Moneyweb Crypto

There are suspicions that he may not be dead at all. An on-the-scene investigation by Stephen Timm, who went to Brazil to see if Steynberg is alive or dead, exposes more weirdness than we could have anticipated.

Noah Perlman, chief compliance officer at Binance, talks about how the company is working with law enforcement and regulators to bring crypto into the regulated age. This follows the recent release of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao from imprisonment in the US for violating money laundering rules on the world's largest crypto exchange.

One way to eliminate fraudulent university degrees is to post them on the blockchain for everyone to see. Two entrepreneurs – Shahid Hussein of Alchemial and Shan Han of Open Campus – are tackling education from different directions and posting the way to a brave new world of learning using the blockchain.

Two hundred twenty-five licences have been issued in the last year, more than 100 companies withdrew their applications, and eight were declined. Deepfake scams are becoming alarmingly sophisticated, and scammers are making full use of social media to fool the unwitting, says Gerhard van Deventer, head of enforcement at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority.

This is now one of the longest periods bitcoin has remained trapped in a relatively narrow range. The longer this goes on, the more explosive the move. Shiven Moodley, macro strategist at 80eight, expects a decisive move to the upside in the next few months.

Stablecoins, backed by real-world assets such as the US dollar, are on a rampage. Jon Ovadia, CEO of crypto exchange OVEX, explains how USD-backed stablecoin Tether, with just 100 employees, recently surpassed Goldman Sachs in terms of profitability. This, says Ovadia, will soon become a multi-trillion dollar business and account for most cross-border transactions.

Louis Nel, co-host of the G-Crypt social media channel, talks about the emergence of some new and alarming scams, often using crypto vulnerabilities.

Katie Ananina of Plan B passport explains some recent updates to Portugal's Golden Visa programme that permits an investment into a bitcoin fund as a route to an EU passport. It seems other countries are eyeing this development with interest too.

Waheed Adam, chairperson of iTouch, explains that the threats from AI and deep fakes are very real, and how one multinational company lost $25 million to a deep fake fraudster pretending to be the CEO. iTouch has developed a digital authentication system using tokenisation to beat this disturbing trend.

Farzam Ehsani, CEO of crypto exchange VALR, argues bitcoin represents a monumental leap in personal freedom given the inequalities and distortions built into the current financial system. If it is an instrument of freedom, what will that freedom look like?

Some companies like 80Eight are using crypto not as a speculative investment but as a way to expand business opportunities. Founder and CEO Faadil Moti explains how it's done.

Carel de Jager, research group leader at the CSIR and CEO of SilverSixpence, says the country will soon be swimming in surplus solar power after years of loadshedding. Bitcoin mining is one obvious solution to this surplus. De Jager takes us through the economics of bitcoin mining.

Hanres Beukes, CEO and founder of NeoNomad, came up with a plan to ignite mass market crypto adoption - a hybrid exchange blending the best of centralised and decentralised exchanges in a way that is simple and cheap to use. Unless people can spend crypto, adoption rates will remain low, he argues. Here's how he is tackling this market.

Christo de Wit, SA country manager for Luno, explains the challenges of shipping crypto from one address to another and how 'poisoning attacks' – with addresses similar to your own – are on the increase.

It transforms the internet from a read-write function to a platform where anyone can receive payment without a bank siphoning off a percentage, as explained by Francesco Andreoli, who leads the developer community efforts at Consensys, and Monica Singer, South Africa advisor for Consensys.

You might wonder what cellphones can possibly have to do with blockchain technology. They're called crypto or blockchain phones and they do a few things that normal smartphones do not, as Brian Maw, one of the originators of the Phēnix X blockchain phone, explains.

Mesh.trade is a new marketplace for 'tokenised' financial assets and recently raised R100 million in the form of a bond for building out schools. Could markets like these, where entrepreneurs big and small can raise capital in as little as three months, come to challenge established stock exchanges? Connie Bloem, founder and MD of Mesh.trade, takes us on a guided tour of the future of tokenised financial assets and what to expect next.

That may seem like small change for a group tallying more than R9 billion a month in sales, but what's impressive is the exponential growth in crypto as a means of payment, and what people are spending on. Carel van Wyk, founder of Money Badger, the company which enabled the crypto payment service at Pick n Pay and continues to manage it, takes us through the numbers.

Bitcoin has a low correlation to traditional assets such as equities, bonds and cash, and that correlation is weakening with time. Jason Welz, digital lead at alternative investment company Jaltech, explains how this reality is starting to stir traditional asset managers and investors into action.

Or move it to a wallet you control? Kreaan Singh, founder of crypto education platform CoinEd and project manager for distributed ledger technology at the CSIR, argues there is a time to keep your coins on the exchange, and a time to move them to self-custody.

The world financial system is undergoing radical change, and crypto is driving it. Binance's growth story over just seven years is a case study in that evolution, as its SA country manager Hannes Wessels explains.

Bitcoin and ether prices have flat-lined in recent months, but don't be fooled. We are in the year of the bitcoin halving, which has historically been associated with a surge in prices, explains Omer Iqbal, CEO of FiveWest. The real trend to watch in the coming months is the adoption of US dollar stablecoins by mid-sized companies seeking to hedge their offshore exposures.

There are more than 60 000 cryptocurrencies, most of them junk. The team at Riskbloq, headed by founder and CEO Nzwisisa Chidembo, has developed tools to filter out the noise and make sense of more than 3 000 of the more viable projects. This SA-developed toolkit is now getting the attention of serious crypto players around the world.

Law firm Schindlers has set up a tokenised exchange for raising capital and trading real-world assets such as houses, solar power systems and real estate. Maurice Crespi, managing partner at Schindlers Attorneys, says this is a financial revolution with potentially vast implications for traditional stock exchanges.

Bradley Rettler, co-author of a new book called 'Resistance Money' and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Wyoming explains how bitcoin has proven itself as an instrument of freedom against political and economic oppression.

Jashwin Baijoo, head of strategic engagement and compliance at Tax Consulting SA, explains how SA Revenue Services is using AI to zero in on undeclared tax profits, and how the system will only get better with time.

Rob Price of Sound Money Capital explains why New York Stock Exchange-listed data analytics company MicroStrategy has bet massively on bitcoin, and offers a few ways to value an asset that has no earnings, dividends or revenue.

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.