Clea Launches Vendor Payments for US Supplier Transfers

In Short

• Clea has launched Vendor Payments to help African businesses pay international suppliers inside one platform.
• The feature starts with USD payments to selected suppliers in the United States.
• Clea says it has processed over $20 million in transaction volume within six months of leaving stealth.

What Happened: Clea Vendor Payments for International Suppliers

Clea has launched Vendor Payments, a new feature that lets businesses pay international suppliers, auction platforms, and shipping companies directly from their account. Clea is a stablecoin-powered cross-border payments platform, meaning it uses stablecoins (crypto tokens that aim to stay close to the US dollar) to move money across countries.

With Vendor Payments, customers can select a supported vendor, enter a payment reference like a buyer number, lot number, or invoice ID, then authorise the payment. Clea says vendor details are preconfigured, so the payment can be completed instantly.

At launch, the supported vendors include vehicle auction platforms Copart and IAA. Clea says it will add more suppliers and payment destinations over time.

Vendor Payments is initially available to eligible verified Clea business customers. The company says customers can fund their Clea account in naira, access foreign currency through the platform, and send USD payments to selected US suppliers in one flow.

Clea says it has passed $20 million in transaction volume within six months of emerging from stealth in December 2025. It also says its Vendor Payments pilot has been adopted by more than 50 businesses.

Why It Matters: Cross-Border Payments and Trade Operations

Many African importers and trading businesses still handle supplier payments using fragmented steps, such as bank wires, multiple FX conversions, and manual proof of payment.

By packaging supplier payments inside its cross-border payments product, Clea is moving closer to a full trade finance workflow. That could reduce delays, lower operational overhead, and make payment tracking simpler for companies paying overseas vendors repeatedly.

Clea says the long-term plan is a broader vendor network where businesses can discover supported suppliers, manage invoices, build vendor relationships, and set up recurring international payments from one platform.