PressMay 2, 2026·4 min read
Nia Named Among the Laureates of the World's Largest Web3 Hackathon
We're proud to announce that Nia has been named a laureate in the On-Chain Finance & Real-World Assets track at the 2025 Hedera Africa Hackathon — officially recognized as the largest Web3 hackathon in the world. Backed by The Hashgraph Association with a $1 million prize pool, the competition brought together 13,000+ developers and 1,300+ submitted projects from over 20 African hubs. Nia, born in Madagascar, was recognized for building financial infrastructure that converts USDC into local currency with instant local withdrawal.
The World's Largest Web3 Hackathon
The 2025 Hedera Africa Hackathon set a new record as the largest Web3 competition ever organized. With 13,000+ developers, 1,300+ submitted projects, and a $1 million prize pool distributed across four tracks — DLT for Operations, Immersive Experiences, AI & DePIN, and On-Chain Finance & Real-World Assets — the competition drew talent from across Africa and the globe.
Over 20 physical hubs across the continent hosted participants, supported by online infrastructure that allowed thousands more to compete remotely.
Over 20 physical hubs across the continent hosted participants, supported by online infrastructure that allowed thousands more to compete remotely.
What Nia Built
Nia solves a clear, critical problem: how do you turn USDC into cash locally, in under 1 minute? Across Africa, mobile money is the dominant financial rail — but stablecoins remain out of reach for most. Nia bridges that gap.
Our platform lets anyone exchange USDC for local currency — Ariary, Cedi, Naira, Shilling, Rand, and more — and withdraw directly through local networks, no bank required. The jury recognized this as infrastructure built for the real world.
Our platform lets anyone exchange USDC for local currency — Ariary, Cedi, Naira, Shilling, Rand, and more — and withdraw directly through local networks, no bank required. The jury recognized this as infrastructure built for the real world.
Featured in Global Media
The hackathon results were covered by leading publications across the crypto, fintech, and tech space worldwide.
What's Next
This recognition is fuel. We're accelerating our path to launch across multiple African markets — building the fastest bridge between the onchain stablecoin economy and everyday local currency access.
Want to be among the first? Join the waitlist and cashout anywhere.
Want to be among the first? Join the waitlist and cashout anywhere.
Ready to cashout anywhere?
Join the waitlist