Buy bitcoin with Zaad
- Type
- Mobile money
- Works in
- 1 country
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-18
Zaad shows up in Somalia as part of how people buy bitcoin locally, even though none of the exchanges we track lists it as a direct funding rail. The country guides below explain what that looks like in practice.
What is Zaad?
Zaad is the mobile money service operated by Telesom, the largest mobile network in Somaliland, and it is how most money moves there: wages, shop payments, bills and person to person transfers. It runs from a USSD menu on a Telesom SIM rather than from a bank account, and it works inside Somaliland only. The Bank of Somaliland supervises it, although the territory still has no dedicated mobile money regulation and the National Payment System Act drafted for that purpose has not been passed. To fund an account you send from your Zaad balance to the number the receiving service publishes.
Speed and cost describe the rail itself. What an exchange adds on top varies by platform and is shown per exchange below.
Using Zaad in Somalia
Zaad appears in one country guide on this site, Somalia, where deposits settle in Somali shilling (SOS). Buyers there fund exchange accounts with EVC Plus, P2P trades, Cash trades, Credit or debit card as well, and the country guide ranks the exchanges that take each one.
How to buy bitcoin in SomaliaFrequently asked questions
Which exchanges accept Zaad?
None of the exchanges we track advertises Zaad as a direct funding rail. Where it appears in our country guides, it is part of how people buy locally, often through P2P marketplaces, so treat it as a local option rather than an exchange feature.
Where can I buy bitcoin with Zaad?
Zaad appears in our Somalia guide: Somalia. Each guide lists the exchanges that take it there and how it is named locally.