Applications for early access to the Mandela Dollar officially opened on Nelson Mandela International Day, 18 July 2026. Through the Mandela Dollar Early Access Program, financial institutions and qualified organizations are encouraged to express interest in the planned USD-backed stablecoin initiative. In addition, the application period will remain open for 67 days in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s 67 years of service to humanity. The Mandela Dollar Early Access Programme is a significant milestone for our newly formed joint venture.
Mandela Digital is a joint venture of Unity Reserve Holdings L.L.C., Mandela Dlamini & Manaway L.L.C. (MDM LLC) and Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ: DVLT). Additionally, Unity Reserve played a key role in structuring the venture by assembling the Mandela family-affiliated organization and Datavault AI as the founding and only technology partner.
The 67 day application period is in line with the tradition of the Nelson Mandela Foundation to celebrate Mandela Day with 67 minutes of community service. In this regard, organisations participating in have a specific period in which they can apply to take part in the programme in the first phase.
The proposed Mandela Dollar (MUSD) will be designed as a 1:1 USD-backed stablecoin built to institutional standards. Additionally, the framework provides for segregated reserve custody, periodic proof-of-reserve publications and regular audit practices. Datavault AI’s patented AI-driven platforms, RWA frameworks that scale and access to SanQtum AI Available Infrastructure’s zero-trust edge computing platform This combination of technologies supports issuance, redemption, compliance processes and on-chain transparency.”
As previously announced, a portion of the protocol revenue will go to charity. The programs promote education, skills development, and poverty alleviation through organizations that uphold Nelson Mandela’s values. A joint governance board comprising representatives of the three founding organizations oversees the venture.
“Our platforms handle the workload underneath a stablecoin: issuance, redemption, compliance checks and on-chain transparency. Datavault AI’s role in Mandela Digital is to build and operate that layer to institutional specification. The Early Access Programme is how the venture identifies the institutions it will build it with,” said Nathaniel T. Bradley, CEO of Datavault AI.
Programme Invites Institutional Partners for Future Stablecoin Infrastructure
Mandela Digital is accepting applications from financial institutions, intergovernmental organizations, multilateral bodies, and policy research organizations. As a result, selected Early Access participants will collaborate with the founding partners on infrastructure requirements for deploying MUSD within approved jurisdictions.
“I conceived of the Mandela Dollar because I saw an opportunity to build something that had not existed before: a financial system that carries the moral weight of Nelson Mandela’s name and the institutional rigor of advanced digital infrastructure. We identified the Mandela family as the right partners, people who share our commitment to economic justice, and we brought in Datavault AI for the security and scale this mission demands. The Early Access Programme is where that work begins. We are building a currency for the people history left behind, and we are doing it in the name of the man who refused to accept that their liberation was impossible,” said Mustaq Patel, representative for Unity Reserve.
“My grandfather’s long walk to freedom did not end with political liberation. It continues today in the pursuit of economic dignity and financial access for all. When Unity Reserve came to us with this vision, we recognized immediately that it was built on the right foundation: technology in service of justice, and innovation in service of inclusion. The Mandela family is proud to stand alongside Unity Reserve and Datavault AI as the Mandela Dollar moves from vision to reality. Through Mandela Digital, we are turning Madiba’s values of equality, opportunity and human dignity into a practical, everyday tool for communities across Africa and the global diaspora,” said Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway, Director of MDM LLC.
The company also clarified that MUSD remains a proposed stablecoin framework. Therefore, it has not launched on any blockchain or cryptocurrency exchange. Additionally, the Early Access Programme represents only a registration of interest. It does not guarantee allocation, approval, or deployment. Future development remains subject to regulatory approvals, KYC procedures, compliance reviews, technical validation, and jurisdictional requirements.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
