Strike partners with Bitnob to facilitate cross-border payments into Africa

The Lightning Network has struck Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. During a conference in Ghana, Strike CEO Jack Mallers announced that the Bitcoin (BTC) payments company has partnered with the mobile app Bitnob to facilitate payments into Africa.  Mallers made the announcement on stage at AfroBitcoin, a Bitcoin conference in Ghana’s capital city of Accra. He stood alongside […]

Kenyan legislation establishes crypto taxation, creates consumer protections

An amendment was introduced to the Kenyan law in capital markets on Nov. 21 that would require those who own or deal in cryptocurrencies to provide the country’s Capital Markets Authority with information on their activities for tax purposes, local media report. This is the first time Kenya has extended financial regulation to cryptocurrency. Under […]

Bitcoin in Zimbabwe: Importing cars and sending money to family

Bitcoin (BTC) is a tool for freedom and economic empowerment. For one young Zimbabwean, Ovidy, it turned his life around when he returned to his home country at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  An entrepreneur who first learned of Bitcoin while living in the United States, Ovidy has since built a business with Bitcoin […]

Here’s how blockchains are helping to advance the global energy grid

The blockchain industry’s impact on the energy sector has been a major source of controversy over the past five years. Governments and environmental protection advocates have routinely expressed concerns about the amount of energy required to keep the Bitcoin network secure. Data shows the network’s energy consumption now rivals the yearly energy consumed by some […]

Backed by Coinbase and Alameda, African exchange MARA eyes continental prospects

East Africa is set to welcome a new cryptocurrency exchange backed by a formidable list of industry heavyweights looking to tap into a continent full of potential users. Coinbase Ventures, Alameda Research, Huobi Ventures and other prominent venture capital firms and angel investors have contributed $23 million to launch MARA. The exchange will initially operate […]

Central Bank of Kenya seeks public input on potential CBDC

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has published a discussion paper on its central bank digital currency (CBDC), seeking public input on the potential benefits and risks and regulatory issues of introducing a CBDC in Kenya. In a statement, the CBK has highlighted that using a CBDC might improve cross-border payments by making them more […]

NFTs and DeFi overturn a banker's generational curse of poverty in 2 years

Brenda Gentry, a former USAA mortgage underwriter from Texas, believes that the cryptocurrency ecosystem offers a fighting chance to overcome the generational curse of poverty.  Gentry, a.k.a. MsCryptoMom, left her decade-long job as a banker to pursue a full-time crypto career as her initial investments from early 2020 confirmed the “unprecedented opportunities offered by crypto.” […]