ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN AFRICA CONFERENCE 2023

Ready for Business

Bitcoin Events hosted the 9th annual edition of the Blockchain Africa Conference on 16th and 17th March 2023. The event was held as a hybrid event, combining virtual participation with a physical venue at The Galleria in Johannesburg.

Over the years, the conference has evolved and explored various themes, starting with “Beyond the Hype,” “From Hype to Mainstream,” “Ready for Business?” and now “Ready for Business.”

The conference provided a valuable platform for in-person and virtual interaction, bringing together some of the world’s most innovative ideas, market disruptors, industry trends, and future technologies.

This event marked a significant turning point for the African crypto economy, as the recent crises have prompted conversations about responsibility and utility, leading to collaboration between regulators and innovators for a better future.

The conference Master of Ceremonies was Fifi Peters, an award-winning financial journalist, anchor at CNBC Africa, and host of SAfm Market Update with Moneyweb. The keynote speakers were Rene Reinsberg, Co-Founder of Celo and President at Celo Foundation, Briana Marbury, CEO at Interledger Foundation, Junde Yu, Head of Global Sales at Cobo, and Joaquim Pedro Antunes, Head of Crypto Engineering at Xapo Bank.

The Premier Sponsors for the event were Cobo and Xapo Private Bank.

Visit the Bitcoin Events YouTube channel here to watch the recordings of the speaker sessions and panel discussions.

2

Days

955

Registrations

44

Speakers

77

Countries

Watch the highlights

Photos

Opening Night VIP Dinner

The Opening Night VIP Dinner was kindly sponsored by Xapo Private Bank.

Day 1

Day 2

Physical Exhibitions

Networking and Cocktail Event

The Networking and Cocktail Event was kindly sponsored by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Celo Workshop : Build Together and Prosper

16 March 2023 | Sponsored by Celo

Celo is the carbon-negative, mobile-first, EVM-compatible blockchain ecosystem leading a thriving new digital economy for all.

The workshop hosted by Celo on Day 1 of the Blockchain Africa Conference, showcased Regenerative Finance (ReFi) use cases, the Celo product roadmap and the various fundraising paths within the Celo Ecosystem.

Speaker Videos

Watch the speaker videos below or visit our YouTube channel here.

Keynote Speaker
Junde Yu


Head of Global Sales at Cobo
Keynote Address: Evolution of Digital Assets Custody

Keynote Speaker
Joaquim Pedro Antunes


Head of Crypto Engineering at Xapo Bank
Keynote Address: The Flight to Safety – Why a Crypto Bank is More Secure than Blockchain

Keynote Speaker
Briana Marbury


CEO at Interledger Foundation
Keynote Address: Financial Inclusion Around the World

Keynote Speaker
Rene Reinsberg


Co-Founder of Celo and President at Celo Foundation
Keynote Address: Why ReFi is the Future of Web3

Irene Kiwia


Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Adanian Labs
Building Blockchain Capacity for Africa

Yosuke Yoshida


Co-CEO of EMURGO MEA
Why Web3 Investing is Important to Drive Africa’s Industrial Innovation

John Kamara


Founder of Adanian Labs and Afyarekod and Chairman of the African Blockchain Centre
Blockchain Technology: Bridging Web2 and Web3 for Private and Public Sectors

Robert Brine


Director, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions at Mastercard – Southern, Mastercard
Mastercard’s Initiatives Around Crypto Payments

Chris Becker


Managing Executive: Cyber banking, TymeBank
Blockchain Was Built For This

Carel van Wyk


Founder of CryptoConvert
Pick-n-Pay Crypto Payments

Bill Laboon


Head of Education and Grants at Web3 Foundation
Developing on Polkadot

Maya Caddle


Chief of Staff at Nestcoin
Crypto On and Off-Ramps in Africa

Duncan Muchangi


Strategy & Partnerships, Fonbnk Principal, Unicorn Growth Capital
Enabling Africa’s Web3 Economy with Fonbnk: On-Ramp & Off-Ramp Platform for Micropayments Using Prepaid Airtime

Carel de Jager


Research Group Leader at CSIR for DLT/Blockchain
Enabling Smart Regulation: Tools and Software for Crypto Asset Compliance

Ernest Mbenkum


Founder and CEO of Interstellar Inc. and Founder of the Bantu Blockchain Foundation
The Rise of Blockchain-Powered Payment and Financial Services in Africa

Kevin Imani


CEO at Sankore 2.0 / NEAR Kenya
Why Web3 Needs Africa, and What Can You Do About It?

Rajiv Babooram & Mr Issa Mohamad Soormally


Mr. Issa Mohamad Soormally: Vice Chairman of the Economic Development Board and Rajiv Babooram: Lead Professional at the Economic Development Board – Mauritius
Regulatory Developments in the Digital Assets Industry in Mauritius

Chirayu Gandhi & Matthew Higginson


Chirayu Gandhi: Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, Johannesburg
Matthew Higginson: Partner at McKinsey & Company, Boston

Tokenisation – Trends and Opportunities in the Financial Sector

Seamus Rocca & Chris Becker


Seamus Rocca: CEO of Xapo Private Bank and Chris Becker: Managing Executive: Cyber banking, TymeBank
Fireside chat: Illuminating Crypto’s Way Forward Out of the Winter

Brooks Entwistle and Gwera Kiwana


Brooks Entwistle: Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Ripple and Gwera Kiwana: Founder in Residence: Crypto at MFS Africa
Ripple and MFS Africa: A Partnership Driving Crypto Adoption Through Real Use Cases

Cyril Cesar


Strategic & Business Operation Partner at Welthee
The Incubation Strategy for Crypto Projects

Maria Eisner Pelch


Senior Manager, ESG and Sustainability Lead at Concordium
Blockchain Igniting a Trusted Green Transition

Gerhard van Deventer


Senior Fintech Analyst at the South African Reserve Bank
Project Khokha: Exploring the Implications of Tokenisation in Financial Markets

Panel: Opportunities and Challenges of Blockchain in Healthcare


Moderator: Dr. Caroline Maslo: Senior Medical Advisor at Netcare Limited

John Kamara: Founder of Adanian Labs and Afyarekod and Chairman of the African Blockchain Centre
Gugu Newman Nyathi: Founder at Ribbon Protocol

Panel: The Future of Stablecoins Over the Global Financial Market


Moderator: Paula Buchel: Deloitte Africa Payments Lead

Jonathan Ovadia: Co-Founder and CEO at OVEX
Joshua Chi-Yan Yau: Head of Africa at Bybit
Julien Bouteloup: Founder of Stake Capital Group (Stake DAO, BlackPool Finance, rekt.news) and Curve Core Team Member
Rene Reinsberg: Co-Founder of Celo and President at Celo Foundation

Panel: The Adoption of Cryptocurrencies Across Africa


Moderator: Alex Pryor: Head of Digital Innovation at EOH

Kevin Imani: CEO at Sankore 2.0 / NEAR Kenya
Marius Reitz: General Manager for Africa at Luno
Felix Macharia: CEO and Co-founder of Kotani Pay
Hannes Wessels: Country Head of South Africa at Binance

Panel: The Balancing Act: Innovation and Regulation of Digital Assets


Moderator: Mandy Naidoo: Chief Compliance Officer at Yellow Card

Andrew Whitworth: Policy Director, EMEA at Ripple
Ayn Du Bazane: Senior Fintech Analyst at the South African Reserve Bank and Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group’s (IFWG) Crypto Asset Regulatory (CAR) Working Group
Prof. Angela Itzikowitz: Executive in ENSafrica’s Banking and Finance Department
Mark Chirnside: CEO and Co-Founder at Xago
Cedric Ming: Senior Consultant, Legal, Regulatory & Compliance at EY , EY Switzerland

SPEAKERS

Our global speakers are well-known thought leaders and experts in the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology space.

Fifi Peters (Master of Ceremonies) Award Winning Financial Journalist | Anchor at CNBC Africa | Host of SAfm Market Update with Moneyweb

Fifi Peters is an Award-Winning Financial Journalist and Broadcaster. She is a

Briana Marbury (Keynote Speaker) CEO at Interledger Foundation

Briana Marbury is the CEO at Interledger Foundation (ILF), a nonprofit organization

Rene Reinsberg (Keynote Speaker) Co-Founder of Celo and President at Celo Foundation

Rene Reinsberg is a Co-founder of Celo and currently President of the

Junde Yu (Keynote Speaker) Head of Global Sales, Cobo

Junde heads up the international business at Cobo. Prior to joining Cobo,

Joaquim Pedro Antunes (Keynote Speaker) Head of Crypto Engineering at Xapo Bank

From financial emigrant to digital nomad, Joaquim Pedro Antunes has lived in

Seamus Rocca CEO of Xapo Private Bank

Seamus Rocca serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Xapo. He

Andrew Whitworth Policy Director, EMEA at Ripple

Andrew is a public policy specialist with extensive international experience in financial

John Kamara Founder of Adanian Labs and Afyarekod and Chairman of the African Blockchain Centre

John Kamara is a Tech Entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience working

Yosuke Yoshida Co-CEO of EMURGO MEA

Yosuke Yoshida is the former CEO of EMURGO Japan, where EMURGO Group

Kevin Imani CEO at Sankore 2.0 / NEAR Kenya

Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Sankore 2.0, which operates in

Robert Brine Director, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions at Mastercard - Southern, Mastercard

Robert Brine is the Director, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions at Mastercard. Based

Marius Reitz General Manager for Africa at Luno

Marius is the General Manager for Africa at Luno, a leading global

Gerhard van Deventer Senior Fintech Analyst at the South African Reserve Bank

Gerhard is a Senior Fintech Analyst in the South African Reserve Bank’s

Maria Eisner Pelch Senior Manager, ESG and Sustainability Lead at Concordium

Maria Pelch is a Senior Manager at Concordium, a public science-backed blockchain

Ayn Du Bazane Senior Fintech Analyst at the South African Reserve Bank and Chair of the Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group’s (IFWG) Crypto Asset Regulatory Working Group (CAR WG)

Ayn du Bazane is a Senior Fintech Analyst at the South African

Cyril Cesar Strategic & Business Operation Partner at Welthee

Maya Caddle Chief of Staff at Nestcoin

Maya built one of the first non-cusotidal on/offramping P2P protocols for Africa

Bill Laboon Head of Education and Grants at Web3 Foundation

Bill Laboon is the Head of Education and Grants at Web3 Foundation.

Felix Macharia CEO and Co-founder of Kotani Pay

Felix Macharia, the CEO and Co-founder of Kotani Pay has worked in

Sunath Kolazhi Vice President MEA at Settlemint

Sunath is the Vice President – MEA for Settlemint Blockchain Ltd, Dubai.

Julien Bouteloup Founder of Stake Capital Group (Stake DAO, BlackPool Finance, rekt.news) and Curve Core Team Member

Blockchain OG. DeFi Builder. HW Eng. First Flash Loan of the history.

Mandy Naidoo Chief Compliance Officer at Yellow Card

Mandy Naidoo, a dynamic and motivated professional with two decades of experience

Brooks Entwistle Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Ripple

Brooks Entwistle is the SVP of Global Customer Success and Managing Director

Prof. Angela Itzikowitz Executive in ENSafrica’s Banking and Finance Department

Professor Angela Itzikowitz is an Executive in ENSafrica’s Banking and Finance department.

Gwera Kiwana Founder in Residence: Crypto at MFS Africa

Gwera is a fintech and web3 expert with a particular interest on

Mark Chirnside CEO and Co-Founder at Xago

Mark Chirnside is the CEO and Co-Founder of Xago. He is an

Duncan Muchangi Strategy & Partnerships, Fonbnk Principal, Unicorn Growth Capital

Duncan Muchangi is a distinguished venture capital investor with a vast experience

Hannes Wessels General Manager of Southern and Francophone Africa at Binance

Hannes Wessels is the General Manager of Southern and Francophone Africa for

Irene Kiwia Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Adanian Labs

Cedric Ming Senior Consultant, Legal, Regulatory & Compliance at EY , EY Switzerland

Cedric Ming, MLaw, CAMS, is a Senior Consultant in the Legal, Regulatory

Chris Becker (Keynote Speaker) Managing Executive: Enterprise Payments at TymeBank

Chris Becker is an economist turned digital banker. His role at TymeBank,

Alex Pryor Head of Digital Innovation at EOH

Alex Pryor is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of

Ernest Mbenkum (Keynote Speaker) Founder and CEO of Interstellar Inc. and Founder of the Bantu Blockchain Foundation

Ernest Mbenkum is a prominent figure in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space,

Rajiv Babooram Lead Professional at the Economic Development Board - Mauritius

Rajiv has built a 12+ years’ successful career in the field of

Joshua Chi-Yan Yau Head of Africa at Bybit

Joshua is Head of Africa for Bybit, which aims to build Africa’s

Chirayu Gandhi Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, Johannesburg

Chirayu is an Associate Partner, Digital Business Builder and Fintech Leader for

Gugu Newman Nyathi Founder at Ribbon Protocol

Gugu is the Founder of Ribbon Protocol, a Web3 health financing &

Jonathan Ovadia Co-founder and CEO at OVEX

Jon is a serial entrepreneur and technology enthusiast that impressed at a

Carel de Jager Research Group Leader at CSIR for DLT/Blockchain

Carel de Jager is a passionate blockchain engineer, trainer, and architect building

Dr. Caroline Maslo Senior Medical Advisor at Netcare Limited

Matthew Higginson Partner at McKinsey & Company, Boston

Matt is part of McKinsey’s leadership team for Financial Services and Risk

Mr. Issa Mohamad Soormally Vice Chairman of the Economic Development Board

Mr Soormally is a fellow Director of the Mauritius Institute of Directors

Paula Buchel Deloitte Africa Payments Lead

Paula is the Africa Payments leader for Deloitte, based in Johannesburg. She

Carel van Wyk Founder of MoneyBadger (formerly CryptoConvert)

Carel is an accomplished engineer and entrepreneur who excels at leveraging cutting-edge