Walking the Talk: Why I Just Paid for My VASPA Membership (And Why You Should Too)

 Today, 31 May 2026, I did something that felt both deeply symbolic and self-fulfilling: I paid for my professional membership with the Virtual Asset Service Providers Association (VASPA).

For context, when we opened VASPA’s doors to the industry back in June 2025, we offered a one-year free membership window to lower the barrier to entry and gather the ecosystem under one roof. That promotional window closed months ago. In the VASPA broadcast community yesterday, it was announced that the final expiration of those foundational free accounts had come. Tomorrow, June 1, VASPA officially transitions to a fully self-sustaining, paid membership model.

I must acknowledge and applaud the forward-thinking colleagues and innovators who have already stepped up over the last few months—those who joined VASPA after the initial promotional window closed in February and immediately came on board as fee-paying members. Your early commitment has been a vital vote of confidence in our mission.

But as someone who envisioned the need for this association, steered its initial ship through the Steering Committee, and now guards its legacy as a Founding Trustee, I knew I needed to join you in that line. I could not simply stand on the sidelines and watch this major transition happen without putting skin in the game as a member.

(I acknowledge that under my one-year leadership as Executive Chair of the now-dissolved Steering Committee, one-year, fee-waiver window was opened to members of the Steering Committee, in appreciation of their personal sacrifices toward the running of the association.)

1. Leadership is About Sustained Sacrifice

For me, transitioning to a fee-paying professional member is simply the next logical step in a long journey of personal investment since 2024. Beyond the legal architecture my firm, Infusion Lawyers, has provided, and regardless of this formal fee-based membership registration, I have continuously committed my personal finances toward the association right from its early formation period in 2024 through to this very day.

Building an institution requires a foundation of real sacrifice. I am also incredibly proud to note that I haven’t walked this financial path alone; a dedicated co-traveler in our ecosystem has been equally supportive, quietly donating to the association behind the scenes most recently to keep our operations afloat during these teething times. For privacy purposes and in line with our governance standards, I will keep their identity confidential—but their silent, unwavering support is a testament to the fact that this association belongs to builders who truly believe in the cause.

2. Moving from a Community to an Infrastructure

Free membership windows are excellent for mobilizing a crowd, but paid memberships are what build an empire. Over the last year, VASPA has grown from a shared vision into an indispensable continent-wide network.

Now, we are moving into the execution phase. We are launching initiatives like the Project Green-White-Green regulatory safe harbor in Nigeria, a first of a series of similar projects we will launch across key markets in all regions of Africa. We also look to engage in high-stakes borderless policy harmonization under the AfCFTA framework (passporting system), and build on our Builders Accord for African innovators, which we launched earlier in the year. These infrastructure developments require capital, specialized resources, and skin in the game. 

So, when you pay for your membership, you aren’t just fulfilling your basic obligation as the member of an association—you are funding the legal, technical, and regulatory shields that are vital to building a sustainable virtual asset sector for operators, users, businesses, and governments in Africa.

The free window has officially closed. The building phase has begun.

3. Skin in the Game: The Ultimate Credibility

We frequently look outward for solutions—asking development finance institutions for grants or expecting regulators to understand our innovations without our guidance. But the international community and state actors only take organized industries seriously.

When a law firm, a fintech startup, or an international exchange looks at VASPA and sees that its founders, trustees, and executive council members are active, paying constituents, it establishes unshakeable institutional credibility. It proves that the African Web3 space is mature, disciplined, and ready to self-regulate and co-author its digital future.

I have absolute confidence in the durable bridges we are building across Africa. By anchoring our work in transparency and technical excellence, we are successfully connecting operators, regulators, governments, and everyday users into a cohesive, trusted financial ecosystem.

A Direct Call to the Architects of Africa’s Web3 Ecosystem

To my fellow legal professionals, blockchain engineers, compliance officers, and tech founders: The era of operating in the regulatory grey zone is coming to end, just as the era of building in silos in an ecosystem is no longer sustainable, if it ever was.

Governments across Africa are rapidly rolling out stringent licensing requirements. If you attempt to navigate this shifting landscape alone, the operational costs and compliance bottlenecks will be too costly.

This is why VASPA is here for you. It is the pan-Africa community that ensures you collaborate with regulators and governments, not be isolated by them. 

1. To Individuals: Secure your professional edge. Gain access to peer-reviewed research, regulatory intelligence, and a growing network of pan-African builders.
2. To Startups & Corporations: Protect your runway. Get the compliance scaffolding, sandbox access, and regulatory defense your business needs to survive and scale.
3. To Institutions: Take your seat at the head of the table. Help us co-author the policies, stablecoin frameworks, and market standards that will govern Africa’s emerging digital economy and finance landscape.

I guess I have put my money where my mouth has been! I have paid my dues because I believe, with absolute certainty, that the future of Africa’s new economy relies on the community pulling its strengths together, not apart.

Appreciating our New Leaders

I want to take this moment to deeply appreciate the current Executive Council of VASPA, led by our Executive Chair, Franklin Peters, Founder & CEO of Boundlesspay. Their executive leadership and personal sacrifices have sustained our momentum since their inauguration in April.

I am also incredibly delighted by the gradual, steady progress that the Project Management Office (PMO), led by Favour Uche, has been making regarding Project Green-White-Green. They are doing the heavy lifting required to build Africa’s premier compliance framework, and watching it take shape is a source of immense pride. 

My profound thanks also go out to the Secretariat, the Board of Advisers, and the Board of Trustees for their unwavering commitment and strategic support to the Pan-African mission of VASPA. 

It takes an entire ecosystem of dedicated leadership to drive continental change.

Go to the portal today, select your tier, put your skin in the game, and let’s build the future of Africa’s emerging virtual sector and digital economy together.

To upgrade or register your paid VASPA membership, visit www.vaspa.org/become-a-member.