Everyone's talking crypto for solving sub-Saharan Africa's payments problems
Stablecoins and continentwide regulations are key to breaking down barriers to Africa's economic growth. As global interest in stablecoins explodes, a number of key players are pushing especially hard for more adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa.On Thursday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa Program published new analysis advocating more options for crypto users in sub-Saharan Africa. CSIS is a well-known Washington, DC-based think tank. The authors of the analysis, Judd Devermont and Topaz Mukulu, are extremely optimistic about the future role of crypto, specifically....
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According to a recent Chainalysis report, although Sub-Saharan Africa is believed to account for as little as 2% of global transaction activity, the area “contains some of the most well-developed cryptocurrency markets of any region.” Additionally, Sub-Saharan Africa’s “retail market and outsized usage of P2P platforms make it unique compared to other regions.” Sub-Saharan Africa’s ‘Outsized Usage of P2P Platforms’ According to a new report by blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, Sub-Saharan Africa’s total crypto....
Despite facing hot-and-cold rules, growing crypto usage in sub-Saharan Africa is forcing regulators to reconsider the industry. Sub-Saharan Africa has no doubt suffered many regulatory setbacks in adopting cryptocurrencies. With most countries in the region struggling not to buckle under economic uncertainties and pressures looming over them even as the ripple effects of COVID-19 set in, it would appear that many Africans, especially millennials, aren’t waiting for the government anymore.The main issue inhibiting regulation seems to be a combination of resistance and indecision both from....
International remittance is ostensibly one of the most compelling use cases for bitcoin and digital currencies. Recorded remittances to Africa grew four-fold between 1990 and 2010 and have increased steadily since. The World Bank projects $39bn in remittances to sub-Saharan Africa this year. Yet with the continent's fast-growing middle class and tech-savvy youth population, the high cost of remitting to sub-Saharan Africa, particularly from within Africa, has brought the subject of financial inclusion under new light. Africa has some serious market potential for bitcoin companies;....
Flutterwave is teaming up Tempo Payments to use USDC on Stellar to target Africa’s enormous remittances market. The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has announced that it will facilitate a new remittance channel between Europe and Africa using the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin.On Oct. 25, the SDF announced that global payments technology company Flutterwave will use the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin on the Stellar network to simplify remittances between Africa and Europe. Flutterwave will work alongside Stellar’s principal EU payments partner, Paris-based money transfer operator, Tempo....
Bitcoin adoption around the world is a patient process, as one of the factors involved in the currency’s success relies on internet connectivity. The Western world has gotten accustomed to having the internet at their disposal wherever they go, but things are vastly different in areas such as Africa, South America and parts of Asia. Facebook wants to....