Moneyweb Crypto

Omer Iqbal, CEO of crypto and payments company FiveWest, says bitcoin's crypto market cap dominance is driven largely by institutional adoption but sees an emerging challenge from second-placed contender Ethereum.

Joey Garcia, chief legal and regulatory officer at Xapo Private Bank, which does not do fractional reserve lending and holds its reserves in bitcoin, offers a bold new vision for the future of banking.

Hannes Wessels, Binance's SA country manager, explains what the bitcoin "halving" event means for crypto, coming in the same week that multiple licenses were issued for crypto asset service providers.

Stuart Perry, co-founder of GG Tech Solutions, explores some fascinating AI developments in financial markets and concludes that AI models are getting much better at predicting price moves in both cryptos and stocks.

Software developer Kgothatso Ngako is part of a growing network of people who have ditched the rand, the US dollar and any other fiat currency to make their way in life using bitcoin only.

VALR CEO Farzam Ehsani talks about bitcoin's famed volatility, why bitcoin's current bull run still has legs, and whether we can expect more rollercoaster action once the bull run exhausts. Or whether it will be different this time.

Carel de Jager, research group leader for distributed ledger technologies at the CSIR, shares insights on some of the new scams where even crypto aficionados are being artfully separated from their wealth and their wallets.

Wiehann Olivier, digital asset lead at Mazars, weighs in on whether the JSE will follow the US lead in authorising exchange traded traded funds (ETFs) and whether the imminent issue of financial service provider licenses to crypto companies will slam the door on crypto scams in SA.

Economist Dawie Roodt takes a clean sheet of paper and gives us the budget we need.

Empowa's Glen Jordan explains that the lower end of the housing market in Africa is actually less risky than the mid-market and how the company plans to impact one million families across the continent by 2030 using a blockchain-based financing solution.

Christo de Wit, SA country manager for Luno, talks about bitcoin hitting R1 million and whether it is too late to climb on board.

Rael Demby, CEO of Scoin and the SA Gold Coin Exchange, explains why digital gold stored on the blockchain is attracting interest from gold bugs, and whether digital gold can be used as a form of stablecoin to park profits after a strong run-up in bitcoin.

Former Microsoft executive Kerushan Govender – author of Age Of Agency: Rise With AI – says fears over the impact of artificial intelligence are overblown, that ‘human agency’ trumps machines, and looks at crypto's place in the quest for greater human sovereignty.

Jon Ovadia, CEO of crypto exchange OVEX, walks us through the casualty list of African currencies decimated over the last two years, and how US dollar-backed stablecoins are exploding across the continent.

Jesse Pielke, founder of Hashrate Up, is helping South Africans use surplus solar power generated during the day for bitcoin mining (and it's less expensive than you might think).

Gerhard van Deventer, head of enforcement at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, says the first batch of financial services provider (FSP) licences are about to be issued to crypto service providers. That will make it easier to shut down crypto scammers before they get started.

Glenn Jooste, co-founder of Bitcoin Ubuntu, explains how trying to save in ever depreciating rands is a losing proposition, and how bitcoin solves this.

Omer Iqbal, CEO of crypto company FiveWest, shares his thoughts on the big crypto stories of 2023 and the likelihood of the mother of all bitcoin bull markets in 2024.

What on earth are those? Gianluca Sacco, chief operating officer at VALR, explains. Crypto exchange VALR recently announced the world's first perpetual futures on bitcoin, payable in rands, with some interesting use cases.

Nils Andersen Röed and Jarek Jakubcek, who are now with Binance, were recently in SA to train local regulators and authorities on the ever-evolving tricks of crypto criminals.

Marcel Wasserman is a financial advisor who once owned 52 bitcoin, having bought at under R1 000. He became less enthusiastic about bitcoin after losing most of it and selling the rest. Today, he's more enthusiastic about an 'all-weather' portfolio that can ride out good times and bad. He explains why getting out of debt is the key to financial affluence.

Thomas Lobban of Tax Consulting SA warns of new OECD regulations that will help tax authorities worldwide to track your crypto transactions no matter where you live.

It fixes many of the problems in the existing financial system such as high costs and speed of transaction. Simon Dingle, founder of the ZARP rand-backed stablecoin, explains why stablecoins are the real killer use case for crypto, and why Old Mutual is backing it.

It's already up more than 30% over the last month. VALR CEO Farzam Ehsani explains what's behind this explosive move, and VALR's recent partnership with card issuer Visa as a sign of the fusing of traditional finance and crypto.

Michail le Roux of Hanekom Attorneys says CBDCs are coming and that fears of a snooping state examining all our transactions are overblown. Plus the prospects of voting by cell phone in the future, using blockchain technology to stop the cheats.

With a bitcoin halving of supply in 2024, Jason Welz, head of digital assets at alternative investment firm Jaltech, points out that all previous "halvenings" have been preceded by a bull run. Will it be any different this time? Plus, some astonishing developments in blockchain technology are about to unfurl in the coming years.

Libex and law firm Schindlers have partnered in setting up two exchanges offering investors the opportunity to list and own fractional pieces of assets from farms to residential buildings. Chaz Dunn, innovation head at Libex, and Schindlers managing partner Maurice Crespi explain.

Carel de Jager, head of distributed ledger technology at CSIR, explains how he tracked down stolen funds from a Moneyweb reader with a new blockchain tool that is being offered to crime busters worldwide.

Andrew Field, co-founder of BitDirect, explains the history and likely future of money, arguing that the rand will ultimately hit R100 to the US dollar. There's a long history of fiat currency failures. If so, what role does bitcoin play in the future monetary firmament?

Blockchain is transforming everything we know about ownership. This is the killer use case for blockchain - establishing title to property and, with that, the ability to transfer and trade property rights. It's a fascinating world we are about to enter, explains Steven Sidley, author of 'It's Mine: How the crypto industry is redefining ownership'.

Eastern Cape taxi operators embrace blockchain technology as they ditch cash and start to compete with the major retailers, explains Sonny Fisher of ForUS.

Gerhard van Deventer, head of enforcement at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, explains how the crypto industry is about to get the policing it has long needed.

If Nikolai Tjongarero of EasySats meets someone unfamiliar with bitcoin, he gives them the two-minute elevator pitch and buys them a beer, paid, of course, with bitcoin. He's making tons of happy friends and winning them over to bitcoin in the process.

Kgothatso Ngako dropped out of university to translate bitcoin educational literature into indigenous African languages. Now he has come up with a way for people without smart phones, internet or a crypto account to own and store bitcoin.

Between four and six million Bitcoin have been forever list because the owners lost their passwords or threw away their hard drives. Brandon Sylvester of Sanlam Trust explains that few people realise that cryptos are not automatically passed on to beneficiaries on death. That's a huge potential loss.

Crypto adoption has tended to follow crypto prices. New use cases for crypto, other than speculation, are giving it as push, says Christo de Wit, SA manager for Luno.

Richard Schoeman, CFO at crypto and payments company Yellow Card, explains how Africans have discovered a love for cryptos as a way to shield themselves from inflation and local currency weakness.

Erik Hersman, co-founder of Gridless Mining, explains how the company is using spare power from independent power producers in Africa to set up bitcoin mines, and explores whether private solar power in SA can be turned to profit.

Dezray Thomas lives, breathes and mines Bitcoin – using solar and Eskom.

Hannes Wessels, general manager for Binance in southern Africa, explains how crypto volumes have responded to srging prices in 2023, and what the future of finance looks like.

Glenn Jooste, founder of Bitcoin Ubuntu in Swellendam in the Western Cape, explains how you can now live and thrive in Bitcoin-only economies. Going off the financial grid is fast becoming a reality, and communities like Bitcoin Ubuntu and nearby Bitcoin Ekasi in Mossel Bay, and Bitcoin Witsand are taking the poor with them.

Thomas Pays, founder of Ozow, explains how the company acquired eight million customers in a decade, challenging even Capitec's blistering growth, and how 'open banking' - incorporating crypto payments - is the wave of the future, allowing third parties the ability to access financial data, simplify transactions and massively increase banking penetration in poor countries.

Farzam Ehsani, CEO of crypto exchange VALR, explains why AI opens up a world of opportunities - and potential threats - to crypto.

Joey Garcia of Xapo Bank explains why so many crypto exchanges have folded in recent months

Rob Price of Sound Money Capital explains why we should expect more turmoil in the banking sector, and why this may be good for Bitcoin.

Mozambique, a country of 32 million people, has less than 1 000 bank-issued mortgage loans. Glen Jordan, founder of Empowa, found a way to use the blockchain to unlock mortgage lending in Africa.

Research analyst and founder of the Financial Underground, Nick Giambruno, explains why of the 20 000 or more cryptocurrencies, only Bitcoin is worth a punt.

Harry Scherzer of Future Forex, Omer Iqbal of FiveWest and Kyle Dowie of Doiya explain why crypto arbitrage is going through a revival

Rob Brine, director for cyber and intelligence solutions at Mastercard, explains how the card company successfully fights off 200 cyber attacks a minute and whether cryptos as a payments mechanism come anywhere close to traditional card payments for something as simple as a cup of coffee.

A career in blockchain is becoming a popular choice for school leavers, explains Kreaan Singh of CoinEd, and it doesn't necessarily mean learning to code. They're looking to be part of a technological revolution that can no longer be ignored.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority's head of enforcement, Gerhard van Deventer, explains how regulations have improved behaviour in the crypto sector, but he's not prepared to relax for a minute.

Tech entrepreneur Vinny Lingham gives his take on how AI will swarm the world as we know it in three years, and reads the tea leaves on the future of crypto.

Brett Hope Robertson, head of investments at Revix, says the recent rally in Bitcoin in the midst of a banking crisis is a clear demonstration that it is doing precisely what it was intended to do - act as a secure store of value at a time of risk.

CSIR's Carel de Jager explains why Bitcoin mining could be a game changer for Eskom and should not be dismissed as a joke.

FiveWest CEO Omer Iqbal gives a crypto insider's view of the banking crisis and why bitcoin is on a tear.

Andrew Ludwig and Harry Scherzer explain how crypto arbitrage in SA is affected.

Marius Reitz, Africa general manager at Luno, explains why 35% of staff at the companybwere let go and whether the crypto winter is over.

Almo Lubowski and Carel van Wyk of Crypto Convert explain why Pick n Pay approached them to launch bitcoin as a means of payment.

Seamus Rocca, CEO of Xapo Bank, explains what Venezuela, Argentina and Lebanon have in common and how cryptos have made it possible for residents in countries with weak local currencies to ply their trade abroad.

The collapse of crypto exchange FTX was a watershed moment in the industry, leading to calls for far greater transparency and disclosure from crypto companies, says Wiehann Olivier, digital asset lead at Mazars.

Crypto entrepreneur John Lombela had a wild idea that 'tokenising' commodities could be used to financially empower Africa's poorest, so he set out to do just that.

Customers are more wary of crypto exchanges, and crypto companies find themselves under a microscope, says R Paulo Delgado.

While no-one was looking, banks just won the right to invest 2% of their portfolios in cryptos. Crypto analyst Giannis Andreou explains what this means and what lies in store for cryptos in 2023.

Darren Hanekom explains how regulations will reshape cryptos and integrate them into mainstream financial services. Also what AI means for cryptos.

They're all wrong because bitcoin is here to stay, though many bitcoin knock-offs may not last, says Omer Iqbal, CEO of FiveWest.

Stafford Masie, tech entrepreneur and investor, makes the case that Bitcoin is the only true and original crypto, and is arguably the most under-valued asset in the world.

Paul Casarin, CEO of Pet Rock Investments, and Brandon Topham, CEO of Kreston Forensics, delve into where we are in the crypto winter and why we should be excited about what's to follow.

The collapse of FTX has delivered a crushing blow to crypto. All the more reason to demand crypto companies open their books for inspection, says Dale Russell, director of Moore Blockchain and Digital Assets.

Jon Ovadia, CEO of crypto prime broker OVEX, explains that collapsed global exchange FTX owned 8% of OVEX, which it is now attempting to buy back. He says that no customer funds are locked up in the FTX exchange.

Chris Heaton, co-founder of gaming platform Skrmiish (pronounced 'skirmish'), has built up a base of 50 000 players in less than two years. Watch this space as it targets the one billion player mark, making it a potential giant in the global gaming space, and all built on the Ethereum blockchain.

Zambesi Gold CEO Koos van Straaten, a gold mining veteran, got the crypto bug when bitcoin was R8 000. He and his team have now launched a fully fledged gold mining operation with an interesting gold-backed token

Chris Becker, managing executive of cyber banking at TymeBank, explains why the technology on which Bitcoin rests is so revolutionary, and discusses the differences between proof of stake and proof of work (PoW), criticising some arguments for PoW.

Marius Reitz, general manager for Africa at Luno, shares his thoughts on where we are in the crypto cycle, and some of the new products, including the ability to buy bundles of cryptos in a single purchase.

Recent research by Pet Rock Investments shows South Africans have adopted a DIY approach to cryptos, by-passing their financial advisors. Another surprising outcome of the survey is that South African advisors are themselves big adopters of crypto, explains Paul Casarin, co-founder of Pet Rock Investments.

Artists and entrepreneurs are cashing in by monetising their art and otherwise sterile assets, explains CEO Asif Aziz and Mandla Magagula, chief tech officer at Libex, one of Africa's largest non-fungible token (NFT) markets.

Binance SA country head Hannes Wessels spent 20 years as a senior investment bankers at HSBC before recognising which way the financial winds were blowing. He explains how Binance became the world's largest crypto exchange in just five years, an extraordinary tale of wealth creation, and the company's recently announced move into futures trading.

Brett Hope Robertson, head of investment at Revix, sees a time when ethereum surpasses bitcoin in terms of market value. That event, known as the 'flippening', may be closer than many think due to the massive tech upgrade that has just turned ethereum into a potential global financial titan.

Gianluca Sacco, chief operating officer at VALR, ticks off the reasons to be optimistic about cryptos as we huddle up for crypto winter.

Ryan Allis, general partner at Amphibian Capital, explains how AI and machine learning are minimising crypto drawdowns and beating the pants off more traditional investments, with the help of a fund of funds approach.

What does crypto have to do with free speech? Cryptos were built to be censorship-resistant, which means you could keep your crypto transactions private and beyond the prying eyes of governments. That's been upended by a recent case in the United States which has huge implications for cryptos going forward. Daniel Pickering, chief investment officer of ListedReserve in Australia, explains what this means for cryptos in the years ahead. Also, if you’re confused by NFTs and terms like Web3, all will be explained.

Former Gladiator, current bitcoin miner and cattle farmer, Dezray Thomas has teamed up with Crypto University to bring crypto to the masses with the goal of lifting millions out of poverty.

Rob Price is the founder of Sound Money Capital, a digital asset investment firm, and former head of asset allocation at Alexander Forbes. He argues that there is an ethical case for investing in bitcoin. What bitcoin has done to money is the equivalent in technology terms of the steam train and internet.

If you thought cryptos was all about speculating on the price of bitcoin, think again. Omer Iqbal, co-founder of crypto and fintech company Fivewest, explains how companies with operations in Africa are using cryptos to hedge against weak local currencies. And that's just the start of it.

This is an exciting time to be a witness to the financial revolution unfolding, says Dawie Roodt, chief economist at The Efficient Group. Private currencies like bitcoin will compete with fiat currencies like the rand and US dollar, and we can expect the correlation between bitcoin and cryptos to rupture.

Mazars digital asset lead, Wiehann Olivier, explains why the crypto crash is leading to the inevitable weeding out of dodgy projects, and how those that remain will be those that are robust, transparent about the assets in their vaults, and less prone to hype.

The crypto faithful are nibbling at these low prices, believing a bottom is close at hand. Also watch for the 'Merge' on the Ethereum blockchain, a long-awaited technical upgrade which will make the network more energy-efficient. And should you move your cryptos off the exchanges in favour of self-custody? Jaltech co-founder Gaurav Nair lays out the case for and against.

Things always look bleakest before the dawn. A perfect storm of inflation, war in Eastern Europe and some spectacular crypto failures bathed cryptos in red in the month of June. Chris Becker, blockchain lead at Investec, sees a silver lining in all of this, noting that we are just 10 years into a radical technological shift that typically takes 50 years to fully reveal itself.

Keletso Thophego, country manager for crypto operator Yellow Card, explains how crypto scams have sucked millions of pula from citizens - one of the main reasons why the country is among the first in Africa to embrace crypto regulation.

What do you do when your stolen loot is rapidly losing market value? You offload it as fast as you can. But as crypto writer Paul Delgado explains, law enforcement is getting better at chasing down stolen cryptos.

Gert-Jan van Rooyen of Fanfire talks about uncovering some truly useful applications for Non Fungible Tokens. How about booking your favourite wines, not yet bottled, and grabbing some of the best vintages on the market? And how NFTs are helping build loyalty among rugby fans.

Thulani Mthunzi cut his teeth in IT developer and as a software developer for the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange before venturing into forex and crypto trading. He was a dissatisfied customer who decided to build a better mousetrap in the form of Mansa Musa, named after the Malian ruler who created one of Africa's greatest trading empires.

Surprisingly, SA is being eclipsed by countries like Nigeria in key areas of blockchain development. Brenton Naicker of CV VC, and Ian Putter, head of blockchain at Standard Bank, make their predictions for the future of this technology on the continent.

The meltdown in cryptos over the last week, led by the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin, has the crypto sceptics saying "I told you so." AltcoinTrader CEO Richard da Sousa explains what this means for the crypto market and what we can expect from here.

Financial Sector Conduct Authority head of enforcement, Brandon Topham, says crypto regulations should be in place before end of year, a key purpose being to hound out the scamsters.

Sean Newman, one-time colleague of slain Teasers boss Lolly Jackson, and co-author of the book entitled 'Lolly Jackson', is now working on another gripping thriller - this time into the murky world of Mirror Trading International, which was rated by Chainalysis as the largest crypto scam in the world in 2020.

The idea that bitcoin or cryptos are a passing fad has been put to bed. The number of heavyweight investment managers present at the recent Bitcoin Conference in Miami, Florida, tells us big money adoption is just getting started. Wiehann Olivier, digital asset lead at Mazars, was there and tells us what questions we need to ask our crypto exchanges, and what to expect in 2022.

A fascinating story about how blockchain technology is breathing new life into South Africa’s film industry. Digital asset exchange FORUS Digital recently announced it would be investing R500m, raised through the issue of tokens, to upgrade the Fish River Resort and Gary Player golf course in the Eastern Cape. FORUS co-founder Sonny Fisher explains how the resort upgrade involves the creation of the Fish River Studios, a world class studio that aims to catapult South African film making into the premier league.

VALR is another South African crypto success story. Having just raised R750 million, valuing the company valuation to R3.7 billion, VALR is off in search of new markets in Africa, India and beyond. CEO Farzam Ehsani explains why South Africa is a rich breeding ground for successful crypto projects.

Monica Singer of blockchain company Consensys, argues we shouldn't fear the coming Central Bank Digital Currencies that'll herd us towards a cashless society, which arms the state with the means to snoop on every transaction we make. Limits can be placed on the size of transactions visible to the Reserve Bank. Governments everywhere are being pressured into adopting digital currencies in competition with private currencies like bitcoin and ethereum.