Africa dominates crypto searches, demonstrates huge potential for uptake of blockchain technologies

It is becoming more apparent that crypto markets will grow exponentially and not only in financially sophisticated markets with secure internet connection, high mobile penetration rates and a highly skilled labour force but even more so in developing countries where the use of cryptocurrencies for remittances, ecommerce and payments is more out of necessity than choice. LocalBitcoins and Paxful are peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading platforms that are popular among crypto users in Africa connecting as buyers and sellers. Despite recent setbacks such as the announcement by LocalBitcoins that the entity was suspending user accounts and implementing geo-restrictions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Botswana, Tunisia, Libya, and Nigeria, uptake of these new digital assets is still on the rise.

We’ve seen a lot of positive sentiment this year and a spike in interest in all things blockchain and cryptocurrency related. Google trends shows Nigeria and South Africa as the top countries in the world with the highest searches for terms such as Bitcoin. Uganda is also among the very top of the list of countries worldwide with the highest search interest in cryptocurrencies. Searches for blockchain are also on the rise worldwide with countries like Ghana leading the search traffic.

Read the full feature at Business Africa Online: https://businessafricaonline.com/africa-5/