By Susie Violet Ward · Forbes · 5 December 2025
The African Bitcoin Conference in Mauritius brought together builders and educators working on tools for the financial problems people face across the continent. The World Bank reports that sub-Saharan Africa has the highest remittance costs in the world, typically between 7% and 12%, while inflation, unstable currencies and limited banking access continue to erode savings.
Lorraine Marcel of Bitcoin Dada said bitcoin first came to Africa through scams, making education central to rebuilding trust. Designer Mark Kamau described building for limited data, storage and electricity. The article covers circular bitcoin economies, offline services such as Machankura, the use of mining by Gridless to support rural microgrids and privacy tools such as Vexl. It also notes the UK’s recognition of bitcoin as a third category of property and the South African central bank’s interest in bringing self-custody bitcoin under exchange control rules.