Machankura’s Bitcoin on Feature Phones Gains Real Usage Across African Cities

Machankura, the Bitcoin wallet service that runs over Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), enabling Bitcoin access on ordinary mobile phones without internet or apps, has reached over 39,000 connected phones across Africa, according to company data shared publicly this week.

Operating in countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Namibia, and Uganda, Machankura’s model lets users dial a local USSD code to create and manage Bitcoin wallets directly from basic phones.

How Machankura Is Reaching Users Without Internet

Machankura integrates traditional African mobile telecom systems with Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, allowing near-instant, low-cost transactions without a smartphone or data connection. Users dial a short code, interact with a text menu, and can send or receive Bitcoin or check their balance.

For many users, especially younger, digitally aware populations without regular internet access, this approach significantly lowers barriers to Bitcoin onboarding, making Bitcoin usage more akin to existing mobile money behaviors.

Beyond peer-to-peer transfers, Machankura users can spend Bitcoin with partner platforms connected via Lightning Network integrations: in Kenya, Bitcoin from Machankura wallets can be transferred to services like Tando and converted to M-PESA credit; in South Africa, local off-ramp partner MoneyBadger has integrated Lightning into point-of-sale systems covering hundreds of thousands of merchant locations.

Growing Circular Economies Powered by Bitcoin

Real-world usage is already emerging: in Kisii, Kenya, Bitcoin Chama members use Machankura wallets for everyday purchases, and in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest informal settlement, local projects have onboarded thousands into circular economy programs where merchants accept Bitcoin and community members earn sats—in some cases through community work programs.

In Mossel Bay, South Africa, the Bitcoin Ekasi project pays staff salaries entirely in Bitcoin and has encouraged adoption among local shops. Machankura’s own Lightning nodes hold about 1.6 BTC in liquidity to facilitate routing and settlement, while fees remain denominated in Bitcoin to preserve the native BTC experience.