Blockchain Technology: Moving Africa Forward

The African continent has massive challenges with transactions and doing business that, with the help of blockchain technology, can be transformed into simpler and more efficient ways of working.

The focus of the Johannesburg conference was on blockchain enterprise development, blockchain use-cases, Self-Sovereign Identity, enterprise blockchain in finance (cross-border payments, remittances, financial inclusion, interbank settlements), the future of banking, as well as challenges facing blockchain technology such as interoperability and scalability. Which solutions are addressing scalability and what are the interesting blockchain technologies to look out for?

The conference also explored tokenisation of assets, blockchain and cybersecurity, blockchain in government and health care, smart contracts, stable coins, the future of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Security Token Offerings (STOs).

Cryptocurrency Regulation: Current Issues, Future Challenges and Proposals
2018 was partly defined by the increasing scrutiny by regulators of the crypto and blockchain industries and 2019 will see even more attention from regulators.

The conference explored various jurisdictions regulations regarding ICOs, STOs, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, the creation of sandbox environments and the success thereof,  and concerns regulators have with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and consumer protection. Legal experts and regulators discussed finding the balance between regulation and innovation and what recommendations are being put forward for a successful regulatory framework.