Sub-Saharan Africa Becomes The Third-Fastest Growing Crypto Market as Retail Activity Accelerates

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November 15, 2025

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has emerged as the third-fastest-growing crypto region globally, according to recent Chainalysis data. Although the region remains the smallest crypto economy in absolute terms, its adoption patterns reveal meaningful insights into grassroots usage and the expanding integration of digital assets into everyday financial life.

In the 2025 Geography of crypto report, it revealed that between July 2024 and June 2025, SSA received over $205 billion in on-chain value, representing a robust 52% year-over-year increase. This growth places the region behind only APAC and Latin America in global adoption momentum.

A Surge Driven by Economic Pressures and Local Realities

In March 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a sharp spike in crypto activity, with monthly on-chain volumes reaching nearly $25 billion, a striking contrast to declining activity in most other regions at the time. This rise was primarily driven by Nigeria, following a sudden currency devaluation that pushed many users to seek crypto as a hedge against inflation.

The region is increasingly distinguishing itself as a strong retail market. Analysis of transfer sizes shows that SSA records a higher share of transactions under $10,000 than the global average. Between July 2024 and June 2025, over 8% of all value transferred in the region fell under this threshold, compared to 6% globally.

This trend reflects the region’s ongoing financial inclusion challenges. Despite rapid growth in mobile money, a significant share of the population remains unbanked—creating fertile ground for crypto as an alternative financial tool.

Institutional Activity Gaining Strength

Nigeria and South Africa, the region’s largest markets, continue to exhibit a strong institutional presence. Much of this activity is tied to the growing B2B payments sector, particularly cross-border transactions.

Stablecoins in particular are widely used in high-value transfers that support sectors like energy, merchant trade, and logistics, especially between Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Regular multimillion-dollar stablecoin flows point to crypto’s utility as a fast, reliable settlement layer where traditional financial systems are slow or fragmented.

Nigeria

Nigeria leads the region with over $92.1 billion in crypto value received, nearly three times that of South Africa. Its dominance is driven by:

A youthful, tech-savvy population
Persistent inflation
Restricted dollar access
Increasing reliance on stablecoins and bitcoin as financial hedging tools

South Africa

South Africa, on the other hand, stands out for its mature regulatory framework. With hundreds of licensed virtual asset service providers (VASPs), the country offers institutional players regulatory certainty and infrastructure to operate confidently.

Large-ticket transactions dominate the market, often influenced by arbitrage trading and other sophisticated strategies. Financial institutions—including Absa Bank—are developing crypto-focused offerings such as custody and stablecoin products, marking a shift from experimentation to formal product development.

Bitcoin Dominates in Asset Preferences

Crypto purchase patterns across centralized exchanges reveal striking trends:

In Nigeria, bitcoin accounts for 89% of fiat purchases.
In South Africa, bitcoin makes up 74%.

This suggests that bitcoin functions not only as an investment but also as a store of value and primary entry point for new crypto users in the region. Stablecoin adoption, especially USDT, is also more pronounced in Nigeria, where it accounts for 7% of fiat purchases. This reflects growing reliance on digital dollars amid unstable exchange rates and limited access to official FX.

South Africa, meanwhile, shows a higher share of XRP and ETH purchases, indicative of a more speculative, investment-driven user base with greater access to centralized exchanges.

A Region Redefining the Global Crypto Narrative

The analysis positions Sub-Saharan Africa as a critical proving ground for crypto’s practical utility. Beyond speculation, digital assets in the region function as adaptive tools that respond to inflation, currency instability, and financial exclusion.

The 52% growth rate signals a deeper transition underway. From Nigeria’s economic pressures to South Africa’s regulatory maturity, the region is demonstrating how crypto can evolve from an alternative investment to a strategic financial infrastructure.

Conclusion

Sub-Saharan Africa is not merely joining the global crypto revolution, it is reshaping it. The region’s blend of economic challenges, youthful demographics, mobile-first culture, and institutional innovation is accelerating a transformation in how digital assets are used.

As regulatory frameworks continue to solidify and institutional participation deepens, SSA is positioned to become a model for real-world crypto adoption, redefining digital finance from the ground up.

Tencent’s AI-Powered Third Quarter Delivers 15% Revenue Surge as Gaming and Cloud Expansion Strengthen Growth

By

Samuel Nwite

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November 15, 2025

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Tencent posted a strong third quarter on Thursday, delivering 15% year-on-year revenue growth as aggressive investments in artificial intelligence continued to reshape its advertising, gaming, and cloud businesses.

The Chinese tech giant said AI enhancements are already improving targeting, boosting game engagement, and accelerating internal production pipelines.

The company reported 192.9 billion Chinese yuan ($27.12 billion) in revenue for Q3 2025, beating the 189.2 billion yuan expected by analysts surveyed by LSEG. Operating profit rose to 63.6 billion yuan, also above the 58.01 billion yuan the market had forecast.

For a company long anchored in gaming and social entertainment, Tencent’s core business remained firm. Revenue from gaming, marketing, and social media services reached 95.9 billion yuan, a 16% increase from a year earlier, underscoring the strength of both its domestic and international content pipelines.

AI-powered games drive demand at home and abroad

In China, Tencent’s domestic gaming revenue climbed 15% year-on-year, driven by the recently released titles “Delta Force” and “VALORANT MOBILE.” The latter has already become “China’s most successful mobile game launch year-to-date,” the company said.

International gaming — Tencent’s fastest-growing segment in recent quarters — surged 43% to 20.8 billion yuan. The company pointed to strong performance from “Clash Royale” and “Dying Light: The Beast,” as well as higher contributions from Supercell’s catalogue and a new acquisition that helped extend Tencent’s global footprint.

The momentum reflects the company’s broader efforts to strengthen AI-enabled game development. Tencent said improvements in its AI foundation model are now being deployed across gameplay optimization, live-ops engagement, and production design.

“Our strategic investments in AI are benefitting us in business areas such as ad targeting and game engagement, as well as in efficiency enhancement areas such as coding, and game and video production,” CEO Ma Huateng said in the earnings release.

Cloud expansion and Europe ambitions

Tencent has been pushing deeper into cloud computing as part of its strategy to challenge established global providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. The company lifted capital expenditure earlier in the year to build out AI-ready data center capacity and accelerate its expansion into Europe, where regulatory pressure on U.S. tech giants has created fresh opportunities for cloud alternatives.

That strategy has had a visible payoff. The company reported higher cloud services revenue, citing increased demand for AI-related workloads as enterprises upgrade their digital infrastructure.

Tencent also noted continued improvement to HunYuan, its in-house foundational AI model. The update boosted its coding, math, and science reasoning abilities. The firm also confirmed it uses DeepSeek in some products, illustrating a hybrid model approach blending in-house and external AI technologies.

Payments and financial services lift fintech arm

The WeChat owner’s financial and business services division posted 58.2 billion yuan in revenue for the quarter, a 10% increase from a year earlier. Tencent attributed the rise to stronger commercial payments activity, higher consumer spending, and growth in digital loan services.

The company recently launched TenPay Global Checkout, a cross-border payment platform allowing selected Weixin merchants to receive funds from outside the Chinese mainland. The move expands Tencent’s reach in international e-commerce at a time when Chinese consumer platforms are increasingly seeking offshore payment channels.

Capex slows after heavy AI build-out

After front-loading spending earlier in the year to strengthen its AI and cloud capabilities, Tencent’s capital expenditures eased to 13 billion yuan in the third quarter. The company’s capex is heavily concentrated in IT infrastructure, including data centers, high-performance computing clusters, and AI training hardware.

The slowdown signals that Tencent is entering a phase of absorbing the infrastructure it built — even as demand for AI inference and cloud services continues to climb.

Stock surges nearly 57% this year

Tencent shares are up 56.7% year-to-date, a rally fueled by its resurgence in gaming, improvements in macro sentiment around China’s tech sector, and investor confidence in the company’s ability to commercialize its AI pipeline.

The Q3 numbers reinforce that pivot. Tencent’s ability to capture AI-driven efficiency gains while pushing deeper into cloud computing and global gaming places it among the few Chinese tech giants showing consistent, broad-based growth amid a challenging regulatory and economic backdrop.

With HunYuan gaining new capabilities, gaming hits rolling out on schedule, and European cloud expansion underway, Tencent’s Q3 report signals an AI-powered business that is scaling across nearly every major revenue line — and still gathering momentum.

Senate Pressures Finance Minister to Revisit 30% Capital Gains Tax as Market Losses Deepen

By

Samuel Nwite

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November 15, 2025

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Nigeria’s Senate has called on Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to urgently revisit the controversial 30 percent Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on large share sales after what began as a sharp selloff last week deepened into a broader market slump.

The uproar follows a massive N2 trillion loss first recorded in a single week—an episode analysts now say spiraled into a deeper slide that has wiped out over N4.6 trillion in value on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).

Analysts believe a significant part of the turmoil is tied to the newly passed Nigerian Tax Act 2025, which raises CGT on share disposals worth N150 million and above from 10 percent to 30 percent, with implementation slated for January 2026. The size of the tax jump and its timing are believed to have rattled both domestic and foreign investors, causing heavy selloffs across several blue-chip stocks.

Senator Osita Izunaso, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, addressed the issue head-on on Wednesday while presenting a paper titled “Redefining the Rules: The Investment and Securities Act 2025 and the Future of Nigeria’s Capital Market” at the Moneyline with Nancy Investment Forum 2025 in Abuja.

Izunaso said the sudden change in the tax regime had “unsettled investors,” leading to panic disposals that wiped out over N2 trillion within days.

Although multiple factors influence market movements, analysts say the timing of the selloffs closely mirrors the release of details about the new CGT regime, especially the proposed 30 percent rate on transactions above N150 million. They argue that foreign portfolio investors—already wary due to currency pressure, inflation, and patchy liquidity in the FX market—were spooked by the tax hike and accelerated their exit.

Izunaso acknowledged that the reform has introduced friction into a market that had begun recovering under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose administration he credited for stabilizing macroeconomic conditions and improving policy coherence.

But he cautioned that the CGT change risks reversing those gains. He remarked that the increase in Capital Gains Tax on share sales above N150 million is worrisome and has created understandable concern among investors.

He underlined that taxation is essential for revenue generation but warned that poorly timed fiscal changes can erode confidence.

“While taxation is essential for revenue generation, it is equally critical that fiscal measures do not inadvertently undermine investors’ confidence or discourage long-term capital formation,” he said.

Senate to open talks with Finance Ministry

Izunaso said the Senate Committee on Capital Market would engage Finance Minister Wale Edun with an appeal to explore “a mechanism to address this concern” and safeguard both domestic and foreign investor confidence. He emphasized that certain provisions in the new tax law allow for ministerial discretion regarding commencement dates.

“We are aware that the new law is supposed to commence by January 2026. But we are suggesting that there are some provisions of that Act that require the commencement to begin only when the Honorable Minister of Finance advises the Executive. I think this is one of those things that should not commence on January 1, because it is already affecting the market,” he said.

Lawmakers believe delaying implementation could help stabilize sentiment, allow more consultation with market stakeholders, and prevent further capital flight.

Beyond domestic concerns, analysts say foreign investors reacted sharply to the news for several reasons:

• Large investors often structure exits months in advance, and a sudden jump from 10 percent to 30 percent on significant share disposals alters portfolio strategies overnight.

• Foreign funds, which had slowly begun trickling back into Nigeria after FX reforms, viewed the CGT increase as evidence of fiscal unpredictability.

• Heavy positions in tier-one banks and industrial stocks were unwound as global funds moved to reprice Nigeria-related risk.

The result, according to several market operators, was a swift contraction that accelerated losses from around N2 trillion to over N4.6 trillion within days, pulling the NGX All-Share Index off recent highs and eroding 2025 gains across multiple sectors.

Government officials offer clarifications

Amid the backlash, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, clarified that the new CGT will not apply retroactively. He explained that the reform includes:

• a cost basis reset, and
• a grandfathering clause

…ensuring gains accumulated before 2026 are preserved, and the 30 percent tax will apply only to new gains realized after the effective date.

Finance Minister Wale Edun has also stressed that the Federal Government will adopt a cautious and consultative approach in rolling out the new laws, acknowledging concerns about the capital market component of the reform.

He signaled willingness to refine guidelines and transition rules to avoid unintended shocks.

The coming weeks may determine whether the government leans toward a delay, amendment, or full rollout of the 30 percent CGT. For now, the market remains volatile, with analysts warning that without quick intervention, investor sentiment could deteriorate further.

The NGX, which had shown renewed activity and higher listing appetite in 2023 and 2024, is now grappling with the risk that the tax reform could slow capital formation, deter long-term equity investments, and push foreign funds to competing African markets with lower transaction taxes.

Izunaso’s push signals that the Senate recognizes the risk and is preparing to press the Executive for adjustments before more value evaporates.

For investors, the pressing question is whether Abuja will act fast enough to stop the bleeding — or whether the market will need months to recover from a tax shock that hasn’t even taken effect yet.

Tekedia AI Lab Begins Today, Nov 15 [Register Now]

By

Ndubuisi Ekekwe

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November 15, 2025

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Tekedia AI Lab program comes with rich technical manuals and videos, organized in four modules:

Understanding AI and AI Agents [theory], and Deploying Agents in Tekedia server [Lab]
Deploying Agents in Local Machines (e.g. laptops and PCs) [Lab]
Vibecoding and Building Agents with Prompts [Lab]
Deployment in Custom domain and Personal VPS server [Lab]

From AI Invention to AI Acceleration: The Journey to Enterprise Transformation

If your artificial intelligence (AI) deployment has not improved your enterprise intelligence, it means you are still operating at the inventive phase of AI where technology functions as a tool, not a transformer. At that level, AI helps you run the business, but not rethink it.

However, when your AI begins to deepen your enterprise intelligence, helping you see patterns, make strategic shifts, and unlock new value, then AI is no longer just running your company; it is transforming it. And transformation happens only when the business model, the very logic through which a firm captures value in the marketplace, is redesigned.

At Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass and Tekedia AI Technical Lab, we guide innovators, professionals, and institutions to move from AI Invention to AI Innovation, and then to AI Acceleration where technology becomes the new engine of business growth and value capture.

A new edition begins on Saturday, Nov 15. I invite you to register and join us as we co-learn how to build the future with AI: https://school.tekedia.com/course/ailab/

While XRP Waits on ETFs and Ethereum Updates Legacy Code, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) Opens Whitelist

By

TI Partners

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November 14, 2025

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Institutional catalysts, network capacity, and launch-model fairness are becoming decisive factors in crypto’s next growth cycle. This analysis compares XRP, currently driven by ETF speculation, with Ethereum, the long-standing leader in smart contracts, and introduces Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a project built natively for scale and fairness.

By exploring chart formations, system design, and token-distribution frameworks, we’ll assess which project may define the upcoming era of digital infrastructure. While XRP and Ethereum rely heavily on external upgrades and regulatory signals, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) architecture brings fresh momentum with user-centric economics and verifiable compute as its foundation.

XRP Depends on Regulatory Decisions

The XRP chart breakout narrative has intensified as the asset oscillates between $2.19 and $2.64 heading into late 2025. Much of its potential hinges on the long-anticipated ETF approval, which could push XRP toward the $4.00 mark or beyond. However, this optimism is tempered by the binary nature of its catalyst. Without a regulatory green light, XRP may remain locked in consolidation.

The token’s core use case in cross-border settlement remains intact, yet its growth remains dependent on institutional decisions rather than organic utility. For traders, XRP’s near-term outlook is more about timing than transformation. This makes it a high-risk, event-driven play rather than a foundational growth ecosystem. For those seeking the top crypto to buy with more predictable fundamentals, this dependency creates uncertainty.

Ethereum Battles Its Own Legacy

Ethereum’s price prediction continues to center around a $3,800 to $4,000 band by mid-2026, supported by DeFi and NFT dominance. Yet, its legacy architecture and reliance on Layer-2 rollups highlight persistent scaling challenges. The planned roadmap upgrades from Danksharding to execution layer optimizations could enhance throughput, but may take years to fully realize.

Ethereum remains the largest crypto project by developer participation and institutional adoption, but this scale comes with inertia. Competing networks are launching without historical baggage, offering immediate performance advantages. While ETH retains its central role in decentralized finance, investors seeking higher velocity innovation may increasingly turn to newer systems engineered for native efficiency. The question of whether Ethereum remains the top crypto to buy becomes more complex as alternatives emerge.

Zero Knowledge Proof Synchronizes Everything

Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) positions itself as the largest crypto project by design scope, integrating scalability, transparency, and verifiable compute into one coherent system. Instead of speculative tokenomics or delayed utility, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) launches with everything synchronized on Day 1 of its presale auction. This includes its on-chain auction model, Proof Pods, and real-time earning dashboard.

Its Initial Coin Auction (ICA) replaces traditional ICO pricing with a proportional, transparent mechanism that distributes 200 million ZKP coins every 24 hours based on contributions. This ensures fair access and removes private-round advantages. In parallel, Proof Pods, which are plug-and-play devices, perform decentralized AI computation. They validate tasks and earn ZKP tied to daily auction prices.

This architecture fuses user participation with network growth. Contributors provide capital through auctions, operators supply compute power, and all rewards remain verifiable on-chain. Backed by $100 million in development and $20 million in infrastructure, the Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) foundation is already built and awaiting activation.

Analysts forecast a potential 100x to 10,000x ROI as value accrues through real utility, not speculation. Many view this as a strong candidate for the top crypto to buy in 2025. The whitelist is open now, giving early participants the only chance to secure guaranteed entry before the presale’s Day 1.

Verifiable Compute Beats Empty Promises

While XRP relies on regulatory timing and Ethereum refines its legacy architecture, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) redefines participation through compute-based fairness and verifiable value. For investors seeking early-stage access to a transparent, privacy-first network, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) represents a distinct evolution, not a variation.

It blends real-world utility with equitable distribution, aligning contributors and operators from the start. As the whitelist remains open now, those who secure access early could stand at the foundation of crypto’s next major infrastructure layer. This is one built for users, not intermediaries. For those evaluating the top crypto to buy based on preparation and fairness, Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) offers a compelling alternative to speculation-driven assets.

Find Out More About Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP):

Website: zkp.com

Sub-Saharan Africa Becomes The Third-Fastest Growing Crypto Market as Retail Activity Accelerates