FNB launches crypto trading. FNB has added crypto trading to its share platform with VALR, from as little as R10. First National Bank has launched cryptocurrency trading on its share trading platform, in partnership with local crypto exchange VALR - but customers will not be able to move their coins off it. Clients can trade five crypto assets - bitcoin, ether, XRP, solana and Tether's dollar-pegged USDT stablecoin - from as little as R10, the bank said on Tuesday. The assets are available across FNB's existing share trading products: Share Saver, Share Builder, Share Investor and Share Zero. Trading is "ringfenced within the FNB ecosystem", and crypto assets cannot be transferred in or out, FNB said, citing platform security and "a more conservative approach to compliance and exchange control laws". Purchases are funded from clients' FNB accounts. That means clients cannot withdraw coins to their own wallets or another exchange, or bring in crypto they already hold. It is a different model from Discovery Bank's. Discovery announced last November that it would offer crypto trading in its app through Luno, with clients linking or opening a Luno account and moving money between it and their bank account. Sizwe Nxedlana, CEO of FNB and RMB Private Banking and Wealth Management, said the bank had responded to client requests for alternative investments. "Crypto as an asset class offers that diversity," he said. 'Activity and interest' Bheki Mkhize, CEO of FNB Wealth and Asset Management, said the bank had seen "a lot of activity and interest" in crypto among its clients, but that the asset class carries risks. "We want to ensure that clients understand what they are buying, investing in, the volatility, and have tools to manage their trading activities," he said. FNB plans to add more crypto options and educational content over time. The launch comes as South Africa's crypto industry fights draft cross-border rules from national treasury and the Reserve Bank. Local platforms, including VALR, have opposed the draft, and Luno argued this week that it may clash with South Africa's International Monetary Fund commitments. - (C) 2026 NewsCentral Media

Kenya's $19 billion crypto market draws Inkryptus, VALR and global digital asset firms to Africa Blockchain Festival 2026. Kenya's rising digital asset market is attracting better consideration from crypto platforms, institutional traders, exchanges and blockchain infrastructure firms as Nairobi prepares to host certainly one of Africa's main blockchain gatherings in October. The Africa Blockchain Festival 2026, scheduled for October 15 to 17 in Nairobi, has confirmed Inkryptus as its Title Sponsor, giving the crypto platform a central position on this yr's version because the occasion expands its deal with digital asset adoption, regulation and monetary infrastructure throughout Africa. Based in 2020, Inkryptus is a crypto platform designed primarily for first-time customers, providing one account and one pockets with out requiring customers to handle a seed phrase. A lot of the platform's customers are at the moment primarily based in East Africa, giving its position as Title Sponsor of the Nairobi occasion a very sturdy regional connection. "Inkryptus handles the complexity of web3 so our customers do not have to," mentioned Pierre L. Pereira, co-founder and CEO of Inkryptus. "Most people utilizing the app are in East Africa. Nairobi is the place we meet them in particular person, in the identical room because the individuals writing the principles." The competition has additionally secured partnerships involving VALR, the Nairobi Worldwide Monetary Centre, ADI Basis, MEXC and funds infrastructure firm Passpoint. Organizers count on greater than 3,000 delegates to attend the three-day occasion, practically double the attendance recorded on the competition's inaugural version in Kigali in 2025. Kenya strikes from crypto adoption to regulation The growth comes as Kenya takes steps to carry certainly one of East Africa's largest cryptocurrency markets right into a clearer regulatory setting. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Kenya acquired roughly $19 billion in cryptocurrency inflows, in accordance to knowledge attributed to blockchain analytics agency Chainalysis. The size of exercise has made the nation certainly one of Africa's most carefully watched digital asset markets. Kenya has now moved past adoption into formal regulation via the Digital Asset Service Suppliers Act, 2025 and the Digital Asset Service Suppliers Rules, 2026. The framework creates a proper licensing and supervisory construction for firms working within the digital asset business and locations regulatory tasks with the Central Financial institution of Kenya and the Capital Markets Authority. The shift is important for an business that has grown quickly throughout Kenya largely via retail adoption, peer-to-peer transactions, exchanges and digital cost platforms. Relatively than holding cryptocurrency exercise exterior the normal regulatory system, Kenya is constructing guidelines round how digital asset companies can function, creating better readability for exchanges, fintech firms, traders and different firms contemplating coming into the market. That regulatory evolution can also be changing into a part of Nairobi's attraction as a vacation spot for blockchain firms. Town now combines a sizeable person market, certainly one of Africa's most developed digital funds ecosystems and an rising regulatory framework designed particularly round digital property. Institutional gamers transfer nearer to Africa's digital asset market The involvement of economic and digital asset firms at ABF2026 displays a wider shift happening throughout Africa's cryptocurrency business. Inkryptus' place as Title Sponsor locations the corporate on the heart of the competition's business and business program at a time when crypto platforms are competing to attain a broader era of African customers. For Inkryptus, the occasion additionally offers direct entry to a area the place a lot of its present person base is already concentrated. The platform has positioned itself round simplifying crypto entry for individuals coming into the market for the primary time, eradicating among the technical limitations historically related to managing cryptocurrency wallets. VALR, one of many continent's largest digital asset exchanges, brings a longtime African buying and selling and institutional infrastructure presence to the competition. The Nairobi Worldwide Monetary Centre, in the meantime, is a part of Kenya's wider technique to place Nairobi as a vacation spot for worldwide monetary providers and funding into Africa. Its participation offers the gathering a stronger hyperlink to Kenya's institutional finance ecosystem at a time when policymakers, monetary establishments and expertise firms are more and more contemplating how digital property match into the nation's broader monetary system. The competition can also be bringing within the ADI Basis, an Abu Dhabi-based group based by Sirius Worldwide Holding, the digital arm of Worldwide Holding Firm. Global cryptocurrency trade MEXC and funds infrastructure firm Passpoint are additionally among the many business members. Collectively, the organizations symbolize a number of areas changing into more and more vital to Africa's digital asset financial system, together with cryptocurrency exchanges, institutional funding, stablecoins, funds and cross-border settlement. Stablecoins have change into notably vital throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the place companies and shoppers are more and more exploring dollar-linked digital property for remittances, funds, financial savings and cross-border transactions. The expansion of those cost rails has additionally created a bigger query for African governments: how to encourage monetary innovation whereas sustaining oversight of capital flows, client safety and monetary methods. Nairobi takes heart stage For Africa Blockchain Festival founder and convener Olubunmi Fabanwo, Kenya's altering digital asset setting is a part of the rationale Nairobi was chosen for the 2026 gathering. "We constructed ABF as a result of we noticed fragmentation, good innovators constructing in silos," Fabanwo mentioned. "Nairobi in 2026 is the place the capital, builders, and the individuals writing the principles lastly sit in the identical room, at precisely the second the principles have gotten actual." The competition was first held in Kigali, Rwanda, in November 2025, attracting greater than 1,600 members from over 20 international locations. In accordance to the organizers, the inaugural gathering featured greater than 60 audio system, over 20 exhibitors and representatives from greater than 20 regulatory and authorities establishments. Binance served because the title sponsor. This yr's program has been organized round three themes: Capital, Code and Continuity. The primary day will focus closely on funding, regulation and monetary infrastructure, bringing collectively traders, fintech executives, founders and policymakers. The second day shifts towards builders and expertise, with workshops, sensible contract demonstrations, startup pitches, hackathon actions and discussions across the intersection of blockchain, synthetic intelligence and Africa's creator financial system. The third day strikes away from the normal convention format with networking actions and curated experiences round Nairobi for chosen members. ABF has additionally been constructing a world viewers forward of the occasion via its Block & Chill roadshow, with activations throughout cities together with Nairobi, Lagos, Abuja, Dubai and Lisbon. Africa's crypto dialog is altering The Nairobi gathering comes as Africa's digital asset dialog more and more strikes past cryptocurrency buying and selling. Cross-border settlement, tokenization, stablecoins, simplified crypto entry and institutional adoption have gotten bigger components of the dialogue as exchanges, fintech firms and blockchain platforms compete for customers throughout the continent. East Africa is rising as an vital a part of that story. For firms akin to Inkryptus, which already has a lot of its person base within the area, its place as Title Sponsor offers the corporate a distinguished platform to join straight with customers, traders, builders and policymakers shaping the subsequent stage of Africa's digital asset market. For Kenya, the timing is especially vital. The nation is shifting into a brand new section by which excessive ranges of crypto adoption are more and more being matched by regulatory infrastructure meant to give digital asset companies clearer guidelines for working within the market. That mixture of customers, regulation, capital and digital infrastructure is making Nairobi an more and more vital assembly level for the businesses constructing Africa's digital asset financial system and the establishments figuring out how that financial system develops. For Partnership and collaboration, contact: [email protected] [email protected]

VALR launches 'Borrow': users can now access extra funds without selling crypto. Chainwire | Publish date: 08/25/2026 (Last updated: August 25, 2026 01:00 AM) Johannesburg, South Africa, August 25th, 2026, Chainwire VALR, Africa's leading crypto exchange and infrastructure provider, has announced the launch of Borrow, a new product that enables users to free up funds by using their crypto holdings as collateral, without having to sell their assets. Designed for both everyday crypto investors and corporate clients, Borrow provides a fast, flexible way to take out a loan against holdings such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other crypto assets. By using crypto to secure a loan rather than selling it, users maintain ownership of their assets and remain positioned for potential price growth. Upon borrowing, funds are instantly credited to the user's VALR account and can be traded across VALR's markets, converted to fiat currency, withdrawn, or spent with VALR Pay. Supported by VALR's institutional security standards and world-class custody solutions, the borrowing process is fully automated with zero credit checks or traditional paperwork. Instead, loan limits are calculated based on the value of the crypto selected as collateral and the risk profile of the asset. Users enjoy complete flexibility with no fixed repayment schedules or early settlement fees, allowing them to repay at their own pace or adjust their collateral as market conditions change. "Our goal with Borrow is simple: to give our users quick access to funds whenever they need them, without forcing them to sell the crypto they believe in," said Badi Sudhakaran, Chief Product Officer at VALR. "Whether you need funds to cover a short-term everyday expense, capture a new investment or yield opportunity, or manage business liquidity, Borrow provides a seamless bridge between long-term crypto asset ownership and immediate financial flexibility." The launch of Borrow further expands VALR's comprehensive product suite, which includes simple swaps, spot and margin trading, perpetual futures, staking, lending, VALR Pay, and OTC services. About VALR. Founded in 2018, headquartered in Johannesburg, and backed by leading investors including Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and Fidelity's F-Prime Capital, VALR is Africa's leading crypto exchange and infrastructure provider, offering a comprehensive suite of products, including Spot Trading, Spot Margin, Perpetual Futures, Staking, Lending, Borrowing, OTC services, VALR Invest, Crypto Bundles, and VALR Pay. Licensed by South Africa's FSCA, and with a provisional license from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, VALR serves over 1.9 million registered users and 1,900 corporate and institutional clients worldwide. VALR is dedicated to advancing a just financial future that upholds human dignity and the unity of mankind. For more information, visit valr.com. Risk Disclaimer Trading or investing in crypto assets is risky and may result in the loss of capital as the value may fluctuate. VALR (Pty) Ltd is a licensed financial services provider (FSP #53308). Borrowing crypto assets involves risk. Depending on market movements and your obligations under the applicable borrowing arrangements, you may incur losses and could lose some or all of the crypto assets or fiat currency provided as collateral. Borrowing services are provided by VALR Loans (Pty) Ltd (Registration Number 2020/658530/07 and NCR registration number NCRCP15447). Contact. VALR [email protected] Road Town, BVI, June 14th, 2025, ChainwireLBank Exchange, a... Milan, Italy, October 2nd, 2025, ChainwireCodego Group recently disclosed... Tel Aviv, Israel, 4th November, 2022, ChainwireWeb3 soccer game...