Crypto
Despite Accounting for 2% of Global Activity, Sub-Saharan Africa Has ‘Some of the Most Well-Developed Cryptocurrency Markets of Any Region’: Report – Africa Bitcoin News
In line with a current Chainalysis report, though Sub-Saharan Africa is believed to account for as little as 2% of worldwide transaction exercise, the world “accommodates among the most well-developed cryptocurrency markets of any area.” Moreover, Sub-Saharan Africa’s “retail market and outsized utilization of P2P platforms make it distinctive in comparison with different areas.”
Sub-Saharan Africa’s ‘Outsized Utilization of P2P Platforms’
In line with a brand new report by blockchain intelligence agency Chainalysis, Sub-Saharan Africa’s whole crypto transaction volumes of $100.6 billion seen between July 2021 and June 2022 are the least of any area that has been surveyed. Whereas the on-chain volumes throughout this era are 16% increased than the previous interval, the report however states that Sub-Saharan Africa solely accounts for two% of the worldwide crypto exercise.
Nonetheless, in keeping with the blockchain evaluation agency’s findings, Sub-Saharan Africa possible has among the most developed cryptocurrency markets globally. The Chainalysis report mentioned:
[A] deeper evaluation reveals that Africa accommodates among the most well-developed cryptocurrency markets of any area, with deep penetration and integration of cryptocurrency into on a regular basis monetary exercise for a lot of customers.
To assist buttress these assertions concerning the area, the report factors to the construction of the area’s crypto market and the way this distinguishes Sub-Saharan Africa from different areas. As defined within the report, the retail market in addition to an “outsized utilization of P2P platforms” is what separates this area from the remainder of the worldwide crypto market.
“Retail-sized transfers under $10,000 make up 6.4% of its transaction quantity, greater than every other area. The function of retail turns into much more obvious after we take a look at the variety of particular person transfers. Retail transfers make up 95% of all transfers, and if we drill down to only small retail transfers beneath $1,000, the share turns into 80%, greater than every other area,” the report said.
Persevering with Financial Challenges Driving Crypto Utilization
In the meantime, the area has seen a rise within the variety of customers that favor to make use of peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges. As said within the report, the area’s P2P volumes alone are thought to “account for six% of all cryptocurrency transaction quantity in Africa.”
Regarding Sub-Saharan Africa’s projected future use of crypto, the report mentioned:
“Total, we anticipate cryptocurrency utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa to proceed rising so long as residents face points crypto has confirmed it may possibly resolve for them, similar to preserving financial savings by financial volatility and enabling cross-border transactions in locations with strict capital controls.”
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Crypto
BlackRock's Spot Bitcoin ETF Sees Zero Inflows, As Net Outflows Tally $130M On Wednesday
BlackRock‘s iShares Bitcoin Trust IBIT has seen its record-breaking streak of inflows come to an end on Wednesday.
What Happened: According to data from SoSoValue, IBIT recorded no net inflows for the day, snapping a 71-day stretch of continuous investment.
On Wednesday, spot Bitcoin ETF flows saw net outflows totaling $121 million, signaling a turbulent day for cryptocurrency investments.
Notably, Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) registered the most substantial single-day outflow, withdrawing $130 million.
Contrasting this, Fidelity Wise’s Origin Bitcoin Fund FBTC emerged as the frontrunner for inflows, attracting $5.61 million in a single day, followed closely by the collaborative ETF from Ark Invest and 21Shares ARKB, which saw an influx of $4.17 million.
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Also Read: Jack Dorsey Wants To Make Bitcoin Mining As Easy As Plugging In A Lamp: Here’s How
Hong Kong Steps Into The Crypto ETF Arena
The news of BlackRock’s pause coincides with a significant development in the Asian market.
HashKey Exchange announced the completion of the first-ever cryptocurrency subscription for Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs offered by Hong Kong-based Bosera International and HashKey Capital.
This subscription model allows for redemption without immediate sale of the underlying assets, potentially offering cost and liquidity benefits to investors.
Hong Kong’s foray into cryptocurrency ETFs marks a potential turning point for the Asian market.
These ETFs are expected to begin trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on April 30, providing investors in the region with a new avenue for cryptocurrency exposure.
What’s Next: The Benzinga Future of Digital Assets event, scheduled for Nov. 19, will convene industry leaders, analysts, and investors to discuss these critical developments.
This conference presents a unique opportunity to gain insights into the future of Bitcoin ETFs, cryptocurrency subscriptions, and the broader digital asset ecosystem.
Don’t miss out on this chance to stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly changing market.
Read Next: Why Is MOG Crypto Coin Going Up? Trader Sees ‘Billions’ As Price Target
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© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Crypto
Telegram users targeted in cryptocurrency scam, Kaspersky reports
Scammers are exploiting the rising popularity of Telegram and its associated cryptocurrency, Toncoin (TON), to execute a highly scalable scheme design to pilfer the digital tokens from unsuspecting users. Kaspersky researchers have discovered the operation, which has been active since November 2023, and warns that it is a growing threat.
Victims are being lured into the scheme via an invitation to join an “exclusive earning program” received from a contact in their list. The invitation leads them to an unofficial Telegram bot, falsely touted as a cryptocurrency storage solution. The victims are then instructed to link it to a legitimate wallet and to buy Toncoins through official channels such as the official Telegram bot or through cryptocurrency exchanges.
After duping victims into purchasing the coins, scammers push them to buy so-called ‘boosters’ using a separate bot, stating that this is the step needed to commence earning. The ‘boosters’, likened to those seen in online games, are misleadingly marketed as tools that allow users to capitalise on their coins further. “This scheme resembles boosters in online games – by purchasing one, the user gains additional advantages,” explains Olga Svistunova, Senior Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky. Once bought these ‘boosters’ cost victims their cryptocurrency, and the money lost is irreversible.
Following the purchase of the scam ‘boosters’, users are manipulated into propagating the scheme. They are encouraged to create a private Telegram group with their friends and acquaintances, share a specially generated referral link and a video with instructions on earnings. The scammers claim that at least five people should join the private group via the referral link before a victim can start earning. They are also told that they will receive payment for each friend invited and will make a commission from each of the fraudulent ‘boosters’ purchased by those they have referred.
Alluding to the potential scale of the scam, the Telegram Open Network (TON) was developed by the Durov brothers and is now backed by an independent community. Telegram itself has reached 900 million monthly users and ranks globally as the 6th most used and 6th most downloaded app. This expansive user base increases both the potential pool of victims and the likely impacts of the scheme.
Kaspersky experts have urged all users to exercise caution when encountering offers of quick riches, even if they are received from friends or acquaintances. Avoid transferring cryptocurrency to unknown or suspicious wallets, and consider comprehensive protection for your digital assets, such as Kaspersky Premium which alerts you to suspicious websites and guards your wallet against scammers, miners and other threats. Staying updated and informed about the latest fraudulent schemes is another effective protective measure.
Crypto
US charges Samourai cryptomixer founders for laundering $100 million
Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill have been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for laundering more than $100 million from various criminal enterprises through Samourai, a cryptocurrency mixer service they ran for nearly a decade.
As detailed in a superseding indictment, criminals also used Samourai’s Whirlpool crypto mixer to process over $2 billion in illicit funds between 2015 and February 2024.
In addition to crypto mixing services, Samourai also offered a service called “Ricochet,” which allowed users to send cryptocurrency using additional and unnecessary intermediate transactions to thwart law enforcement and crypto exchange efforts to track funds sourced from criminal activity.
This money laundering activity allegedly earned the two founders around $4.5 million in fees for Whirlpool and Ricochet transactions.
“Since the start of the Whirlpool service in or about 2019, and of the Ricochet service in or about 2017, over 80,000 BTC (worth over $2 billion applying the BTC-USD conversion rates at the time of each transaction) has passed through these two services operated by Samourai,” the indictment alleges.
Samourai’s Wallet mobile application was also downloaded over 100,000 times, allowing users to store private keys for BTC addresses they controlled and exchange funds with other Samourai users in anonymous financial transactions.
Icelandic law enforcement has seized Samourai’s domains (samourai[.]io and samouraiwallet[.]com) and web servers, and the Google Play Store removed the Android mobile app after being served a seizure warrant.
Rodriguez was taken into custody this morning and will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania in the following days.
Hill was also arrested this morning in Portugal on U.S. criminal charges, with the U.S. government planning to request his extradition to the United States so that he can stand trial.
They’re both charged with two counts of conspiracy: money laundering (20-year maximum sentence) and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business (5-year maximum sentence).
“While offering Samourai as a ‘privacy’ service, the defendants knew that it was a haven for criminals to engage in large-scale money laundering and sanctions evasion,” the DOJ said.
“Samourai laundered over $100 million of crime proceeds originating from, among other criminal sources, illegal dark web markets, such as Silk Road and Hydra Market; various wire fraud and computer fraud schemes, including a web-server intrusion, a spearphishing scheme, and schemes to defraud multiple decentralized finance protocols; and other illegal
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