Blockchain Innovators flock to Joburg
Blockchain Africa is the continent’s largest gathering of Web3 expertise and crypto curios, and it’s coming to Sandton on March 16 and 17, 2023
A Web3 wave is hitting African shores this week, and the continent is perfectly positioned to ride this wave of innovation in ingenuity. The 9thth annual Blockchain Africa Conference brings together the brightest technology minds and captains of industry to help unlock the potential of blockchain to overcome the obstacles in developing countries.
Blockchain has gained traction in Africa, with founders finding early success in bringing efficiency and delivering cheaper cross-border payments for African businesses trading abroad. A new age of the internet has begun and it is energizing the continent.
In South Africa, the Reserve Bank has developed a blockchain-based payment system called Project Khokha1, which is used to test blockchain technology for interbank settlements. While at the Central Bank of Kenya, he is also exploring blockchain technology for payment systems and promoting financial inclusion2.
Bitcoin Events’ flagship event, the Blockchain Africa Conference, happening at The Galleria in Sandton on March 16 and 17 is the central venue for collaboration and sharing of ideas to build a better, more inclusive Africa by embracing the digital tools and resources.
This year, the event welcomes back valuable in-person interaction after two years of the conference being held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic protocols. The conference has attracted over 9,000 participants from 160 countries and helped bring the best in blockchain and cryptocurrency innovation and disruption from around the world to the African context.
Over the past nine years, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana have seen a rapid uptake of cryptoassets as citizens leverage this forward-thinking marketplace to access more efficient payment rails provided by blockchain networks and return income with assets that Bitcoin or stablecoins pegged to the value of the US dollar3.
In 2023, the spotlight will be on global trends and disruptions, and how market players can exploit the opportunities and best respond to the threats.
World-class international and local experts, Briana Marbury, CEO of Interledger Foundation, Junde Ju, Head of Global Sales, Cobo, Rene Reinsberg, CEO of Celo and Joaquim Predro Antunes, Head of Crypto Engineering at Xapo Private Bank will unpack how blockchain technology and crypto assets are transforming business operations globally and how it can be mobilized on the African continent.
Recent crypto exchange news is driving the global conversation around regulation, and these conversations will also be well represented in Sandton. Chair of the Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group (IFWG) Crypto Assets Regulatory (CAR) working group Ayn du Bazane and Fellow SARB Senior Fintech Analyst Gerhard van Deventer will provide insight into the South African regulatory framework.
Du Bazane will be joined by blockchain industry policy experts Andrew Whitworth (Policy Director, EMEA at Ripple), and Cedric Ming (EY Senior Consultant for Legal, Regulatory and Compliance) for a lively panel discussion on measures that can help promote economic development at the same time which prevent illegal activities.
This fits well with the conference’s focus on how companies implement blockchain-based solutions in their business models, with special attention to the many innovative real-world use cases of this technology by Mastercard and Xapo Private Bank.
Mastercard’s director of cyber and intelligence solutions Robert Brine will share some of the payments giant’s crypto initiatives and how it’s empowering people around the world.
Xapo operates at the intersection of traditional finance and crypto with its industry-leading secure storage wallet for and partnerships with Mastercard and Swift, giving customers the ability to be currency agnostic by enjoying exposure to both digital assets and money markets. It is a unique example of harmonious coexistence.
“Xapo Private Bank developed a unique solution for holders of digital assets to secure and grow their investments, which can play a crucial role in the flight to safety in developing markets,” Antunes explains.
“The Blockchain Africa Conference puts us in touch with African founders who use blockchain technology in their projects. Blockchain innovation can cover the critical gaps in the financial sector and increase access to secure identity, supply chain and asset management solutions. These projects are essential to help support growth in economies plagued by inflation and volatility.”
Businesses no longer ask “why” but discuss “how” to use blockchain technology. The time to ask why this technology should be used is over, and the time to implement this technology into existing systems and build better systems and ride the wave is here.
Date: 16.–17. March 2023
Place: Galleria, Sandton
Registration: Here
1. https://www.resbank.co.za/content/dam/sarb/publications/media-releases/2022/project-khokha-2/Project%20Khokha%202%20Full%20Report%206%20April%202022. pdf
2. https://www.centralbank.go.ke/uploads/discussion_papers/CentralBankDigitalCurrency.pdf
3. https://www.standardbank.com/static_file/StandardBankGroup/filedownloads/AfricanBlockchainReport.pdf
