Stafford Masie, executive chairman of Africa Bitcoin Corporation, stated Tuesday that Bitcoin works as daily cash in parts of Africa instead of mainly as a shop of worth.
Speaking With Natalie Brunell on the Coin Stories podcast on Tuesday, Masie stated the framing of Bitcoin (BTC) varies dramatically throughout areas.
” Where I originate from, Bitcoin is cash,” he informed Brunell, including that in some circular economies in Africa, merchants “will not accept dollars– they accept satoshis.”
While financiers in industrialized markets frequently stress its function as an inflation hedge, he explained neighborhoods where satoshis distribute straight in regional economies. He likewise indicated the plain distinction in between inflation in the West and in parts of Africa.
” When you guys discuss debasement, you discuss 4% to 5% every year– we discuss 4% to 5% in an afternoon,” he stated.
Masie compared the shift to the continent’s quick adoption of mobile innovation, arguing that more youthful populations are bypassing tradition monetary systems. Instead of transitioning slowly from steady fiat currencies, he explained a relocation from what he called “damaged cash” and sharp currency debasement into digital possessions.
He likewise highlighted Africa’s younger demographics as a crucial aspect, keeping in mind that more than a quarter of the continent’s population is under 20. He stated more youthful generations are welcoming emerging innovations such as expert system and they “enjoy Bitcoin.”
Masie stated that in this context, Bitcoin ends up being more than a passive shop of worth. Rather, he explained it as “beautiful capital;” a monetary substrate that people and services can develop on. He stated:
In Africa, we understand the age before 2008 and the age after 2008. After the Bitcoin white paper and before the Bitcoin white paper. Our lives altered, since all of a sudden we had something that could not be debased. It was immutable, decentralized, can’t be seized. That to an African is life or death.”
Masie is a long time innovation executive who formerly led significant tech operations in South Africa.
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Crypto adoption in Africa
Information from blockchain analytics business Chainalysis appears to support the shift on the continent that Masie is explaining.
From July 2024 to June 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa got more than $205 billion in onchain worth, up 52% year-on-year, making it the third-fastest growing crypto area worldwide. In March 2025 alone, month-to-month volume increased to almost $25 billion, driven mostly by activity in Nigeria following a currency decline.
Sub-Saharan Africa has actually likewise stuck out as a retail-driven crypto market. Transfers under $10,000 represented more than 8% of overall worth sent out in the area throughout the exact same period, compared to about 6% worldwide, according to the report launched in September.
At the exact same time, Nigeria and South Africa revealed significant institutional activity, with onchain streams suggesting repeating multimillion-dollar stablecoin transfers connected to cross-border trade in between Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
In January, speaking at the World Economic Online forum, previous UN Under-Secretary-General Vera Songwe discussed how stablecoins are significantly considered as a less expensive remittance and settlement tool in Africa.
She stated remittances have actually ended up being “more vital than help” in lots of African economies, while standard transfers can cost about $6 per $100 sent out. With inflation surpassing 20% in about a lots nations and an approximated 650 million individuals unbanked, she stated stablecoins provide both a payments rail and a shop of worth in markets dealing with currency pressure.
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