Search
Africrypt Ponzi Scheme Collapse: South Africa Regulator Says Its ‘Not in a Position to Take Any Regulatory Action’
25.6.2021
Following Africrypt’s collapse, South African regulator, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), released a statement asserting its lack of jurisdiction over cryptocurrencies. Although the regulator says it is “continuing to investigate complaints” against the crypto...
South African ‘Exit Scam’ Sees Brothers Vanish with USD 3.6B in Bitcoin
24.6.2021
An apparent exit scam in South Africa could have left investors out of pocket to the tune of USD 3.6bn after the two brothers who operate the Africrypt project “vanished” following reports of a hushed-up “hack.”
Per Bloomberg, Hanekom Attorneys, a legal firm in Cape Town was hired by investors,...
$3.6B in Bitcoin vanishes in 'hack' along with owners of South African crypto platform
24.6.2021
Billions worth of Bitcoin has reportedly vanished along with the operators of South African crypto firm AfriCrypt. Is it a scam or a hack?
South Africa Bank Blocks Clients From Buying Crypto on Binance, Exchange Rejects Allegations
23.6.2021
A South African bank, Absa, has reportedly blocked use of its credit cards for users buying cryptocurrencies on international exchanges, according to one media report. The claims come after clients of the financial institution reported receiving a text message informing them of the suspension...
Rwanda Central Bank Joins CBDC Bandwagon After Announcing Digital Currency Research
23.6.2021
The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) has become the latest African central bank to join the digital currency movement after an employee confirmed the institution is studying the possibilities of issuing its own digital currency. CBDC Implications on Financial Stability According to the employee, John...
$3.6 Billion Crypto Heist: South African Bank Denies Business Relationship With Fraud Accused Africrypt
19.6.2021
According to local media, leading South African financial institution FNB is denying allegations of a banking relationship with the recently collapsed crypto investment company, Africrypt. FNB also insists it did not enable the investment company’s transactions which helped Africrypt’s...
Four Games That Resonate (And One I Hate) As I Celebrate Juneteenth
18.6.2021
Juneteenth, once an obscure, informal holiday celebrating Black freedom, is now bigger than it’s ever been. It commemorates when the last enslaved people in Texas, the final Confederate state, were set free on June 19th, 1865. Today, on this year’s Juneteenth, countries around the world...
DAO1 Hackthon Targets African Blockchain Devs
17.6.2021
As part of an initiative that seeks to build the crypto and blockchain space talent base, the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO1), a community-led protocol, will be holding a major collaborative computer programming or a hackathon. Organizers are hoping this event will help to create...
Tunisian Minister Says He Plans to ‘Decriminalize’ the Buying of Bitcoin
16.6.2021
After reports that Tanzanian President Samia Hassan had asked her finance chief to look into cryptocurrencies, Tunisia has become the latest African country to signal a willingness to embrace digital assets. According to remarks attributed to Ali Kooli, Tunisia’s economy minister, the North...
Latin American Countries Eye Bitcoin Adoption After El Salvador Passed Bitcoin Law
15.6.2021
A number of lawmakers in Latin American countries have expressed their interest in bitcoin following El Salvador passing the law making the cryptocurrency legal tender. The countries include Paraguay, Argentina, Panama, Brazil, and Mexico. Tonga and Tanzania have also reportedly expressed interest...
South African Court Submissions Expose Lies and Deceptive Tactics Used to Perpetuate MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme
10.6.2021
New submissions by a South African regulator, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and liquidators have exposed the web of lies and deceptive tactics that were used by Mirror Trading International (MTI) CEO Johann Steynberg and others to perpetuate the Ponzi scheme. Undeclared Losses...
Members of East Africa Community Explore Potential Use of CBDC for Alternative Regional Payment System
9.6.2021
Six East African states are reportedly set to explore the possibility of using central bank digital currencies (CBDC) as an alternative to their shared payment system. The six countries, which are all members of the East Africa Community (EAC) trading bloc, are hoping this alternative will create...
African Fintech Start-up Chipper Cash Raises $100 Million — CEO Says No Crypto Services for Nigeria
6.6.2021
Chipper Cash, an African fintech firm that specializes in facilitating cross-border payments, recently closed a $100 million Series C funding round. Taking the lead in what is now Chipper Cash‘s third fundraising round in the past twelve months is the venture capital (VC) firm, SVB Capital....
South African Crypto Exchanges Confirm Receiving Request for Client Data From Tax Collection Body
3.6.2021
Three leading cryptocurrency exchanges from South Africa recently confirmed receiving a request for client data from the country’s revenue collector. In a joint statement, the exchanges, (namely Altcointrader, Luno, and Valr) said this request, which targets a “selection...
South Africa Reserve Bank Commences Retail CBDC Feasibility Study
27.5.2021
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) says it has commenced a feasibility study for a general-purpose retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). The study, which the SARB expects to conclude in 2022, will focus on the issuance of a domestic CBDC that can be used by consumers in South Africa...
1confirmation Raises USD 125M, Chia - USD 61M, African CBDC + More News
25.5.2021
Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
____
Investments news
Crypto venture fund 1confirmation said it closed its new third venture fund worth USD 125m and dubbed 1confirmation fund III....
South Africa's central bank begins preliminary study for retail CBDC
25.5.2021
The South African Reserve Bank has begun exploratory studies on central bank digital currencies
African Crypto Exchange, Quidax Raises 7,772 BNB on the Worst Day of Crypto in Less Than 48 Hours
24.5.2021
PRESS RELEASE. On what could be tagged as the worst day of crypto this year, African-founded exchange, Quidax, raised over 7,772 BNB from the public sale of its token, QDX. The crypto market suffered its first major dip in 2021 on Thursday, May 19, 2021 with Bitcoin dropping as low as $30,000 from...
African NFT Art Exhibition Featuring Portraits of Two African Royals Launched
22.5.2021
The Museum of Modern African Art Gallery & Lifestyle (MOOMA), a platform that promotes African artworks, recently kickstarted a 30-day non-fungible token (NFT) Modern African Art Exhibition. The exhibition, which will be MOOMA’s first NFT showcase, is set to feature the works of Goran...
Report: Over 100,000 African Youths Have Participated in Binance’s Crypto Education Initiative
20.5.2021
According to reports, over 100,000 African youths have taken part in Binance’s crypto and blockchain education barely a year after the learning program was launched. Dubbed the Binance Masterclass, the education initiative is aimed at equipping newcomers with basic knowledge about...