• Advertise
  • Submit a Press Release
NewsBTC
Bitcoin & cryptocurrency news today, price & technical analysis
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Invest BTCTry
  • Join STC ICOBuy
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Invest BTCTry
  • Join STC ICOBuy
No Result
View All Result
NewsBTC
No Result
View All Result
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
Home Cryptocurrency news Bitcoin

Crypto Surging in Africa as Alternatives to Traditional Banking

newsbtc by newsbtc
3 years ago
in Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency news
Reading Time: 3min read
africa
Advertisement

Africa is rarely considered to be one of the larger markets for cryptocurrencies, but with the right factors in place — such as an increasingly tech-savvy populous and inflation triggered by central banks — that might be set to change.

Case in point: The surge in popularity of cryptocurrencies has contributed to the opening of at least 15 new trading venues in South Africa within the past year alone. And peer-to-peer marketplaces also recorded a surge in trading volumes as Bitcoin’s price reached historic highs at the end of last year.

Global wallet and exchange Luno reported 2000 BTC worth of transactions in November 2017, when the coin’s price was hovering in the $10,000 range, and approximately 37% of those transactions occurred in South Africa. Luno began operations in 2013 and boasts 1.5 million users spread across 40 countries — including Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Africa, and the U.K. The company has big plans: By 2025, it plans to reach 1 billion customers. To put that in context, North America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, had 11.7 million users last year. 

5 BTC + 300 Free Spins for new players & 15 BTC + 35.000 Free Spins every month, only at mBitcasino. Play Now!

The South African government is also making moves. The country’s central bank has launched a program that will trial JPMorgan’s Quorum blockchain in interbank clearing and settlement. According to an official statement dated February 13th, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) revealed it has established a fintech program that will prioritize, among other things, a project dubbed Khokha to explore a proof-of-concept (PoC) using the tech.

Why is Africa Becoming Such a Big Market?

First, conditions in the continent are conducive to the adoption of cryptocurrencies — with many countries in the continent such as Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Nigeria, suffering from rampant inflation. What makes cryptocurrencies so appealing is their decentralized method of operation, permitting them to become alternatives to fiat currencies that have been de-railed thanks to disastrous central banking policies.

Second, the increasing use of mobiles and other computing technology within the continent has helped its population become comfortable with cryptocurrency technology. New businesses that use blockchain are emerging all the time: Kenya-based BitPesa, for example, is a payment platform and money transfer service that works with 60 banks around Africa and has seven mobile wallets on its platform.

Third, the threat of government regulation, which has roiled cryptocurrency markets recently, is (presently) fairly low in Africa. While governments and agencies have warned about the dangers of investing in cryptocurrencies, regulators in African countries have taken a hands-off approach to trading at exchanges.  

But Africa is susceptible to the same pressures as cryptocurrency markets in other parts of the globe: Cryptocurrency traders in Africa were paying a premium of as much as 40% in 2017. According to reports, the premium occurred due to a shortage of liquidity, meaning sellers were able to command unrealistically high prices due to high demand from buyers.

Outside the continent, other countries are also looking to cryptocurrencies to help solve their financial woes. Earlier this year Venezuela, which has been crushed by quadruple-digit inflation, announced plans to develop its own token, the Petro, in attempts to turn things around.

Tags: AfricabitcoincryptocurrencyethereuminflationjpmorganlunoSouth Africa
TweetShare
Nexo Logo
BitStarz Player Lands $2,459,124 Record Win! Could you be next big winner? Win up to $1,000,000 in One Spin at CryptoSlots
newsbtc

newsbtc

Related Posts

bitcoin crash 50 70

Despite Deep Plunge, Bitcoin Exchange Reserves Keep Dwindling

10 mins ago
NFTs IBM Blockchain

How IBM Will Turn Patents On NFTs With Its Blockchain

11 mins ago
Ripple XRP XRPL

How XRP Labs’ “Hooks” Could Unlock A New World For The XRPL

1 hour ago
OpenOcean – Aggregating the Full Liquidity Across All Cryptocurrency Markets

OpenOcean – Aggregating the Full Liquidity Across All Cryptocurrency Markets

3 hours ago
Is Amazon About to Accept Dogecoin? The Payment Use Case Explored

Is Amazon About to Accept Dogecoin? The Payment Use Case Explored

8 hours ago
Coinbase Addresses Future Revenue Concerns With Plans to Become Crypto’s Amazon

Coinbase Addresses Future Revenue Concerns With Plans to Become Crypto’s Amazon

20 hours ago

Premium Partners

Top Brokers

eToro

eToro

Review · Visit
Evolve Markets

Evolve Markets

Review · Visit
Bybit

Bybit

Review · Visit
ArbiSmart

ArbiSmart

Review · Visit
PrimeXBT

PrimeXBT

Review · Visit
Moneta Markets

Moneta Markets

Review · Visit

Top Casinos

BitStarz

BitStarz

Review · Visit
mBit

mBit

Review · Visit
CryptoGames

CryptoGames

Review · Visit
Bonusfinder DE

Bonusfinder DE

Review · Visit
Bspin

Bspin

Review · Visit
Wolf Bet

Wolf Bet

Review · Visit

Top Sportsbooks

1xBit

1xBit

Review · Visit

Top ICOs

Student Coin

Student Coin

Review · Visit

Token sale

Holdefi

Holdefi

Review · Visit

Press Releases

Fly to the Moon and Win One of Three Tesla Cars with New Bitcasino Game, Live Crash

April 19, 2021

Cryptocurrency Exchange Gate.io Celebrates 8th Anniversary

April 20, 2021

eToro Adds Chainlink and Uniswap Amid Investor Surge For Crypto

April 19, 2021

Newsletter Signup


ABOUT US

NewsBTC is a cryptocurrency news service that covers bitcoin news today, technical analysis & forecasts for bitcoin price and other altcoins. Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening everyone about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We cover BTC news related to bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining and price forecasts for various cryptocurrencies.

COMPANY

  • Advertising
  • Comments Policy
  • Privacy Center
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Contact

Technical Analysis

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Chainlink (LINK)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Tezos (XTZ)

LINKS

Auto Trading Software ▸

Cryptocurrency news

  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Chainlink
  • Cardano
  • EOS
  • Tezos

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • Trade
  • Invest BTC
  • Join STC ICO

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.