SUMMARY REPORT – BLOCKCHAIN AFRICA CONFERENCE 2022: READY FOR BUSINESS?
This year’s virtual edition of the Blockchain Africa Conference, Ready for Business?, attracted 1964 attendees from 113 countries who could connect with peers and learn more about the exciting opportunities and developments taking place in the African and global blockchain ecosystem.
Blockchain Africa Conference 2022: Ready for Business – Day 1
Master of Ceremonies John Kamara, Founder of Adanian Labs and Afyarekod, and Chairman of the African Blockchain Centre, started the conference with a welcome address. He set the tone for the conference, welcomed all attendees, and praised Bitcoin Events’ commitment to creating awareness of blockchain technology and encouraging networking within the space.
Blockchain is revolutionising the world as we know it, and every industry has benefited from the technology in some shape or form. Day 1 of Blockchain Africa Conference 2022: Ready for Business? gave insights into blockchain technology’s fast-paced developments, focusing on its integration into society, institutions and organisations.
The importance of track record when evaluating the security of a cryptocurrency exchange
It is no secret that blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have been victim to countless hacks and cyberattacks. Investors worldwide have experienced all sorts of schemes and infiltrations that have resulted in the loss of funds.
Jeff Mei, Director of Global Strategy at Huobi Global, shared his insights on exchanges’ efforts to provide a safe and secure service to their users. While mentioning Huobi, Jeff spoke about the value of having a large, dedicated team that focuses solely on security.
“We focus a lot on security, and we have a research team that focuses on security measures and protocols. Our core model is creating a safe environment for users to feel comfortable when trading. We collect data, analyse attacks, look for loopholes, patch these loopholes, and adapt.”
When MC John asked him what the most critical aspect is when analysing the risk of an exchange, Jeff responded by saying, “Track record. We, Huobi, haven’t been hacked in nine years, and I believe we will keep going that way. I believe this is how we earn trust, and this is what is important to evaluate when it comes to the overall security of exchanges.”
Blockchain is difficult, but it shouldn’t be – Klever Finance and the Klever Ecosystem
Klever Finance is a trusted permissioned blockchain network for the emerging decentralised economy, providing a safer, faster and smarter cryptocurrency experience globally.
Misha Lederman, Director of Communications at Klever, gave practical reasons why blockchain and cryptocurrencies are booming in Africa. “There are many practical reasons why blockchain and crypto are booming in Africa, including the young population and widespread mobile connectivity. The adoption phenomenon is primarily based on the insatiable pursuit of individual freedom and being able to take ownership of one’s life.”
Further elaborating on the hospitable ecosystem for blockchain in Africa, “Blockchain doesn’t recognise tribal lines or national borders. Instead, crypto provides us with tools to bridge and connect communities, to share value and ideas across borders, and empower a new generation of young African voices. That’s why we at Klever are here today.”
Misha gave insight into the Klever offering, “We promote financial freedom through individual ownership, financial literacy, passive income opportunity, censorship-resistant financial solutions, empowering individuals worldwide to take ownership of their future and be the best versions of themselves.”
The Klever exchange, launched in 2021, is set to become a major global hub for crypto trading and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) due to its simplicity, security, innovation and unmatched trading engine speed.
The Value of SSI to organisations and citizens in a South African context
Lohan Spies – Founder and CEO of DIDx and Chair of Sovrin Steward Council, and moderator for the panel, introduced the concept of a digital identity.
“We don’t have a very efficient mechanism for digital identity-related interactions. Our identity is fractured and fragmented across multiple organisations. We don’t have control over that identity. Our current paper-based credentials like an ID document, a driver’s licence or a passport are not made to work on the internet in digital interaction.”
“Dalene Deale, Executive Head at Secure Citizen, shared her thoughts on individual rights to a safe and secure identity. “The only person that has the right to use your data is you. It’s your birth right, and nobody else has the right to use it.”
There are several pilot projects, and proofs-of-concept (POCs) are currently exploring the use and benefits of a digital identity. Anushka Soma-Patel, Product Manager for Atala PRISM Ecosystem at IOHK, encouraged “anyone that has the opportunity to participate in pilots, POCs or projects related to self-sovereign identity (SSI) and digital identity to please step up, participate, so that we can accelerate the process.”
Terry Kelly, Founder and Director at The Digital Data Bank, touched on his company’s efforts to tackle age-old paper-based identities. “We have integrated our platform with Home Affairs, using an API where we can match the name, surname, ID number, etc., with Home Affairs and enable biometric authentication – either via fingerprint or facial recognition. We have created a digital identity for the individual, and we have put authentication back in the hands of the individual.”
When asked, how do we solve the concept of interoperability so that everybody can understand and use this technology at scale? Dalene Deale responded, “We need to bring the company and the consumer closer together through technology to fight against fraud and create convenience for customers and businesses.”
Mark Brits, Senior General Manager at The Banking Association South Africa, addressed the benefits for the banking industry in terms of digital identity. “Banks need to consider the friction cost associated with onboarding and KYC; it is a costly process. So, there’s a real interest in banking to ensure a successful implementation of digital identity, particularly in South Africa.”
Closing off, Anushka Soma-Patel challenged the audience. “Let’s see how we can make this convenience economy come through while banking the unbanked and focusing on giving people digital identities that are accessible to people without devices or data. The blockchain community is phenomenal at focusing on community and solving community problems.”
Community and support are the foundations of the global blockchain community – Metis, a hub for the entire Web3.0 economy
Following the insightful panel, Norbert Amankwaa Adomako, Chief of Communications at Metis, introduced the conference attendees to Metis, “We have built an easy-to-use, a highly scalable, low-cost and fully functional layer two framework, which is the Metis Roll-up. We fully support the application and business migration from Web2.0 to Web3.0.”
Norbert elaborated on the hub and ecosystem that Metis is building for the entire Web3.0 community. “We are a private technology company that powers critical blockchain infrastructure for Africa’s digital payments and financial institutions. We work with start-ups, enterprises and public sector institutions to build and manage the best DeFi cross-border, peer-to-peer applications that make the blockchain ecosystem more accessible for everyone and financial inclusion a reality.”
Africa, still in its blockchain infancy, is most certainly benefiting from companies such as Metis. Since blockchain technology is solving numerous problems on the African continent, enabling access to blockchain technology and the overall ecosystem is essential.
BNB Chain, drivers of blockchain infrastructure, enabling scaling and driving global adoption
With adoption comes users and with users comes scalability challenges. An intricate component to the success of any platform that experiences an increase in activity through onboarding is the ability to scale.
Samy Karim, Ecosystem Development at BNB Chain, gave insights into BNB Chain’s efforts to create an infrastructure that allows developers to build scalable applications. After last year’s expansion in terms of users, BNB Chain identified limitations and challenges from an infrastructure perspective; data indexing and block speed among the culprits.
As a result, BNB Chain has created a strategy to enable a more manageable scaling experience for developers.
“We’re working on rolling out application chains. The advantage of application-specific chains for developers is that they will allow for a more manageable scaling experience. If you are a game developer building on a shared infrastructure, it’s difficult to view the growth of other applications sharing the infrastructure. If other applications experience massive growth and start consuming more chain capacity, it will impact your project.”
Sammy elaborated further, “As the demand for block space increases, the price increases, affecting your end users. Application-specific chains address this issue.”
BNB Chain will be rolling out its application chains as part of the BNB Chain ecosystem later this year. Some of the advantages of this highly anticipated roll-out will be low transaction fees, further managing the end-user experience, and the ability to scale up infrastructure when needed.
DafriGroup, proudly revolutionising banking and finance in Africa
“Blockchain technology is increasingly advancing socio-economic growth for e-commerce and entrepreneurship in Africa and the rest of the globe. The adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies offers users multiple options and scalability towards ease of doing business transactions across the African continent.” Dr Edward Obasi, COO at DafriGroup PLC, during his keynote address.
Dr Obasi spoke about how blockchain technology has gained widespread acceptance globally due to its tremendous use cases and speed of facilitating cross-border payment transactions.
“DafriBank and DafriXchange are pioneering fiat to crypto transactions using peer-to-peer networks. DafriGroup sees blockchain technology as a novel tool that can help rebuild Africa’s ineffectual financial system and strengthen intercontinental trade.”
Dr Obasi spoke proudly about AfriGo Mall, a purely crypto e-commerce platform. “Purchases are made exclusively through crypto. You can buy crypto assets from this platform through a peer-to-peer framework, and buyers’ funds are protected through escrow accounts.”
DafriBank Digital Limited is one of the first crypto-friendly banks fully licensed by the Central Bank of Commerce. The bank started operations in June 2021, and offers traditional deposit and savings services through various options like manual deposits.
The bank is pioneering decentralised lending and developing a protocol where you can use their native DBA tokens to get an instant loan by connecting your trust wallet or meta mask.
Dr Obasi believes that their flagship product, facilitating the transfer of fiat to cryptocurrency, is uniquely positioned to create synergy between banks and crypto exchanges. Furthermore, the introduction of the e-commerce platform is creating a “one-stop financial supermarket where you don’t need to go elsewhere to buy crypto, fund your account or purchase products.”
Imagine a crypto-friendly card that works at 50 million merchants worldwide
As cryptocurrency adoption continues to rise, new developments make cryptocurrency easier to use.
Mastercard is one of the pioneers in this development area. It is actively looking into enabling safe and compliant cryptocurrency payments to consumers, and is helping fintechs, issuers, merchants and regulators in their exploration of blockchain and crypto.
Kamran Shahin, Vice President of Product Development, Blockchain and Digital Currencies for the EEMEA region at Mastercard, elaborated: “To enable consumers to easily purchase crypto assets via cards, we’ve been working with some of the largest crypto merchants worldwide to enable them to accept card payments directly. We want to allow consumers easy and secure ways to spend and cash out of their cryptocurrencies in our acceptance locations. We’re doing this via an exciting programme called the MasterCard Crypto Card Programme, which we’re currently rolling out globally.”
Kamran also discussed how crypto payments via cards would work.
“The crypto card programme allows consumers to obtain a Mastercard linked to their crypto holdings. They can then use the Mastercard for various transactions at any one of the over 50 million Mastercard accepting points worldwide.
The cards enable consumers to pay with crypto and merchants to be paid in fiat currency. It brings the best of both worlds. Consumers can utilise their crypto, and merchants can facilitate transactions without worrying about crypto-related details.
Cryptocurrency users eagerly anticipate these developments by Mastercard. The global roll-out of the card programme will create a new wave of cryptocurrency transactions, further encouraging global adoption.
Blockchain technology – Reshaping, innovating and enabling global industries
The Blockchain Africa Conference is consistent in its ability to address the latest trends and themes in blockchain technology’s integration into our systems and societies.
Day 1 of the conference explored numerous topics, examples and use cases that illustrate how multiple industries are using blockchain to revolutionise age-old concepts, systems and procedures.
Africa is a continent that presents multiple use cases for blockchain technology that reshape the landscape in which they operate and improve the lives of many in the process. Since blockchain technology has no borders or limitations to its reach and abilities, its current developments on the continent are progressing at a rapid pace. Real problems in Africa are being addressed with new-age solutions. The possibilities are endless, and the conference speakers and panellists gave testimony to this.
Bitcoin Events’ Blockchain Africa Conferences continue to attract industry experts, pioneers and attendees from all corners of the globe, increasing awareness of blockchain technology and providing a platform that encourages networking among key players and enthusiasts.
Thank you to the excellent speakers and panellists for a day of insights and discussions around blockchain technology’s disruption of and integration into global businesses. Also, a special thanks to the sponsors that made the day possible.
If you would like to access the talks and panel discussions that took place on Day 1 of Blockchain Africa Conference 2022: Ready for Business? click here.
Other topics, speakers and panel discussions of the day include:
- Polkadot: Providing Business Solutions
- Siddharth Singhal – Director of Enterprise at Parity Technologies
- Blockchain in Action in Africa
- Ernest Mbenkum – Founder and CEO of Interstellar Inc.
- Panel: Next Generation of Cross-border Payments in Africa
-
- Emmanuel Babalola – Director at Binance Africa
- Elendu Uche – CEO of AppZone Switch
- Elizabeth Rossiello – Founder and CEO of AZA Finance
- Panel: Smart Contract Blockchains for Businesses
-
- Dave Uhryniak – Director of Blockchain Strategy at TRON
- Viv Diwakar – Director of Technology, Strategy at The HBAR Foundation
- Elisha Akyaw – Social Media Specialist at Cointelegraph
- Samy Karim – Ecosystem Development at BNB Chain
Blockchain Africa Conference 2022: Ready for Business – Day 2
The first day of Blockchain Africa Conference 2022: Ready for Business? was insightful and thought-provoking. It addressed numerous examples and use cases of blockchain technology being implemented into global businesses and revolutionising industries.
Day 2 of the conference further explored how blockchain technology is revolutionising business as we know it.
Master of Ceremonies John Kamara, Founder of Adanian Labs and Afyarekod, Chairman of the African Blockchain Centre, welcomed the audience to another action-packed day at the virtual edition of the conference. John complimented the reach and attendance of the global audience and paid tribute to the incredible speakers and panellists participating in the conference.
John mentioned that in 2023 the intention is to have the 9th edition of the Blockchain Africa Conference live and in-person in Johannesburg. The Bitcoin Events team is looking forward to hosting an in-person event and is grateful for the widely attended digital format of the event during the unfortunate circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blockchain is disrupting the world of investments from a VC perspective
As the adoption of blockchain technology continues in Africa, more opportunities and use cases are presenting themselves. The panel Crypto and Blockchain Investments – From a VC perspective addressed how investors and venture capitalists are gearing up to enhance their activities on the continent.
Gideon Greaves, Managing Director for Africa at CV VC, introduced an interesting thought. “When you think about blockchain, some of the common words that everyone uses are traceability, transparency and trust. I believe that those terms marry well with Africa. That’s where blockchain can solve some of the issues in Africa. While the developed world is focused on the speculative crypto economy, Africa teaches us about the real-world use cases of blockchain.”
Touching on the world of token investing, Gideon mentioned how CV VC is making a move from traditional equity to tokenised investments. “Traditionally at CV VC, we were more focused on the equity side, but now, we are getting into tokenised investments. There’s a lot of upside in the space, and the returns have been phenomenal for many VCs.”
Discussing the prolific growth that Africa has experienced in blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption, Chris Maurice, CEO and Co-founder of Yellow Card, shared his thoughts.
“What gets us excited is the growth number: 1200% over the past year, and I would contend that it’s a lot larger than that. What we see in countries, especially Nigeria and parts of Eastern and Southern Africa, is significantly larger in terms of overall growth. A lot of the market is still informal, and it’s still difficult to track just how much it’s growing. We haven’t seen anything yet, and that’s what gets us the most excited about the space because it still has so much room to grow.”
Chris further elaborated on Yellow Card’s efforts in participating with regulators within the region. “We’ve taken the approach that we like to actively engage with the regulator to the extent that they’re willing to engage, which I think some people find to be a bold and interesting approach. We see ourselves in a position to help formalise the industry. We see that somewhat as our responsibility. We’ve had a lot of luck with that in some parts of the continent, and then obviously, in other parts of the continent, we have not. There are some obvious examples of countries where the regulation is not extremely friendly towards the industry and other examples of parts of the continent where it is.
Anil Hansjee, General Partner at Fabric Ventures, discussed the disruption that blockchain technology is creating in the world of investments. “The disruption of blockchain is interesting, but the disruption in funding models and funding structures is equally as interesting. The investment deals that are coming to market are the latest phenomenon, tokenised investments included. Even in the equity markets, you could argue that crowdfunding changed the rules of the game, certainly on the retail end of the spectrum. I think the retail end of the spectrum in crypto is where most of the disruption has happened.”
As venture capital and investor funds continue to pour into Africa, the thriving ecosystem, complemented with its continuous innovation, promises to continue its lucrative path forward.
Divergence or Convergence: CBDC, Stablecoins and Crypto
Over the years, Bitcoin Events has been proud to host the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) at its Blockchain Africa Conference. Since blockchain technology is forever evolving, constantly reaching new industries and reshaping the financial landscape, participation between innovators and regulators is essential.
This year, Herco Steyn, Senior Fintech Specialist in the SARB’s Fintech Unit, provided key insights into the current and future regulatory landscape in South Africa.
Touching on the speed of innovation vs regulation and the potential for missed opportunities, Herco made the following point. “I think one of the challenges is that if technology advances faster than financial institutions, it may present a challenge because it can introduce subjectivity. If financial institutions have invested resources to develop systems, in the form that they are, it may lead to a reluctance to change and potentially result in missed opportunities.”
Herco addressed the topic of international regulation and the challenges posed by crypto assets. He highlighted the goal for consistency in international regulations and their critical role in stable coins.
“Given crypto’s borderless and digital nature, harmonising data across jurisdictions is a challenge. This becomes more of a challenge if you want to attain international consistency. Essentially, all of these factors contribute to regulatory arbitrage opportunities. Ultimately, we want international consistency of regulations to prevent a regulatory race to the bottom. International consistency across various metrics is critical in stablecoins.”
Herco gave the audience the eagerly anticipated update regarding regulatory developments in South Africa.
“With the Exchange Control Regulations amendment the work is ongoing. This will be finalised as a matter of priority, and it is indeed a massive priority.
Concerning the Financial Sector Conduct Authorities, in terms of the draft declaration of crypto assets as a financial product, under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, industry has provided comments that the FCA is currently considering. Hopefully, within the next few weeks, there will be an update.
In terms of stablecoin regulation, that is indeed a priority. We will be doing a functional and use case mapping exercise to the existing position type and use cases identified with the view to ascertain the current recommendations and use cases appropriately for stablecoin regulation.”
South Africa is at the forefront of regulatory developments in Africa. The country is setting the benchmark for crypto regulation on the continent, and the active participation from the SARB and other regulators is a major contributing factor.
The goal for a transparent regulatory environment for South Africa, while previously thought unattainable, is now within reach.
History has proven that if you bet against technology and progress, you’re likely to lose – Amber Group, creating digital wealth through the evolution of value
As the concept of wealth changes, with innovations in the financial ecosystem and digital assets going mainstream, investors urgently need to rethink how they build digital and decentralised wealth in the future.
Sophia Shluger, Managing Director at Amber Group UK, discussed how Amber Group is helping to build a more decentralised future and why she believes this is an important topic.
“It’s an important topic for many reasons. First and foremost, it’s happening right now. I believe it is the most important trend of our generation.”
Sophia introduced Amber Group’s vision and elaborated on the value they create. “To enable global customers with the technology and platform to build their digital wealth and capture long-term value. Through Amber, our clients buy, sell and earn yields on crypto and stablecoins, and benefit from our industry-leading structured products.”
Sophia elaborated further on the importance of digital wealth and what is enabling this new-age physical to digital transition.
“Digital wealth will be the most important wealth category in the future. Why is that? Blockchain technology and programmable smart contracts allow us to achieve something we have never achieved before.”
The metaverse has been receiving a lot of attention, and the digital landscape provides a multiverse of opportunities and benefits. Sophia shared her thoughts around the transfer of physical to digital wealth, and financial democratisation that supports equal access and opportunity.
“Wealth is being disrupted in the old world and rebuilt in the digital metaverse. In many places around the world, legacy systems are crumbling, and the risk of hyperinflation due to quantitative easing is rising. This is giving rise to asset bubbles and local currency crises. We can create financial democratisation through digital asset technology that supports equal access, equal opportunity and self-determination.
Sophia gave the audience more insight into the Amber Group offering, which includes numerous products and services for retail and institutional investors, experts and newbies.
Sophia closed off with the following question and remarks. “What is the world going to look like in a digital era? That’s the billion-dollar question. To me, it’s all about you, a virtuous cycle afforded to us in the new paradigm.”
Africa is a continent hungry for new systems and looking to reimagine the way everything works
Charles Hoskinson, Founder and CEO of IOHK (Input Output Hong Kong) and Founder of Cardano, is widely respected within the blockchain industry and beyond. His philosophies of governance and individual freedom are inspiring.
Charles believes in the enormous opportunities for blockchain technology implementation in Africa and that the continent is hungry for new systems.
“Africa is a continent that is hungry for new systems. It’s a continent that wants to reimagine how everything works. It’s a continent that’s hungry for new ways of verifying things. It felt like a perfect fit for what we do as an industry.”
Not only is Charles a believer in the opportunities available to Africa through the implementation of blockchain technology, but he also sees the benefit of investing in the continent.
“The great part of investing in Africa is once you develop the domain expertise to get over geopolitical risks and the differences in cultures, you find phenomenal opportunities to create wonderful infrastructure, which ultimately creates lots of high paying jobs and economic growth.”
Having been involved in numerous projects in Africa, Charles praised the business leaders he has worked with in his time on the continent.
“I have yet to meet a business leader in Africa who didn’t want to do something better. I see a genuine desire to chase the future and genuine respect that things must be better. That’s why our industry seems to be flourishing, and I think in the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have opportunities we’ve never seen before.”
Blockchain technology unlocks doors and breaks down barriers, giving access to a world previously inaccessible to millions of people in Africa, inspiring entrepreneurship and innovation.
“What’s amazing is how the industry has inspired African entrepreneurs. Some of the fastest-growing jurisdictions in the world are African countries. In Nigeria, for example, people are seeing how crypto can be superior money, a store of value and a wonderful medium to build e-commerce based businesses.”
Charles touched on Africa’s young population and the benefits of access to information via the digital world. “People also forget that Africa is the youngest continent. In a digitised world where information flows instantaneously, and anyone can get an education online, usually for free, and it turns out that the skills and knowledge gap is bridging rapidly.”
The road forward is by no means guaranteed, and there are still infrastructural issues that need to be resolved. Education about the potential benefits and best practices is essential in the complex space of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.
Charles closed off his keynote address with his reasoning behind creating Cardano and the power of collective success for the future of the human race.
“I built Cardano because I felt that it would provide the best trade-off profile to preserve liberty and still scale to meet the needs of billions. Conferences like this can expose you to different ideas and different entrepreneurs. I hope you all succeed because your success, our success, is the success of the human race. It allows us to move towards a more optimistic, and hopefully, better future.”
The Blockchain Africa Conference 2022 has illustrated how blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are ready for business!
After two days with 30 sessions, 50 speakers and attendees from over 50 countries, the Blockchain Africa Conference 2022 concluded. With incredible insights, discussions, debates and panel discussions, it is clear that blockchain and cryptocurrencies are ready for business.
In closing, Sonya Kuhnel, Co-founder of Bitcoin Events, addressed attendees and gave her summary and closing thoughts on the action-packed two-day conference.
“The conference showcased how blockchain technology is unlocking the value of livestock in Africa, enabling the next generation of cross-border payments, how self-sovereign identity is being adopted by various organisations, how smart contracts are redefining business, and regulatory developments.
Furthermore, the conference addressed how blockchain technology is being used in banking gaming, resulting in a tool for empowerment and social good in Africa.”
Sonya made a special mention of the sponsors that made the Blockchain Africa Conference 2022 a success, and she extended her thanks and appreciation to all involved.
The Blockchain Africa Conference 2022 had talks by numerous key figures from the African and global blockchain ecosystem. If you would like to watch the recordings of the talks and panel discussions from the action-packed two-day conference, click here.
The African and global blockchain ecosystems continue to grow rapidly, reshaping global industries and paving the way for a more digitally robust and inclusive future. Bitcoin Events continues to educate the African community, spread awareness and encourage networking within the space. The Blockchain Africa Conference is an event that continues to captivate and educate a global audience, and the physical stage has been set for the next edition of the conference taking place in March 2023.
Other topics, speakers and panel discussions of the day include:
- Panel: Cryptocurrency Institutional Investment: Increasing Returns and Improving Diversification
-
- Dimitrios Kavvathas – Chief Strategy Officer at Amber Group
- Kristina Lucrezia Cornèr – Editor-in-Chief at Cointelegraph
- Kalin Metodiev – Co-founder and Managing Partner at Nexo
- Panel: Blockchain: Improving Margins, Visibility and Transparency Throughout the Supply Chain
-
- Nathan Williams – Founder and CEO of Minespider
- Anzill Adams – Founder and CEO of DataLedger
- Michael Awori – Deputy CEO and COO Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB)
- Gerhard Dinhof – Senior Architect and Blockchain Country Lead for IBM South Africa
- Sabrina Tachdjian – Head of Fintech and Payments at the HBAR Foundation
- Panel: Blockchain in Gaming in Africa
-
- James Zhang – Founder of Jambo
- Tessy Mosindi – Co-founder & COO of Kingdom of Kush Founder of Educating Africa
- Jay Shapiro – Founder and CEO of Usiku Games
- Cordel Robbin-Coker – Co-Founder and CEO of Carry1st
- Jackson Vaughan – Managing Partner at Konvoy
- Yele Bademosi – Co-Founder and CEO at Nestcoin
- Panel: Fireside Chat: New Economy: Crypto as the Financial System of the Internet?
-
- Piers Ridyard – CEO at Radix Works
- Lane Kasselman – Chief Business Officer at Blockchain.com
- Panel: The State of Digital Asset Regulation in Africa and Globally
-
- Wiehann Olivier – Partner and Digital Assets Lead at Mazars South Africa
- Carmelle Cadet – Founder and CEO of EMTECH
- Arushi Goel – Data Policy and Blockchain at World Economic Forum
- Dr. Praphul Chandra – Founder at Koinearth
- Panel: Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs): How Will the Future Unfold?
-
- Chinedu Obidiegwu – Business Development Lead at Luno Nigeria
- Ciaran Adrian Ryan – Editor at Moneyweb Crypto
- Bishnen Kumalo – Executive Head of Modernisation South Africa, BankservAfrica
- Carmelle Cadet – Founder and CEO of EMTECH
- What is the Status of Blockchain in Banking in South Africa?
-
- Ian Putter – Head Blockchain COE, Innovation as a Service at Standard Bank
- Unlocking the Value of Livestock in Africa?
-
- Christopher Light – Founder and CEO of E-Livestock Global
- Using Blockchain Technology to Change Farming in Africa
-
- Dr Christopher Cleverly – President at Tingo International Holdings
- Rory Bowen – Chief Of Staff at Tingo International Holdings
Audience overview
Conference sponsors and media partners
Premier Sponsors
- DafriBank Digital LTD – a branchless technology company that provides customisable financial services to clients in 180+ countries
- Klever – a simple and intuitive interface where anyone can trade their cryptos with very low rates and minimum limits
- Blockchain.com – a trusted crypto company helping millions across the globe – from single individuals to the most prominent institutions – to have an easy and safe way to buy, sell and store cryptocurrency
Diamond Sponsors
- AmaZix – a full-service consultancy for blockchain businesses
- Amber Group – helps individuals, institutions and brands produce, trade, collect and invest in digital assets
- Huobi Global – a leading cryptocurrency exchange with a strong presence in the Asian markets
- Metis – a decentralised economy platform to start, run and grow any decentralised app, business and community on the blockchain with ease and scalability
- The HBAR Foundation – a comprehensive grant programme that provides financial backing for projects, expert support across technology, marketing and business development
- BNB Chain – Enjoy the most innovative NFT and DeFi dApps; fast, decentralised, affordable and secure
Gold Sponsors
- Luno, AltCoinTrader, and Tacen – cryptocurrency exchanges
- CryptoCurrencyWire – blockchain and cryptocurrency news
- QuidPro – play-to-earn cryptocurrency trading game
- TDB Group – the bank finances and fosters trade, regional economic integration, and sustainable development via trade, finance project and infrastructure, asset management and business advisory services
Official Media Partner
Cryptonews – global coverage of blockchain and cryptocurrency news
Community Partner
Konvoy is a thesis-driven venture capital firm that invests in the platforms and technologies at the gaming frontier