Circle taps ex-Yellow Card executive Gillian Darko to lead Africa expansion

Circle Internet Group, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed issuer of the dollar-backed USDC stablecoin, has appointed Gillian Darko, a former Yellow Card executive, as its Vice President and Head of Africa, deepening its push into the continent’s expanding digital payments market.

The move comes as Circle seeks to expand stablecoins’ use in cross-border payments, remittances, and business transactions across emerging economies.

“I’m more than thrilled to announce that I’ve joined Circle as Vice President, Head of Africa,” Darko wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. “I love this ecosystem. I love stablecoins. And I am bullish about the future of digital finance on this continent.”

Darko previously served as Group Vice President of Strategy at Yellow Card, where she helped shape the company’s commercial expansion, revenue strategy, and partnerships with banks, telecom operators, and global financial institutions. She joined Yellow Card in 2024 as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy before rising through its leadership ranks. She left the company in October 2026.

Her appointment also strengthens Circle’s regional leadership, signalling that Africa is emerging as an important market for dollar-backed stablecoins, even as several African regulators move to tighten oversight of foreign issuers. Nigeria’s proposed rules require foreign issuers to secure regulatory recognition, while Kenya’s framework gives the Central Bank the authority to suspend or delist non-compliant foreign-issued stablecoins. 

Such restrictions could disrupt access to dollar liquidity for merchants and businesses that are reliant on stablecoins for cross-border trade and settlement. Between 2022 and 2026, stablecoin transfers through peer-to-peer (P2P) channels in Sub-Saharan Africa surged more than sixfold to $14.6 billion, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

Circle, the US company that trades on the NYSE under the ticker “CRCL,” has been expanding its partnerships across the continent. In March, the company partnered with Sasai Fintech, part of Cassava Technologies, the pan-African technology group owned by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, to broaden access to USDC through African payment networks. 

In July, its venture arm invested in Nigerian payments company Flutterwave to support the integration of USDC settlement into its payment infrastructure, allowing merchants to collect payments locally and settle transactions in digital dollars.

The push comes amid growing demand for faster and potentially cheaper international transactions in a region where fragmented payment systems, currency volatility, and limited access to dollars have created opportunities for digital asset providers.

Circle reported $73.3 billion in USDC circulation at the end of Q2 2026, up 19% from the previous year, while quarterly on-chain transaction volume surged 151% to $14.8 trillion.

Darko’s move from Yellow Card, which provides infrastructure for accessing and transferring stablecoins, to Circle, which issues USDC through its regulated affiliates, places her at the centre of the growing competition to connect African financial institutions and payment providers to dollar-denominated digital assets.

Darko will be tasked with helping expand USDC’s reach across African payment networks while navigating regulatory requirements that could determine how widely foreign-issued stablecoins can be offered in some of the continent’s biggest markets.

Her career spans traditional finance and financial technology, including roles at JPMorgan Asset Management, global consulting firm PwC, and African fintech JUMO. She has also held board and governance responsibilities across several African markets, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.