Bitcoin KE - SoundSage

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We recently spoke with Nosa, the retail banking manager for Kuda, a digital-only bank in Nigeria, about the state of digital banking in the country.

Kuda recently raised $10 million to grow and expand its digital banking services across Africa and the diaspora.

Nosa has years of experience working in the traditional banking space and broke down to us everything there is to know about digital banking and how they operate.

In this discussion, we discussed:

What is your mission at Kuda?
What does it take to start a fully digital bank in Africa?
What distinguishes Kuda from the traditional banks?
What is the state of digital banking in Nigeria?
What is the uptake of digital banking services in Nigeria and Africa?
How does the Kuda ATM card work?
You offer all other bank services except for loans, why is that? - We have overdrafts now. We’re testing with a small group of customers.
What challenges have you faced so far and how did you solve them?
What feature would you say sets you apart from other digital financial services?
What is your opinion on cryptocurrencies?
Why did you partner with Binance and how did that partnership come about?
What kind of partners do you work with?
Any other future or upcoming partnerships?
Where do you see cryptocurrencies in the next 3,5,10 years?
What is your advice for digital banking uptake in Africa?

To learn more about Kuda, check out the resources below:

Website: https://www.kudabank.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kudabank

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We caught up Mark Chirnside, the Co-founder and CEO of Xago, a South African-based payment gateway built on the XRP Ledger and custom-built exchange to trade, end and receive XRP/Xago Digital ZAR.

In this podcast, Mark answers the following questions:

What are the early beginnings of Xago?
What is the problem Xago is trying to solve?
What to the recent funding by Capitec Bank?
What are Xago's expansion plans in Africa?
Why are bankings reserved when it comes to crypto?
How can one use / access Xago services?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We caught up with Yele Bademosi, the founder and CEO of Bundle Africa, a unique social payments app for cash or crypto in Nigeria.

Bundle Africa is a social payments app for cash or crypto. With Bundle, you can send cash or cryptocurrency to any phone number in Nigeria for free.

In this podcast, Yele answers the following questions:

What was the inspiration behind Bundle Africa?
You define Bundle Africa as a social payments app. What is a social payments app?
How has your experience at Microtraction and Binance Labs influenced Bundle?
The Bundle look and feel is very artistic. What was the inspiration behind it?
What inspired the unique security features on Bundle?
Bundle has very positive social sentiments. Why do you think people love Bundle?
What are you thoughts on the Nigerian market and the recent crypto regulation?
Any expansion plans beyond Nigeria? How soon can we expect that?
Can we expect Bundle Africa to actively get into the DeFi space?
What advice do you have for crypto and blockchain entrepreneurs on the continent?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Carina, CEO, Beyonic.

In this interview, we discussed Beyonic product offering, the state of digital payments in Africa, Beyonic acquisition by MFS Africa, and the future of digital payments on the African continent.

Carina answers the questions below:

Please introduce yourself
Tell us about Beyonic and the problems it is solving in Africa?
What is the state of digital payments in Africa?
What is your opinion of cryptocurrencies?
What companies have you worked with / facilitated in the crypto remittance payment space in Africa?
How did the MFS Africa acquisition come about and what does it mean for the SME digital payment space in Africa?
What is the future of digital payments on the African continent?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We caught up with Buchi Okoro, the Founder and CEO of Quidax Exchange, a leading crypto exchange in Nigeria.

Quidax exchange offers Nigerian crypto users the ability to settle to local bank accounts instantly, roughtly within two minutes.

In this podcast, Buchi breaks down the following for us:

A brief intro of the founder and how they got into crypto
How Quidax came to be
How is the Nigerian crypto market?
How is Quidax different from existing exchanges? Features? Offerings
What are Quidax trading volumes - 2019 vs 2020 and pre-Covid vs Post-Covid?
What are your future plans for Quidax
Where do you see Quidax and the crypto market in Nigeria and Africa - 2-5 years from now?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Deji, the Co-Founder and CTO at Jamborow.

In the interview, we discussed the project beginnings, blockchain implementation, goals, milestones, achievements, and expansion plans for Jamborow and what we can expect a few months down the line.

Deji answers the questions below:

Tell us about yourself and what you got into the blockchain space
What are some of the services that A&D Forensics offers across Africa?
What institutions are you working with across Africa?
What is the state of KYC and AML compliance in Africa?
Are you playing a role in crypto and blockchain regulation?
How did the partnership with Chainalysis come about?
What does the Chainalysis partnership mean for Africa?
Can you talk about the Chainalsys Reactor that you look to deploy?
How relevant are Chainalysis tools for Africa?
What are your thoughts on self regulation?
Where is the problem when it comes to blockchain firms in Africa?
What sage advice would you give to blockchain projects in Africa?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with PraveenKumar, CEO, the Belrium Blockchain

In this interview, we discussed the Belrium blockchain, the CMA Kenya sandbox license, regulation in Africa, and what we can expect from Belrium and the sandbox test in the next couple of months.

PraveenKumar answers the questions below:

How are you doing amid Covid-19?
What is the problem that Belrium blockchain is trying to solve?
What opportunities exist in emerging markets like Kenya and Africa?
Belrium is focused on getting governments and regulators evaluate how to leverage blockchain. Can you expound on that?
How was the process of applying and getting accepted into the CMA Kenya regulatory sandbox?
The regulatory sandbox only applies for products, services, and business models that are not clearly addressed under existing laws and regulations. What would you say is not clearly defined in law for your blockchain product?
Another requirement is that admissions are based on their intent to offer innovative products, solutions, and services with the potential to deepend Kenya's capital markets. Would you say Belrium qualifies in this regard and if so, how?
Are you looking to test a crypto product in the regulatory sandbox?
What other jurisdictions are you regulated in and how does that regulation look like
Many startups and fintechs have attempted to apply but with no success. What informed CMA Kenya to consider Belrium for the sandbox?
What are risks of not regulating innovative solutions like crypto and blockchain?
What advice would you give to anyone looking to apply for a regulatory sandbox in Kenya and Africa?
On a personal level, how do you feel about getting accepted into the CMA Kenya sandbox
We hope you can talk with us, 3-6 months from now, to give us an update on the sandbox experience?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We caught up with Frank Deya, a pioneering blockchain and crypto advocate from Kenya pushing for blockchain and crypto adoption on the African continent.

BitRefill is one of the few crypto platforms on the continent offering a real use case. According to Frank, mobile refills using the service is one of the most common and upcoming.

Deya answers the questions below:

Tell us about yourself and your history in the blockchain / crypto space
What is BitRefill?
What services are available on BitRefill?
How can someone who lives in Africa use BitRefill?
How do you personally use BitRefill?
What is the level of penetration of BitRefill in Africa?
What role do you feel this platform will play in crypto adoption in Africa?
What giveaway do you have to our listeners?
Where do you see blockchain and crypto in 5-10 years across Africa?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Moses Onitilo, the Co-Founder and CTO at Jamborow.

In the interview, we discussed the project beginnings, blockchain implementation, goals, milestones, achievements, and expansion plans for Jamborow and what we can expect a few months down the line.

Onitilo answers the questions below:

Tell us about yourself and your partners
How was Jamborow born?
Jamborow calls itself the first inclusive and intelligent fintech platform. Can you explain that in detail?
How is Jamborow using blockchain for financial inclusion?
You say you are building an ecosystem to empower and not disempower. Can you elaborate further on this?
How many companies and institutions are you currently working or partnered with?
Which African countries are you currently operating in?
What are your thoughts on cryptocurrencies and blockchain?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Safir Verjee, the Innovation Manager at the Kenya Red Cross

In the interview, we discuss how the Kenya Red Cross has taken the innovative approach of using blockchain-based token, the Sarafu Community Currency, to provide financial relief to low-income neighborhoods in Nairobi, Kenya, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Safia answers the questions below:

What are the Sarafu e-Vouchers?
What led the Kenya Red Cross to adopt the Sarafu blockchain-based e-Vouchers?
How long as the project been going on?
What are the adoption numbers of the Sarafu e-Vouchers so far?
Are you looking to continuing the program post-Covid?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Reginald Tsvetu, Co-founder of BitKesh and Uhuru Wallet.

In the interview, we discuss how BitKesh and Uhuru Wallet are enabling the remittance space in the South Africa - Zimbabwe corridor, considered one of the most expensive remittance transfer markets globally.

Reginald answers the questions below:

How is BitKesh doing amid the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown?
How many users is BitKesh currently serving in Southern Africa?
What are the uptake challenges for BitKesh?
What are the regulatory challenges you face in Southern Africa?
What influenced the building of the Uhuru Wallet?
Who are the target users for BitKesh vs. Uhuru Wallet?
Why did you choose to build Uhuru on Stellar blockchain?
Do you see the Uhuru Wallet being a game changer?
When can we expect the Uhuru Wallet stablecoin to launch?
Where do you see BitKesh and Uhuru in the near future?
Can we expect BitKesh and Uhuru wallet to work together?

www.bitcoinke.io

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We had a chat with Anca Rusu, Partnerships, Policy & Advocacy at Celo Blockchain.

In the interview, we discuss how Celo blockchain is building blockchain-based solutions in the African market.

Anca answers the questions below:

What is the Celo Blockchain mission and vision?
How does Celo fit into the African space?
What is the Celo app development program?
What is the Celo developer Bootcamp and mentorship program
How does one quaify for these programs?
What African projects are you currently working with?
What are specific Celo expansion efforts on the African continent?
How does one access the Celo Gold stablecoin?
What can we expect from Celo in 2020 and 2021?

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