Following a transformative first half of 2026—marked by the landmark Builders Accord in January, the rollout of Project Green-White-Green compliance frameworks in March, and the inauguration of its new executive leadership in April—the Virtual Asset Service Providers Association (VASPA) has officially shifted from strategic alignment to active, continent-wide execution.
To drive this next phase of growth and ensure a collaborative approach to governance, the VASPA Secretariat has unveiled a hybrid governance structure. The association is activating its permanent Standing Committees alongside agile, project-focused Technical Working Groups. This engine room will turn technical talent into tangible market infrastructure, directly shaping the future of Africa’s digital economy.
The Architecture: Permanent Standing Committees
Designed for long-term advocacy, policy continuity, and building institutional memory, these permanent organs serve as VASPA’s strategic pillars:
- Ecosystem Growth & Advocacy Committee: Focused on forging deep institutional partnerships and building trust-based pathways between native virtual asset entities, traditional banking networks, and global capital allocators.
- Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee: Spearheads VASPA’s official compliance positions, interfacing directly with central banks, securities commissions, financial intelligence units (FIUs), and pan-African policymakers.
- Professional Development & Standards Committee: Governs long-term curriculum architecture, professional standards, and mainstream credentials designed to upskill African web3 and compliance talent.
The Action: High-Velocity Technical Working Groups
To eliminate country-level friction points and move the industry past speculation, VASPA has assembled agile, task-oriented squads to deliver concrete infrastructure milestones:
1. Inter-Regional Stablecoin Settlement Working Group
- The Mandate: Designing unified liquidity corridors to facilitate intra-African trade without relying on third-party foreign FX pairs like the USD or EUR.
- Key Focus: Engineering cross-border settlement rails that map localized stablecoins to regional clearing systems like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), while establishing B2B liquidity pools across major economic hubs like Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Accra.
- Deliverable: A technical and API architecture blueprint for multi-currency stablecoin settlement.
2. Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenization Working Group
- The Mandate: Driving asset-backed economic growth by building frameworks to fractionally tokenize illiquid African assets.
- Key Focus: Developing standardized legal wrappers to securely bridge off-chain infrastructure assets (roads, real estate, agricultural warehousing, municipal power projects) onto the ledger in collaboration with subnational governments and capital allocators.
- Deliverable: An operational playbook for RWA compliance and asset-wrapping standards under African property laws.
3. Virtual Asset Anti-Crime Working Group
- The Mandate: Building an ecosystem-wide intelligence network to detect, flag, and prevent crypto-related fraud and cybercrime.
- Key Focus: Creating a decentralized, shared data registry where African VASPs can report fraudulent addresses and exploit patterns in real-time under a common disclosure standard, while partnering with regional FIUs and global blockchain analytics firms.
- Deliverable: The Virtual Asset Anti-Crime Oracle pilot program for immediate threat intelligence distribution.
A Call to Builders: Step into the Engine Room
VASPA’s hybrid framework is built to leverage specialized expertise. FinTech operators naturally align with stablecoin settlement; legal and compliance professionals bring immediate leverage to the anti-crime unit; and infrastructure providers drive the RWA tokenization framework.
To avoid resource dilution and maximize operational impact, VASPA utilizes The Power of Two Rule: participating organizations or individual members may join a maximum of two bodies (e.g., one Standing Committee and one Working Group, or two Working Groups).
“We are transforming Africa from a local sandbox into a global launchpad for virtual asset innovation. To achieve this, we are inviting our corporate and individual members to actively step into the engine room, put their expertise to work, and co-author the technical, legal, and operational infrastructure of a connected continental market.” — Siita Sofo Hissan, Secretary-General, VASPA
How to Participate
The call for expressions of interest is officially open to all registered VASPA members. The deadline for submission is June 15, 2026, after which orientation invitations and meeting calendars will be dispatched.
To indicate your preferences and outline your intended technical contribution, complete the secure portal form here: VASPA Committee & Working Group Enrollment Form
Not Yet a Member of VASPA?
Not yet a member of Africa’s premier virtual asset network? Paid professional and corporate registration for the 2026/2027 cycle is now active. Visit vaspa.org/become-a-member/ to protect your runway, join the ecosystem, and secure your seat at the table.
Membership Inquiries:
The Secretariat
Virtual Asset Service Providers Association (VASPA)
info@vaspa.org
