monthly, backed one-to-one by rand held onshore.
Investing in Crypto assets may result in the loss of capital. BlockTower SA (Pty) Ltd is an authorised FSP (55172).
Still time to trade @ZARUniversal with reduced fees on @LunoGlobal ⏳
$ZARU/USDT and $ZARU/USDC are live on Luno in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, giving you a direct way to move between rand and dollar-denominated stablecoins at reduced fees until 3 November 2026.
Taker fees stay low at every tier, and active makers earn even larger rebates.
Reduced fees. Direct pairs. Simpler trading.
Start trading ZARU pairs on Luno today: luno.com/en-za/newsroom/intr…
ZARU is live on @arc.
As a founding currency pair on @circle StableFX, the ZARU/USDC pair now trades onchain, 24/7, in fully reserved stablecoins with near-instant settlement.
How it works: the ZARU/USDC pair executes through StableFX's Request-for-Quote engine and settles atomically on Arc.
Both legs of a trade settle together, or neither does. That manages the counterparty risk carried by traditional FX, where ZAR settlement has depended on correspondent banking and limited trading windows.
The evidence behind the pair:
✅️ Issued by @BlockTowerTech under FSCA licence
✅️ Fully reserved and independently attested monthly
✅️ Backed one-to-one by rand held onshore in South Africa
@LunoGlobal is the primary exchange venue for @ZARUniversal /USDC liquidity, bringing regulated trading infrastructure and an institutional client base to the network.
Investing in Crypto assets may result in the loss of capital. BlockTower SA (Pty) Ltd is an authorised FSP (55172).
ZARU is the rand onchain. Reserved by @BlockTowerTech, live on @circle StableFX, traded on @LunoGlobal, and settled in @USDC on @arc. One token, one rand.
Read further in the announcement below or visit circle.com/stablefx to learn more about StableFX.
PRESS RELEASE | #ZARU Becomes First African Stablecoin to Go Live on #Arc Blockchain
@ZARUniversal (ZARU), South Africa’s first institutional-grade rand (ZAR) stablecoin, is now live on Arc – and simultaneously launches as a founding currency pair on Circle StableFX, which enables 24/7 programmable onchain foreign exchange with fully-reserved stablecoins and instant settlement to simplify global digital currency conversions.
The ZARU/USDC pair will settle atomically onchain via Arc through StableFX’s Request-for-Quote engine – both sides of a trade will settle or neither does, eliminating the counterparty risk that characterises traditional FX.
For the $ZAR, which has been historically constrained by correspondent banking friction and limited trading windows, this is a structural shift.
Additionally, @LunoGlobal will serve as the primary exchange venue for ZARU/USDC liquidity
Details: bitcoinke.io/2026/09/zaru-li…
#RandStablecoins #StablecoinMilestone #ZARUSDC
@arc @circle @ZARUniversal
With @ZARUniversal now live on @arc™, South African businesses and individuals can move digital rands globally, faster and more transparently 🌍🇿🇦
From cross-border payments and international settlements to spending and digital investing, ZARU opens up new ways to use the rand in a connected digital economy. No waiting, no unnecessary intermediaries.
Check out on this video to see what you can do with ZARU
More on the ecosystem: arc.io · @arc
Arc is a trademark of Circle Internet Group, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Investing in Crypto assets may result in the loss of capital. BlockTower SA (Pty) Ltd is an authorised FSP (55172).
ZARU retweeted
What could institutional stablecoins look like in emerging markets?
At the very end of #LIDAC KL 2026, we’ll take a closer look at the @ZARUniversal ( $ZARU ) — a South African Rand-denominated stablecoin initiative developed through a collaborative framework involving BlockTower, regulated banking partners, and licensed asset managers.
The last session will offer an observational view of how financial institutions and digital asset platforms are working together to develop 24/7 liquid settlement infrastructure on public blockchains.
Speaker: Vighnesh Patel – CEO, @BlockTowerTech
Host: Roshan Kanesan – Producer & Presenter, @BFMradio
Explore the practical considerations behind institutional stablecoins, cross-border payments and central bank innovation across emerging markets.
🎟️ Join us for the final session at #LIDAC KL 2026. Secure your pass: lidac.io
