Category: Blockchain Technology
Entrepreneurs! Applications for the Africa Blockchain Incubation Program are open!
The Africa Blockchain Incubation Program is focused on grooming African Blockchain StartUps, to spark creativity and ideas implementation around Distributed Ledger Technologies, insufficiently present in the Local Innovation and Entrepreneurship Landscape of Egypt and Zimbabwe. Qualified candidates will be nurtured through a structured 4-Month course of Workshops, Training, Development, Mentor Sessions and Community Events, through […]
Zimbos were creating money on EcoCash, OneMoney and telecash using blockchain tech – RBZ governor. And more revelations
The RBZ governor, Dr John Panonetsa Mangudya sat down for an interview with Trevor Ncube. We talked about what was said in the first part of the interview here. Now, we continue with the story and get to the meat of the interview, in my opinion. I feel I must warn you that if you […]
Zimbocash now has mobile app and they also rolled out 2FA
Zimbocash, the company that is pushing to be Zimbabwe’s “sound money solution”, has finally launched a mobile application on Android. The launch of the app has taken a bit of time and was something that I thought might be a bit far off after the crypto went down last year because the team at Zimbocash […]
UNICEF & Impact Hub Hre testing Guta, a blockchain nutrition system for schools
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), City of Harare Nutrition Unit and Impact Hub Harare are prototyping an application called Guta. The app is a blockchain solution that will help children and schools improve nutritional standards. “After a long year of planning around many lockdowns, building the technology and working with the Ministry […]
Breaking down cryptos, potential regulation & opportunities in the Zimbabwean context
We held a Twitter Space breaking down a study that was done by The Zimbabwe Blockchain Technology Think Tank called “Towards Virtual Asset Regulation and Adoption of Blockchain Technology in Zimbabwe’s Context”. The think tank itself comprised of Hon Advocate Fortune Chasi, MP Dr Solomon Guramatunhu, MBChB, Opththamology Dr Immaculate Motsi-Omoijiade, PHD (she/her) Cryptocurrency Prosper […]
[Download] Towards Virtual Assets Regulation and Adoption of Blockchain Technologies in Zimbabwe’s Context
Cryptocurrencies and Zimbabwe have been water and oil since the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) banned traditional financial institutions from conducting business with crypto exchanges. Many have made the argument that cryptos and blockchain technology could be one of the solutions that could help Zimbabwe in its economic strife. We have advocated for the adoption […]
ZASH: Much ado about nothing
One Thursday morning in sunny October Zimbabweans woke up to find that the cryptocurrency that they had been stacking up by spamming links in WhatsApp groups had finally taken off and was now in orbit. In crypto-land we call it ‘to the moon’ and ZASH (the cryptocurrency for the ‘decentralised currency for Zimbabwe’) had made […]
Local startup AfriBlocks to co-host US-based blockchain summit
Local freelance startup and the first Zimbabwean startup to be selected for US-based incubator, Afriblocks, will be co-hosting the 2021 Black Blockchain Summit. The conference will be held over three days starting from the 24th of September in Washington DC (and beamed virtually). “We are excited to co-host such a major event. This summit is […]
Prof. Mthuli Ncube continues to ignore local crypto startups
It might appear as if I am stalking Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube but some of the things he has said recently have been concerning. Last week Prof. Mthuli Ncube toured a Dubai Crypto Hub and tweeted that he had found a way to make remittances cheaper while there. Now, if you have been around Techzim […]
Mthuli Ncube’s tour of Dubai crypto hub shows govt isn’t aware of local startups
Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube yesterday put out a tweet saying he had visited the DMCC Crypto Centre in Dubai. If you have never heard the name DMCC before, the firm offers a number of services among them cryptographic blockchain, and distributed ledger technologies. I visited the DMCC CRYPTO CENTRE in Dubai, which is a […]
Election integrity, music royalties & other use cases for cryptos and blockchain technology
Part two of our discussion on the benefits of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology is a more focused one. In this episode, we look at the use cases for the blockchain and cryptos that go beyond financial services. And I was joined yet again by Financial Services Lawyer and Blockchain Technology Analyst, Prosper Mwedzi. You can […]
Bitcoin price fluctuations and how Zim is being lapped in the crypto adoption race
Bitcoin and altcoin price fluctuation is a complex topic to get to the bottom of. There are a number of factors that influence their price. Some factors are apparent while others are in the realm of speculation. To shed light on what causes the dips and peaks in the price of Bitcoin we were joined […]
Digital Korokoza: The dark side of crypto mining
It’s diamonds that are forever, not your computer hardware. A few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a 5-minute voice note from an enterprising young man that I know from my local church. The Chemical Engineering graduate innocently elaborated his plan of crypto mining on any high-powered computer I may own. Essentially, […]
Zim becomes the first in Africa to roll out E-Livestock’s cattle logging system
Our teapot shaped country has become the first nation in Africa to roll out E-livestock‘s blockchain cattle tracing system. The solution which is powered by Mastercard’s Blockchain-based Provenance solution allows Zimbabwean farmers to log the records of cattle sold across the country. “Mastercard’s Provenance solution can safely and securely track the authenticity of the cattle’s […]
Edward Snowden’s first NFT sells for more than US$5 million as the seeming madness continues
Art gone digital
Local blockchain startup among World Bank’s Mission Billion Challenge finalists
I would not be totally surprised if you have never heard of the Mission Billion Challenge. I myself had not heard of it until yesterday, when Victor Mapunga reached out to me, explaining that the company he co-founded and is currently CEO of was one of the finalists of this competition. After exchanging a couple […]
ZIMBOCASH activates payment platform – 13 000 transactions in first 48hrs
A month ago, ZIMBOCASH (ZASH) listed their cryptocurrency on Bithumb Global. In our article on the listing, one of the questions we raised was where people getting the crypto would actually use the currency. A press release from ZASH yesterday suggests they are taking strides to address that. On Monday, ZIMBOCASH enabled peer-to-peer payments using […]
Nespresso Using Blockchain Tech In Tracking Origins Of Zim Coffee
3 years ago, Nespresso announced the Reviving Origins program with the goal of restoring coffee agriculture in regions affected by conflict, climate and political issues. Zim is one of the beneficiaries of this program and has been part of the initiative since its inception. The blockchain platform traces the AAA Sustainable coffee from farms in Zimbabwe […]
Can Blockchain Offer A Better Alternative To EcoCash’s Agent Problem?
It has been an interesting yet unsurprising past couple of weeks for Zimbabwe’s most popular mobile money firm EcoCash. The company has been in a row with the Central Bank which has claimed loopholes in the EcoCash platform have driven up currency exchange rates and devalued local currency – one of the major issues is […]
ZIMBOCASH Lists Cryptocurrency Token, Wants To Be Alternative To ZW$
Earlier this week, ZIMBOCASH – a local decentralised cryptocurrency- listed their token ZASH on Bithumb Global (a cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in South Korea). In marketing material, ZIMBOCASH is marketing the ZASH token as a replacement alternative to Zimbabwe’s flailing Zimbabwe Dollar. A total of 4.5 billion ZASH tokens have been created with 950 million currently […]
Fintech Partnering With Zimbabwean Bank To Issue Gold-Backed Digital Currency Shares More Details
A few weeks ago, we reported on the then-impending agreement between Apollo Fintech and the government on what we were hearing would be a gold-backed digital currency. Since publishing that story we’ve stayed in touch with Apollo Fintech patiently waiting for any update they had on that front and they’ve finally shared a bit more […]
Zim Government To Partner With Fintech To Issue Gold-Backed Digital Currency
There’s a widespread belief that the Zimbabwean government along with other African states will be announcing Apollo Fintech as their partner in launching digital currencies. Rumours are the coin will be gold-backed and the CEO of Apollo Fintech recently confirmed they are working with a country on a gold-backed coin: We have gotten a large […]
UEFA To Distribute 1 Million Tickets Via Blockchain This Year
UEFA has announced that tickets for this year’s EURO 2020 tournament will be distributed via a blockchain-based mobile application to improve and enhance the security and efficiency of the match experience for fans attending the games. The reason they are taking such an approach is that they believe they can stomp out duplicate tickets by […]
Blockchain Could Be Used In African Countries To Prevent Corruption – WEF Head Of Blockchain
The World Economic Forum’s Head of Blockchain Sheila Warren was recently interviewed by Biznews and in that interview, she talked about some of the advantages Africa has when it comes to adoption of Blockchain along with some use cases unique to the continent. Warren said blockchain could help with corruption after the interviewer suggested that […]
Utopia Peer-to-peer Ecosystem: Find A New Freedom
If the term “Big Brother” has been around for more than thirty years, it is even more current these days. Any click, any search, any purchase, any ad are recorded to create a profile of you that can at best be used to expose you to ads and content relevant to your interests and, at […]
RBZ Clarifies On Treatment Of Nostro Accounts & Forex Cash Withdrawals
RBZ has issued a comprehensive clarification on the treatment of nostro accounts and forex cash withdrawals. Here’s the statement: Quick NetOne, Econet, And Telecel Airtime Recharge Number to recharge: Airtime amount ($): EcoCash or OneMoney number: Buy Please dial our USSD code *405# on your phone to buy airtime because this page will not work. […]
VISA & Mastercard No Longer As Enthusiastic About Being Part Of Facebook’s Libra Crypto
It’s well documented that since the announcement of Libra a few months ago, very few political leaders have come out in support of the idea. If anything most political leaders are pretty apprehensive about leaving Facebook to go ahead with plans to form a global cryptocurrency unchecked. These political uneasiness has spread to partners of […]
Ugandan Government Warns Citizens To Avoid Cryptos
African governments are often derided for their use of applying similar methods (which are ineffective most times) when faced with problems. Like many-an-African government Ugandan leadership has come out and warned citizens against use of cryptocurrencies. The Finance Minister in Uganda has declared that the government doesn’t recognize cryptocurrencies and won’t be held responsible if […]
Netone Launched It’s Own Bureau De Change And Here’s What You Need To Know
It’s official, Bureau De Changes are latest profit centres for Mobile Network Operators (MNO). Why? Netone is the newest MNO to launch a Bureau De Change service after Econet did the same. Netone launched it’s Bureau De change just a week after Econet launched a mobile Bureau De Change. However, Netone’s Bureau De Change is […]
Calibra -Crypto Wallet- For Storing Facebook’s Libra Currency Coming In 2020
Facebook unexpectedly announced their digital currency -Libra- yesterday. Whilst there are many details regarding the currency itself, the crypto wallet for holding Libra hasn’t gotten as much coverage. Calibra is said to be launching in 2020 and the website suggests that it will be integrated with other Facebook apps, namely WhatsApp and Messenger. It’s not […]