South Africa’s crypto progress on the line

South Africa’s crypto progress on the line

South Africa is rewriting its exchange-control rulebook for the first time in more than 60 years – and the country’s crypto industry fears the new regime will set it back, not move it forward. National treasury’s draft Capital Flow Management Regulations, gazetted on 17 April, would replace the apartheid-era Exchange Control Regulations of 1961 and,…

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AI, crypto reshape SA’s payments landscape

AI, crypto reshape SA’s payments landscape

AI shopping tools gain traction, yet most South Africans still prefer human customer service interactions. (Image created with ChatGPT) Artificial intelligence (AI), digital wallets and crypto-currency linked payments are rapidly changing how South Africans shop and transact, according to new research from Visa. The latest Spending Shift Survey was commissioned by Visa and conducted by…

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Government tightens screws on crypto assets

Government tightens screws on crypto assets

SARS will use tech to catch those who don’t report crypto assets. (Image: Nicola Mawson, with Freepik and GenAI) Government is clamping down on crypto assets through two new tax regulations that expand reporting on virtual money. It is also moving to bring tokens under exchange control rules – despite a pending court case on…

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Crypto Asset Service Providers: The Travel Rule and Regulatory Reporting

Crypto Asset Service Providers: The Travel Rule and Regulatory Reporting

Crypto assets broaden opportunities in the transaction environment but also pose significant money laundering and terrorist financing risks due to their ease of availability, use, anonymity, and decentralised nature. The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) classified the overall inherent risks of money laundering for crypto asset service providers (CASPs) in South Africa as “high” following a…

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Crypto markets reel as bitcoin slides

Crypto markets reel as bitcoin slides

Bitcoin was on the cusp of breaking below the key US$70 000 level on Thursday as a slide in the world’s largest cryptocurrency showed no signs of stopping. Bitcoin fell 2% in early European trade, having dropped as much as 3.5% earlier during the Asian session to $70 052.38, its lowest level since November 2024. Ether, meanwhile,…

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From stocks to crypto, markets reel as AI doubts grow

From stocks to crypto, markets reel as AI doubts grow

Global markets retreated on Friday as a stock rout on Wall Street went global, with volatility gripping precious metals and cryptocurrencies while AI fears weighed on equities. The MSCI All-Country World Index rallied off intra-session lows to trade flat, but the benchmark was still on track for its worst weekly performance since mid-November, with a…

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