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Kenyan Fintech Player: ‘Banking the Unbanked’ Is the Most Important Use Case for Digital Currencies in Africa
28.9.2021
The year 2020 may well go down as the year when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, in particular, gained mainstream recognition. The restrictions on movement, as well as the widespread fear of catching a virus, forced many to look for alternative ways of making payments or sending...
Chipper Cash Extends Peer-to-Peer Money Transfer Service to South Africa
27.9.2021
Chipper Cash, an African fintech start-up, has extended its peer-to-peer instant money service to South Africa. In addition to being able to use the remittance service, South African users will be able to buy, sell, and transfer cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum, and the USDC stablecoin....
Fintech Firm Centbee Graduates From South African Regulatory Sandbox
24.9.2021
Fintech firm Centbee recently announced it has successfully completed the testing of its cross-border remittance application, Minit Money. The testing of the application was carried out within the framework of the South African Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group (IFWG)’s regulatory...
Remittances to Africa Set to Drop by 5.4 % to $41 Billion — Covid-19 Pandemic and High Sending Costs Blamed
21.9.2021
According to findings from the Continental Migration Report 2021, remittances to African countries are projected to decrease from the $44 billion recorded in 2020 to $41 billion. The Covid Effect As expected, the Covid-19 pandemic is identified as one of the main causes of the decline. However...
Africa Has Some of the ‘Highest Grassroots Adoptions in the World’ — Chainalysis Crypto Preview
16.9.2021
While Africa is seen as one of the smallest cryptocurrency markets, according to a preview of Chainalysis’ Geography of Cryptocurrency annual report, this region has “some of the highest grassroots adoptions in the world.” African Volumes Mainly Composed of Retail Transfers...
Nigeria’s CBDC ‘a Safer Option’ Than Privately Issued Cryptocurrencies: Central Bank Official
14.9.2021
As part of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s digital currency charm offensive, Folashodun Shonubi, the institution’s deputy governor, has claimed that the country’s upcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be a “safer option from privately issued...
Zimbabwean Minister Says Cryptocurrency Based Solutions ‘Could Lower Charges for Diaspora Remittances’
12.9.2021
The Zimbabwean minister of finance, Mthuli Ncube, has once again talked up the potential advantages of using cryptocurrencies. In new comments made shortly after visiting the DMCC Crypto Centre in Dubai, Ncube raises the possibility that the country might use cryptocurrency-based solutions to lower...
Annual US Dollar Remittances to Nigeria Surge to $34 Billion but Forex Woes Persist
31.8.2021
According to a report, the value of annual dollar remittances by Nigerians working abroad has surged to $34 billion, a figure that easily surpasses the previous record-high of $25 billion. Still, a large portion of the funds doesn’t seem to be entering domestic forex markets. Target Attained...
Stellar blockchain remittance corridor to power Thailand-Europe payments
11.8.2021
The new cross-border remittance corridor will be hosted on the Stellar blockchain and serve around 600 million customers
Bank of America Sees Benefits in Adopting Bitcoin as Legal Tender in El Salvador
3.8.2021
Bank of America has outlined some benefits to be had from adopting bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador. The opportunities include low-cost remittances, financial digitization, more choices, and greater investments from foreign companies. Bank of America Highlights Opportunities Bitcoin Brings...
Ripple and SBI Collaborate to Launch On-Demand Liquidity in Japan — XRP Surges
29.7.2021
Ripple has launched its first On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service implementation in Japan in partnership with SBI Remit, a large Japanese money transfer provider, and Philippine crypto exchange Coins.ph. Ripple, SBI, Coins.ph Collaborate to Launch Ripplenet’s On-Demand Liquidity Ripple Labs...
Inside El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment: Cointelegraph video report
27.7.2021
Cointelegraph traveled to El Salvador to investigate whether citizens believe its new Bitcoin Law will be beneficial to the nation's economy
Kenyan Remittances Surged by 20% in H1, North America and Europe-Based Diaspora Contribute Over 80%
22.7.2021
According to the latest data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), diaspora remittances inflows to the country surged to $1.75 billion in the first six months of 2021. This figure represents a nearly 20% increase from the $1.46 billion recorded in the same period last year. 2021 Inflows Set...
Indian Bank Blocks Use of RBI’s Remittance System for Crypto While Government Delays Bill
13.7.2021
Major Indian bank ICICI has asked customers not to use the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) for any crypto-related investments. ICICI, a leading private sector bank in India, has updated its retail outward remittance application to include cryptocurrency. With...
Africa Fintech Start-up Growth: Nigeria Dominates in ‘Big Three’ Markets
10.7.2021
According to the findings of the latest study by Disrupt Africa, the number of fintech start-ups based on the African continent grew to 576 in 2021. This figure represents a 17.3% jump from the 491 start-ups that were operating on the continent in 2019. Overall, the number of fintech start-ups...
Russian Foreign Minister States Crypto Might Play a Significant Role in Settlements
15.6.2021
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talked about the future importance of cryptocurrencies as an international settlements layer at the Primakov Readings Forum. Lavrov referred to these assets as having a “significant role” in the future. Russia has been striving to de-dollarize...
Bitcoin Remittances to El Salvador Surge 300% Ahead of BTC Becoming Legal Tender
15.6.2021
Bitcoin remittances to El Salvador jumped more than fourfold in May from the previous year, according to data from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Last week, El Salvador passed a bill making bitcoin legal tender in the country alongside the U.S. dollar. The monthly bitcoin transfers of under...
Experts: Regulatory Uncertainty and Slow Embrace Hampering Crypto Growth in Kenya
14.6.2021
Regulatory uncertainty and the slow embrace of cryptocurrencies continue to be key impediments to the growth of Kenya’s digital currency market, experts say. They also assert that without speedy regulation, which they believe will hasten the adoption of digital currencies, Kenya’s...
Remittance firms hesitant to support BTC despite legal tender law in El Salvador
14.6.2021
Remittance firms operating in El Salvador appear reluctant to support Bitcoin despite the country's new law mandating the crypto asset as legal tender
Nigeria Bureau De Change Association Boss Accuses Speculators of Destabilizing the Naira— Says Central Bank Funding Will End Currency Woes
22.5.2021
According to the head of the Nigerian group of bureau de change operators, the naira’s continued fall on the parallel market is down to the activities of speculators. However, Aminu Gwadabe, the president of the Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), suggests that only...