Peer-to-peer Bitcoin (BTC) trading has seen rapid growth in recent months, with the African continent now the second-strongest region in the world for P2P volume behind the U.S. Africa was the sole region to produce an increase in seven-day P2P trade this past week — with sub-saharan African trade posting its seventh all-time high for weekly trade in nine weeks. Since early January, the sub-saharan African has overtaken the Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, and Latin American regions to emerge as the second-strongest P2P market by a volume margin of more than 50%. African P2P trade surges Data posted to Twitter by …

Beyond rapidly changing how we create, store and transfer value, cryptocurrencies are accelerating financial inclusion in a way that traditional financial institutions have either been unwilling or unable to. Yet crypto’s possibilities go way beyond banking the unbanked. It allows developing nations and those without access to financial services to avoid the bank completely and transact and grow small businesses using just a mobile phone. Why financial inclusion is so important Even today, almost 2 billion people around the world have no access to financial services. That’s approximately one-fourth of the global population. Having nowhere to place savings and not …

The past decade has produced an eruption in diverse giving channels and options for donating, changing the patterns of how people give. According to Blackbaud, online giving has shown steady increases, growing from 6.4% of all giving in 2013 to 8.5% in 2018. Hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies have been donated as well, with notable donations including over $100 million to Fidelity Charitable, $29 million to DonorsChoose, $4 million to The Ellen Degeneres Wildlife Fund and many more. From industry startups designing programs that make donating cryptocurrency easier, to charities being more receptive to actually taking those donations, …

The coronavirus pandemic has been hugely disruptive to crypto conferences and events around the world, but one company is determined to continue educating businesses and consumers about Bitcoin’s potential. Paxful, the peer-to-peer Bitcoin marketplace, is hosting a series of online sessions aimed at the African market. These one-hour events are designed to offer a compelling insight into cryptocurrencies for those who know little about what they are and their potential impact. Some of the continent’s best-known companies and individuals are also getting involved in the seminars. Championing Africa The first session was an “Ask Me Anything,” with the two co-founders …

An interactive map showing the level of cryptocurrency interest worldwide reveals that Bitcoin searches are most concentrated in countries in Africa and South America. According to the map published at Blockchaincenter.net, Google Trends data shows that Bitcoin (BTC) dominates search interest in Africa. 94.7% of all searches related to cryptocurrencies—including BTC, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Cardano (ADA), Dogecoin (DOGE), Ethereum (ETH), IOTA, Litecoin (LTC), Monero (XMR), XRP, and Tron (TRX)—in Kenya are for Bitcoin, while Nigeria and South Africa had high percentages of 89.4% and 89%, respectively. Source: Blockchaincenter.net Crypto adoption in Africa The search indicates countries in Africa may become …

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) remains committed to piloting a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the bank’s first deputy governor has said. Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari made the comment during a virtual stakeholder workshop on payment systems and services, according to a report from GhanaWeb on June 8. This spring, the central bank established a Fintech and Innovation Office to foster development in the local industry, and has in recent years adapted its organizational structure to respond to major changes in the payments sector. Notwithstanding these approaches to encouraging electronic cash transactions, Opoku-Afari emphasized that the bank’s specific CBDC pilot plans …

South African blockchain peer-to-peer renewable energy platform Sun Exchange obtained a $3 million investment from Arch Emerging Markets Partners, thereby closing its $4 million Series-A funding round, according to a statement issued Monday. Sun Exchange allows international clients to buy remotely-located solar cells — either with Bitcoin (BTC) or South African rand — and then lease them to power businesses and organizations in emerging markets. Abe Cambridge, the startup’s founder and CEO, told Cointelegraph: “Solar cell owners earn income from the electricity that’s generated, while schools, businesses, clinics and other organisations gain access to affordable clean energy, reducing electricity costs …

One of the linchpins of the internet is the ability to access and share data seamlessly. Whether it’s financial metrics for an institution or something as innocuous as a meme, the internet’s distinct pathways of protocols and standardization are the ideal medium for exchanging information. That transmissibility of information has not translated well to specific industries, however. Regulatory moats, cumbersome and outdated database architecture, and poorly designed user interfaces are a hindrance to major industries — particularly healthcare. Even in the United States, where healthcare standards are high, onerous regulatory processes inhibit the ability of doctors to adequately share patient …

Willie Breedt, a South African accused of stealing seven-figures from local investors through his VaultAge Solutions scheme, is believed to have fled the country for Mozambique. The story was reported by News24 on May 29, citing a representative of the South African Department of Home Affairs who indicated that he has not returned to the country since leaving for Mozambique on December 21. Despite allegedly attracting over 2,000 investors, VaultAge Solutions was not registered with South Africa’s Financial Services Conduct Authority. Local police investigate Breedt for fraud VaultAge Solutions was founded in 2018, purporting to offer weekly returns on customer …

The blockchain-based digital payment project, Electroneum, will be launching an in-app electricity top-up feature across four African countries — Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and The Gambia. The electricity top-up feature will allow ETN app users to top-up their electricity meters directly from the app by paying in ETN tokens. The ETN mobile application previously added support for airtime and data top-ups across 140 countries worldwide. While Electroneum is trying to expand its territory with its various projects and in-app features, many of its users don’t find the growth as exciting — mostly due to the depreciating price of ETN tokens. One …

A recent report suggests that the lack of traditional financial infrastructure makes Africa a place where cryptocurrency adoption is likely. The report — shared with Cointelegraph by a Luno representative on May 27 — sheds light on Africa’s financial infrastructure and the role that cryptocurrencies play in it. The author of the research, which was jointly conducted by market analysis firm Arcane Research and crypto exchange, Luno, wrote that the financial landscape seen on the continent plays a role in forming appetite for crypto in Africa: “Although it is a diverse region, African nations share some key similarities and trends. …

Crypto adoption is making significant advances in Africa, with crypto ownership, trade volume, and regulation all moving toward greater adoption. A recent report by Arcane Research and Luno found that Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya are frequently among the top 10 countries by Google searches for the word “Bitcoin.” The report describes the continent as “one of, if not the most promising region for the adoption of cryptocurrencies,” emphasizing Africa’s combination of low existing crypto adoption alongside an “enormous” domain possibility. The firms emphasize that Africa exhibits a young population, frequent monetary crises and currency failures, large unbanked …