--- title: New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential... description: BlockTower's rand-backed stablecoin ZARU has been listed on Luno with ZARU/USDT and ZARU/USDC trading pairs, targeting corporate treasuries and trading desks... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential regulatory wall | daily.dev og:description: BlockTower's rand-backed stablecoin ZARU has been listed on Luno with ZARU/USDT and ZARU/USDC trading pairs, targeting corporate treasuries and trading desks... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/cG8ADJww2.png og:image:alt: New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential regulatory wall og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential regulatory wall **[TechCentral](https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary BlockTower's rand-backed stablecoin ZARU has been listed on Luno with ZARU/USDT and ZARU/USDC trading pairs, targeting corporate treasuries and trading desks for institutional rand FX on-chain. However, a draft Crypto Assets Manual published by South Africa's National Treasury and Reserve Bank just days earlier would bar resident entities from cross-border crypto transactions, effectively excluding the very corporate customers ZARU is designed to serve. The article also highlights the concentrated ownership structure — Luno and Sanlam are both shareholders of BlockTower and key service providers — and contextualizes ZARU within South Africa's broader rand stablecoin landscape, including ZARP (launched 2021) and ZAR Supercoin. With 58.4 million ZARU in circulation as of June and the draft regulation still open for comment until 30 September, the legal status of ZARU/USDT trades as domestic activity or capital export remains unresolved. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is ZARU and who are the main parties behind it? ZARU is a rand-backed stablecoin issued by BlockTower, targeting institutional treasuries and trading desks. Its three shareholders include Luno (the exchange that listed it) and Sanlam (whose asset management arm manages ZARU's reserves). Reserves are held at Standard Bank and attested monthly by Moore Johannesburg. As of end-June, 58.4 million ZARU were in circulation. _Teams evaluating rand stablecoin infrastructure for treasury use track developments like these on daily.dev._ ### What does South Africa's draft Crypto Assets Manual say about corporate cross-border crypto transactions? Under the draft manual published on 3 August, only natural persons may transact offshore in crypto — using either the R2-million single discretionary allowance or the R10-million foreign capital allowance. Resident entities are explicitly barred from crypto asset transactions deemed as import or export of capital. The draft is open for comment until 30 September and has no legal effect until the Capital Flow Management Regulations are promulgated. _Developers and compliance teams navigating crypto regulation in emerging markets follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### What other rand stablecoins exist besides ZARU in South Africa? South Africa has at least three rand stablecoins. ZARP, the first, launched in 2021, was co-founded by Simon Dingle and Kenny Inggs, runs natively on Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and Solana, and had R81.5 million in circulation recently. ZAR Supercoin, issued by NYSE-listed Super Group's Super Money SA and backed by Absa reserves, was announced as tradeable on Luno in November 2025. ZARU launched in February with Sanlam, Luno, EasyEquities, and Lesaka Technologies. _Builders choosing between rand stablecoin infrastructure options find comparative coverage on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Heavyweights backing ZARU, a new rand-based stablecoin in South Africa](https://daily.dev/posts/heavyweights-backing-zaru-a-new-rand-based-stablecoin-in-south-africa-dtq5qh0yh) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [ZAR Supercoin is South Africa’s latest rand stablecoin](https://daily.dev/posts/zar-supercoin-is-south-africa-s-latest-rand-stablecoin-8o4mwqhcp) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [South Africa wants to ban companies from moving stablecoins abroad. Individuals keep their allowance.](https://daily.dev/posts/south-africa-wants-to-ban-companies-from-moving-stablecoins-abroad-individuals-keep-their-allowance-r0hmvvlxh) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [‘South Africa has to abolish exchange control’](https://daily.dev/posts/south-africa-has-to-abolish-exchange-control--jzik6oq6y) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The quiet rewiring of the world’s financial plumbing](https://daily.dev/posts/the-quiet-rewiring-of-the-world-s-financial-plumbing-ctlrcvhwj) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#crypto](https://daily.dev/tags/crypto), [#blockchain](https://daily.dev/tags/blockchain), [#fintech](https://daily.dev/tags/fintech), [#stablecoin](https://daily.dev/tags/stablecoin) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential regulatory wall","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2"},"datePublished":"2026-08-10T10:05:48.043Z","dateModified":"2026-08-10T10:06:22.269Z","description":"BlockTower's rand-backed stablecoin ZARU has been listed on Luno with ZARU/USDT and ZARU/USDC trading pairs, targeting corporate treasuries and trading desks...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/40b8595f4144e3504c671ef5155d3cbe?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/40b8595f4144e3504c671ef5155d3cbe?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCentral","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCentral","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--RsqLDZrL--/f_auto/v1717745297/logos/techcentral","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"crypto,blockchain,fintech,stablecoin","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCentral","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"New rand stablecoin market opens into a potential regulatory wall"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/new-rand-stablecoin-market-opens-into-a-potential-regulatory-wall-cg8adjww2#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is ZARU and who are the main parties behind it?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"ZARU is a rand-backed stablecoin issued by BlockTower, targeting institutional treasuries and trading desks. Its three shareholders include Luno (the exchange that listed it) and Sanlam (whose asset management arm manages ZARU's reserves). Reserves are held at Standard Bank and attested monthly by Moore Johannesburg. As of end-June, 58.4 million ZARU were in circulation. Teams evaluating rand stablecoin infrastructure for treasury use track developments like these on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What does South Africa's draft Crypto Assets Manual say about corporate cross-border crypto transactions?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Under the draft manual published on 3 August, only natural persons may transact offshore in crypto — using either the R2-million single discretionary allowance or the R10-million foreign capital allowance. Resident entities are explicitly barred from crypto asset transactions deemed as import or export of capital. The draft is open for comment until 30 September and has no legal effect until the Capital Flow Management Regulations are promulgated. Developers and compliance teams navigating crypto regulation in emerging markets follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What other rand stablecoins exist besides ZARU in South Africa?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"South Africa has at least three rand stablecoins. ZARP, the first, launched in 2021, was co-founded by Simon Dingle and Kenny Inggs, runs natively on Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and Solana, and had R81.5 million in circulation recently. ZAR Supercoin, issued by NYSE-listed Super Group's Super Money SA and backed by Absa reserves, was announced as tradeable on Luno in November 2025. ZARU launched in February with Sanlam, Luno, EasyEquities, and Lesaka Technologies. Builders choosing between rand stablecoin infrastructure options find comparative coverage on daily.dev."}}]} ```