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Central Bank of Nigeria Denies It Has Placed New Restrictions on Cryptocurrencies — Uses Debunked Claims to Justify New Directive

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Following the outcry over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s latest directive that targets cryptocurrencies, the institution has reaffirmed its stance with another statement. In the latest five-page document, the CBN insists that this directive is intended to protect the country’s financial system from the “risks” that are associated with cryptocurrencies. Debunked Claims Still, the central … Read more

Central Bank of Nigeria Orders Banks to Close Accounts of Crypto Clients as Remittances via Traditional Corridors Drop by 97%

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has circulated a letter directing banks and financial institutions to identify and close accounts of cryptocurrency transacting entities. The directive, which took immediate effect, threatens “severe regulatory sanctions” to financial institutions that fail to comply. Banks Taking Immediate Action Immediately following the letter’s publication, some banks and other financial … Read more

African Hip Hop Artist Davido ‘Thinking of Starting a Bitcoin Trading Company’

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Popular Nigerian hip hop artist Davido has sparked off a buzz about crypto assets after tweeting about his intention to start a bitcoin trading company. With the short tweet, Davido becomes the latest African celebrity to express interest in starting a crypto business. Senegalese singer Akon is another prominent African personality to embrace crypto assets. … Read more

Nigerian Youth Propels the Country to the Top of Google Bitcoin Search Rankings

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Nigeria, one of the biggest cryptocurrency markets in the world, recently emerged as the country with the highest number of bitcoin searches globally, according to Google Trends data. The data shows that the West African country has a search score of 100, which is more than double that of its nearest rival. Youth-Driven Interest According … Read more

Indian Doctors Warn of Illegal Covid-19 Vaccine Sales for Bitcoin: Citizens Urged to Wait for Government Approved Vaccine

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Indian doctors have warned that the sale of unauthorized Covid-19 vaccines on the black market, where vendors ask for bitcoin as payment, is illegal. According to the doctors, the unsanctioned marketing of the vaccine to the elite is prevalent in the state of Karnataka. Some doctors say the Indian government must intervene by tracking down … Read more

Ghanaian Startup Bitsika Africa Processed $40 Million in Crypto Remittances in 2020, up 3,900% Year-on-Year

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Bitsika Africa, a crypto startup operating out of Ghana and Nigeria, said Monday that it processed almost $40 million in remittances in 2020, up from just under $1 million the previous year. Founder and chief executive officer Atsu Davoh said that deposits accounted for $18.87 million of the total volume, with payouts making up $17.89 … Read more

Central Bank of Iran Official Says Cryptocurrencies Have ‘Made No Contribution to Bypassing Sanctions’

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An official with the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has claimed that cryptocurrencies have played no significant role in Iran’s sanction hit economy. According to Mohammadreza Mani Yekta, the deputy head of CBI’s office for payment systems, “studies” have shown that digital currencies have “made no contribution to bypassing the sanctions.” The unenthusiastic assessment of … Read more

Nigeria Is Paxful’s Second Biggest P2P Bitcoin Market, Trades Top $566 Million in Five Years

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Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and most populous nation, traded more than $566 million worth of bitcoin between 2015 and 2020, making it the world’s second-largest peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin market after the U.S., which traded $3.75 billion in the period under review. According to an analysis of bitcoin trading platform Paxful’s database shared with news.Bitcoin.com, Nigeria … Read more

Brazil Revenue Collector’s Data Shows Cryptocurrency Volumes Exceed $6 Billion Between January and September

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Raw data from the Federal Revenue of Brazil (RFB) shows that crypto traded volumes in the country exceeded $6 billion between January and September this year. According to the data, bitcoin dominates as it accounts for over 80% of traded volumes. Still, other cryptos like bitcoin cash, dai, and dogecoin had significant volumes in the … Read more

Nigeria’s Yellow Card Processes $165 Million in Crypto Remittances So Far This Year

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Nigerian crypto startup Yellow Card says it processed over $165 million in volume during the first eleven months of this year. The figure represents a growth of more than 1,840% over the amount of remittances processed in the last six months of 2019. Launched in June 2019, Yellow Card enables Africans at home and abroad … Read more