Justus Abonyo, former chair of Kenya’s Social Democratic Party and current candidate for commissioner of the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has called for the adoption of blockchain voting. According to a report by Kenyan news outlet, The Star, Abonyo spoke of this while appearing before the selection committee overseeing the appointment of IEBC commissioners at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Thursday. Detailing his support for blockchain voting adoption, Abonyo said such a move would have significant, cost savings benefits of up to 300%, stating: “The cost of a ballot in Kenya ranges between $7 to $25 …

Akoin (AKN), the crypto project developed by Senegalese-American singer Akon, has completed the pilot rollout stage of its deployment in the Mwale Medical and Technology City complex in Kenya. As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the trial phase was launched back in November 2020 at the time of the AKN listing on the Bittrex crypto exchange. Following the success of the initial pilot, the Akoin crypto is now ready for full deployment in the $2 billion complex in July. Commenting on the success of the pilot program, Akoin President and co-founder Jon Karas revealed that the roll-out was received with “great …

Kenya’s planned Digital Service Tax, or DST, came into effect at the start of 2021. The DST is part of the country’s 2020 revamped Finance Act that focuses on the digital services market among other sectors. Based on the provisions of the new tax regime, e-market transactions including cryptocurrency payments now attract a 1.5% levy. Reginald Alango, a Kenya country representative at noncustodial peer-to-peer crypto exchange Bitzlato, told Cointelegraph that the new tax policy prescribes a 1.5% tax on the gross transaction value of every crypto sale. Commenting on the potential impact of the policy on crypto adoption in the …

A report on Friday from Ethereum metrics website Dune Analytics showed that the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem now counts over 1 million unique Ethereum addresses as participants — an over tenfold increase from the 91,000 addresses on Dec. 6, 2019. But while the growth has been undeniable, some experts caution not to interpret the milestone as a sign of widespread adoption. In fact, in order for DeFi to truly break mainstream, many of the emerging vertical’s proponents may have to rethink their communication and outreach strategies. The Dune Analytics report, compiled by aggregating the total number of addresses which have …

Akoin, the cryptocurrency project of American-Senegalese musician Akon is launching imminently in the $2 billion Mwale Medical Technology City, or MMTC, in western Kenya. As a newly built city centered around a state-of-the-art medical and technology complex, MMTC would seem to be the ideal proving ground for the currency, ahead of it becoming the official currency of Akon City, currently under development in Senegal. During the pilot stage, starting later this month, residents will be able to pay and be paid using Akoin, and instantly convert the currency into cell phone minutes or other forms of exchange. While the initial …

Blockchain technology can help countries like Kenya from losing billions of dollars to corruption, according to an official at the United Nations’ drugs and crime agency. David Robinson, the regional anti-corruption advisor at the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime, believes that new technologies like blockchain will help Kenya combat government corruption and other economic crimes. According to Nation Media Group on Nov. 3, Robinson claimed that blockchain-based solutions can provide full traceability of transactions, protecting public registries from fraud and forgery. The official said: “Blockchain technology becomes attractive to the global community and international organizations because it is a …

The Central Bank of Kenya, or CBK, has reportedly started discussions with international central banks to explore the possibility of entering the central bank digital currency space. CBK governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge told reporters during Georgetown's DC Fintech week that: "“We [the CBK] are already having discussions with other global players, in various ways, around the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies. The push comes as a result of mushrooming of private cryptocurrencies and we are already feeling left out and need to create our own space.” From Dr. Njoroge's perspective, the central bank needs to keep a keen eye …

YENTS, an unusual stablecoin developed by the Kenya’s Young Entrepreneurs Network (YEN), has entered into testing under the local regulatory sandbox. YEN, which organizes golfing tournaments to facilitate networking opportunities for Kenyan entrepreneurs, plans on initially using the stablecoin as a means of payment for sporting events and training programs. The network’s CEO, Kamau Nyabwengi, told The Africa Report that YEN intends to launch the token in November, and hopes to use it to accept investments into a planned golf course. While the YENTS token has began testing in Kenya’s regulatory sandbox, Nyabwengi argues that significant regulatory changes still need …

2020 has seen an acceleration in African crypto adoption, with the continent emerging as the second-largest region for peer-to-peer (P2P) trading, and two African nations ranking in the top eight of the Chainalysis crypto adoption index. However, the booming growth has caught the attention of Africa’s financial regulators, sparking concerns that a rush to introduce heavy-handed oversight could quell innovation in the local crypto industry. Nigeria has led the continent’s growth in 2020, posting weekly P2P volumes of between $5 million to $10 million, followed by Kenya and South Africa with between $1 million and $2 million a week each. …

Africans are increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies as a means of exchange over local fiat currencies, according to a new report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Data from the firm shows that many locals individuals and businesses are using cryptocurrencies to avoid high fees, regulatory complications, and currency instability. The number of monthly transfers to and from Africa has passed the 600,000 mark. The total number of transfers under $10,000 jumped by 55% in the year to June to reach $316 million. Nigeria, which is the continent’s largest economy, South Africa, and Kenya lead the region in cryptocurrency transfers. Abolaji Odunjo, …

Recent data published by Chainalysis revealed a surprising first place for Ukraine in the Global Crypto Adoption Index 2020, followed by Russia and Venezuela. The index looks at three on-chain metrics: the total value of on-chain crypto transactions weighted by purchasing power per capita, or PPP, the value of on-chain retail transfers weighted by PPP, and the number of on-chain crypto deposits weighted by the number of internet users. The index also factors in the volume of trades made on peer-to-peer crypto exchanges weighted by both the number of internet users and PPP. The report shows uneven levels of development …

Half a dozen emerging markets have established new records for weekly peer-to-peer (P2P) Bitcoin (BTC) trading, including India, Ghana, the Philippines, Argentina, Mexico and Egypt, according to data published by Useful Tulips. India comprised the strongest market to post a new record for trade activity, with $3.4 million worth of BTC trading hands over the past seven days. India’s P2P markets began gaining significant momentum from the second quarter onwards, with Indian volume beating out its December 2017 all-time high of $2.95 million last month before consistently rallying above $3 million this month. African P2P markets continue to show strength …