ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN AFRICA CONFERENCE 2025

Ready for Business

Bitcoin Events hosted the 11th edition of the Blockchain Africa Conference on 22 October 2025 at PwC, Waterfall City, Gauteng, South Africa.

The conference, themed “Ready for Business”, brought together approximately 270 attendees from 10 countries, establishing itself as a leading platform for exploring innovations and disruptions in blockchain and cryptocurrency.

The in-person event showcased a diverse range of world-class speakers, panels, and discussions addressing real-world applications, regulatory developments, and market opportunities in Africa. The conference also provided an invaluable platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, focusing on blockchain adoption, digital asset strategies, and regulatory clarity.

Master of Ceremonies:
Chipo Mushwana, Executive for Payments and Technology at Nedbank

Speakers and Topics:
– Carel de Jager (CEO & Founder, Silver Sixpence) – Following the Money: Inside Blockchain Forensics
– Yaliwe Mlambo (Stellar Southern Africa Chapter President & Chairwoman of United Africa) – The Stellar Foundation
– Graeme Tennant (CEO, Nottingham Road Asset Management) – Crypto Asset Management Opportunities in South Africa
– Levern Ramshubby (Associate Director, PwC South Africa) – Digital Banking: Embracing the New Horizon
– Luisa Mazinter (Chief Growth Officer, Mesh.trade) – The Future of Capital Markets: Unlocking Liquidity and Access Through Tokenised Stocks and Bonds
– Jade Bishop (CEO, Linum Labs) – Beyond $HYPE: How Africa Can Turn Blockchain Speculation into Real-World Adoption

Panel Highlights:
– Capitalising on Bitcoin Mining in Africa, moderated by Steven Sidley (Professor of Practice, University of Johannesburg) and panelists: Stafford Masie (Executive Chairman, Africa Bitcoin Corporation) and Carel de Jager (CEO & Founder, Silver Sixpence).

– Global Momentum, African Opportunity: Institutional Adoption of Digital Assets, moderated by Chantal Maritz (Partner, PwC South Africa) and panelists: Badi Sudhakaran (Co-Founder & CPO, VALR.com), Marius Reitz (GM for Africa, Luno) and Yaliwe Mlambo (Stellar Southern Africa Chapter President | Chairwoman of United Africa).

– Banks Bridge the Gap: Full-Suite Crypto Services Now a Reality, moderated by Ciaran Ryan (Editor, Moneyweb Crypto) and panelists: Rikki Barnes (Head – Blockchain Enabler, FirstRand) and Mohil Subban (Senior Manager, Emerging Technology Lead, PwC).

– Regulatory Frameworks for Sustainable Stablecoin Adoption in Africa, moderated by Sean Emery (Founder & CEO, RainFin) and panelists: Felix Macharia (CEO & Co-Founder, KotaniPay) and Jordan Crypt (South Africa Ambassador & Global Partnerships, Bybit).

The Sponsors for the event were Bybit, Conduit and Stellar. The venue sponsor was PwC.

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

270

Registrations

27

Speakers

10

Countries

Watch the highlights

Photos

Speakers

Networking

Speaker Videos

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

Master of Ceremonies
Chipo Mushwana


Executive for Payments and Technology at Nedbank
Welcome Address

Carel de Jager


CEO and Founder at Silver Sixpence
Following the Money: Inside Blockchain Forensics

Panel: From Uncertainty to Framework: Crypto’s Regulatory Evolution in South Africa


Moderator: Tayyibah Suliman: Director and Sector Head: Technology and Communications at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc
Ashlin Perumall: Partner & Head of IPTech at Baker McKenzie
Johann Van Der Lith: Regulatory Specialist: Regulatory Frameworks Department at Financial Sector Conduct Authority
David Porter: Director and KI at AltcoinTrader

Panel Stablecoins in Business: Revolutionising Corporate Treasury, Payments, and Trade in Africa

Moderator: Steven Sidley: Professor of Practice at University of Johannesburg
Eric Wainaina: General Manager, Africa for Conduit
Waliaula Makokha: Chief Product Officer at Mansa

Panel: Regulatory Frameworks for Sustainable Stablecoin Adoption in Africa

Moderator: Sean Emery: Founder and CEO at RainFin
Jordan Crypt: South Africa Ambassador and Global Partnerships at Bybit
Felix Macharia: CEO and Co-founder of Kotani Pay

Panel: Unlocking Africa’s Economic Potential: Real-World Asset Tokenisation in Action

Moderator: Paul Mitchell: Head of Digital Payments at PayInc
Rob Mackay: Investor Manager Lead at Mesh.trade
Tobie Van Der Spuy: Co-Founder and CEO at Block Markets Africa
Sean Emery: Founder and CEO at RainFin

Panel: Banks Bridge the Gap: Full-Suite Crypto Services Now a Reality

Moderator: Ciaran Adrian Ryan: Editor at Moneyweb Crypto
Rikki Barnes: Head – Blockchain Enabler at FirstRand
Mohil Subban: Senior Manager, Emerging Technology Lead at PwC

Panel: Global Momentum, African Opportunity: Institutional Adoption of Digital Assets

Moderator: Chantal Maritz: Partner at PwC South Africa
Marius Reitz: General Manager for Africa at Luno
Badi Sudhakaran: Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at VALR.com
Yaliwe Mlambo: Stellar Southern Africa Chapter President | Chairwoman of United Africa

Paul Mitchell


Head of Digital Payments at PayInc
Tokenisation of the Payments Ecosystem in South Africa

Panel: Capitalising on Bitcoin Mining in Africa

Moderator: Steven Sidley: Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg
Stafford Masie: Executive Chairman at the Africa Bitcoin Corporation
Carel de Jager: CEO and Founder at Silver Sixpence

Jade Bishop


CEO of Linum Labs
Beyond $HYPE: How Africa Can Turn Blockchain Speculation into Real-World Adoption

Levern Ramshubby


Associate Director at PwC South Africa
Digital Banking- Embracing the New Horizon

Luisa Mazinter


Chief Growth Officer at Mesh.trade
The Future of Capital Markets: Unlocking Liquidity and Access Through Tokenised Stocks and Bonds

Graeme Tennant


CEO of Nottingham Road Asset Management
Crypto Asset Management Opportunities in South Africa

Yaliwe Mlambo


Stellar Southern Africa Chapter President | Chairwoman of United Africa
The Stellar Foundation

SPEAKERS

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

Chipo Mushwana (Master of Ceremonies) Executive for Payments and Technology at Nedbank

Chipo Mushwana is currently an Executive for Payments and Technology at Nedbank and boasts

Eric Wainaina General Manager, Africa for Conduit

Eric Wainaina is the General Manager, Africa for Conduit. Eric leads Conduit’s

Rob Mackay Investor Manager Lead at Mesh.trade

Rob Mackay is the Investor Manager Lead at Mesh, where he focuses on

Tayyibah Suliman Director and Sector Head: Technology and Communications at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc

Tayyibah is a seasoned legal practitioner with 15 years of experience, managing

Felix Macharia CEO and Co-founder of Kotani Pay

Felix Macharia, CEO and co-founder at Kotani Pay, an on/offramp blockchain orchestration

Marius Reitz General Manager for Africa at Luno

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

Stafford Masie Executive Chairman at the Africa Bitcoin Corporation

Stafford Masie provides insights and views on technology-related matters and industry developments. A regular guest

Ciaran Adrian Ryan Editor at Moneyweb Crypto

Ciaran has written for most financial publications in SA. He spent time

Tobie Van Der Spuy Co-Founder and CEO at Block Markets Africa

Badi Sudhakaran Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at VALR.com

Badi Sudhakaran is a dynamic and visionary entrepreneur with a remarkable journey

Paul Mitchell Head of Digital Payments at PayInc

Paul is an independent consultant with well over 20 years of experience

Carel de Jager CEO and Founder at Silver Sixpence

Carel de Jager is a blockchain expert, engineer, and thought leader in

Ashlin Perumall Partner & Head of IPTech at Baker McKenzie

Ashlin Perumall is a partner at Baker McKenzie and leads the IPTech

Chantal Maritz Partner at PwC South Africa

Chantal Maritz is a Partner at PwC South Africa and leads the

Sean Emery Founder and CEO at RainFin

Sean is a leading figure in South Africa’s fintech and tokenisation ecosystem,

Waliaula Makokha Chief Product Officer at Mansa

Wali Makokha is Chief Product Officer at Mansa, the on-chain liquidity platform

Jade Bishop CEO of Linum Labs

Jade Bishop is the CEO of Linum Labs, a company that designs,

Steven Sidley Professor of Practice at University of Johannesburg

Sidley is Professor of Practice at JBS, University of Johannesburg fields of

Rikki Barnes Head - Blockchain Enabler at FirstRand

Rikki leads FirstRand’s Blockchain Enabler, a team established to advance the group’s

Yaliwe Mlambo Stellar Southern Africa Chapter President | Chairwoman of United Africa

Blockchain Association| Ethereum Foundation Devcon Queen 2019| Hackernoon Top 200 Black Women

Mohil Subban Senior Manager, Emerging Technology Lead at PwC

Mohil is an innovative problem solver, utilising his 8 year-diverse industry experience

Johann Van Der Lith Regulatory Specialist: Regulatory Frameworks Department at Financial Sector Conduct Authority

Johann Van Der Lith is a regulatory expert and consultant, international speaker,

Levern Ramshubby Associate Director at PwC South Africa

Levern Ramshubby is an Associate Director at PwC South Africa, leading the

Luisa Mazinter Chief Growth Officer at Mesh.trade

Luisa Mazinter is a seasoned growth leader with nearly three decades of

David Porter Director and KI at AltcoinTrader

David is an experienced executive specializing in operational efficiency and driving digital

Jordan Crypt South Africa Ambassador and Global Partnerships at Bybit

South African Ambassador and Global Strategic Partnerships: Bybit | Crypto Key Opinion

Graeme Tennant CEO of Nottingham Road Asset Management

Graeme Tennant, is the CEO of Nottingham Road Asset Management, a licensed investment