Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin gains traction in West Africa with educational drive
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/bitcoin-gains-traction-in-west-africa-with-educational-drive_64e75eb6e963f.jpeg)
Bitcoin (BTC) adoption in West Africa is dominated by Nigeria, the crypto powerhouse and the region’s economic engine. But against a backdrop of anti-French sentiment, Bitcoin educational efforts are also bubbling away in French-speaking West Africa.
Senegal recently opened its first physical Bitcoin exchange and education center called Bitique, and the country of 17 million people will host another Bitcoin Forum in the capital, Dakar, in December, where pseudonymous local Bitcoin advocate, known as Nourou, runs an independent Bitcoin node beamed from space.
In Benin, a country of 13 million people to the west of Nigeria, the Bitcoin-only Bitcoin Mastermind conference takes place next month. The first of its kind in the country, Bitcoin Mastermind unites Bitcoin entrepreneurs and crypto enthusiasts from homegrown groups and businesses such as Izichange, GoesPay and Flash, and it offers locals a space to learn about Bitcoin.
Cointelegraph spoke with Nourou, the founder of Dakar Bitcoin Days and Bitcoin Senegal, and Loïc Kassamoto, the founder of Bitcoin Mastermind, to better understand the Bitcoin and West African crypto evolution — or revolution.
A rising tide lifts all boats
Countries in French-speaking West Africa are subjected to the West African CFA franc currency, described by the Economist as a “colonial hangover.” The Senegalese are vocal in their criticism of the currency, with some Bitcoin advocates, such as local crypto enthusiast and entrepreneur Mama Bitcoin, explaining that it’s pretty normal to complain about the currency — an implicit criticism of post-colonial French policy in the region.
Anti-French sentiment has historically existed in the region but has recently manifested in public demonstrations. Neighboring Mali recently dropped French as the nation’s official language — a law in place since the country won its independence in 1960.
In Niger, to the east of Mali and north of Nigeria, a recent military coup represented a significant setback for French President Emmanuel Macron and France’s military strategy in the region. Well-known French newspaper Le Monde commented that the coup was a “new heavy blow” for France’s military strategy in Niger’s Sahel region.
A groundswell of alternative currency initiatives is occurring across French-speaking West Africa. Growing numbers of Senegalese are turning to Bitcoin as a savings tool and a means of exchange, while in Benin, Bitcoin Mastermind’s Kassamoto told Cointelegraph the number of Beninois turning to Bitcoin is also on the up.
Magazine: Bitcoin in Senegal: Why is this African country using BTC?
In the West, much financial discussion and education tends to take place online. However, the emphasis in West African countries is on physical meetups and real-life interaction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nourou said that discussions about Bitcoin and money were transferred and confined to online platforms such as ClubHouse and X (formerly Twitter), but more and more physical spaces have opened up post-pandemic.
![](https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2023-08/99b89f6f-0f59-494e-a67c-bddd1eb4c0ef.png)
Indeed, as Kassamoto explains, one of the keys to unlocking deeper levels of financial education and demonstrating how West Africans could use a decentralized currency such as Bitcoin is through interactions in the real world:
“Bitcoin conferences, meetups and shops provide opportunities for education, outreach and direct interaction. Conferences and meetups bring the community together, share knowledge and exchange experiences.”
Norou opened Bitique, which is Dakar’s first physical Bitcoin store for buying and selling cryptocurrency. He explained that in addition to trading services, there will also be educational programs for people to learn about Bitcoin in person: “Training courses will be around 10,000 francs [$16] for two or even three hours of training.”
The in-person training goes hand in hand with a series of classroom sessions that Bitcoin Senegal conducts nationwide called the “Baol Digital Kids” program, which teaches kids how to use Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.
@SeckIdrissa, un membre actif de notre communauté, vient d’animer une session de sensibilisation sur la thématique Bitcoin/cryptomonnaies à de jeunes enfants, lors du “Baol Digital Kids” organisé par @xaralatech.
Une initiative à encourager et à soutenir pic.twitter.com/aX4u9kVFoz— ₿itcoin Sénégal (@bitcoin_sen) August 11, 2023
The kids in the video who received and sent their first satoshis via the layer-2 Lightning Network can spend the money at a growing number of merchants listed on the open-source Bitcoin tool BTCmap.org. In just 18 months, Dakar has developed from one small Bitcoin office to tens of artisans, restaurants and cafés accepting the cryptocurrency.
Nourou recently received a Blockstream Satellite kit, which, once set up, will allow him to run a Bitcoin node that will be protected against network interruptions. The internet service can sometimes be patchy and unreliable in West Africa. According to Blockstream, the satellite kit ensures that any connected Bitcoin full node “will not be isolated or partitioned,” with blocks streaming continuously for the node to verify.
Across a few borders in Benin, Kassamoto, along with his peers, runs what he believes to be one of Benin’s first Bitcoin nodes.
8GB of Ram and using the Ubuntu process from Umbrel and bim we became probably one of the first to run a Bitcoin node in Benin
We’ll share more experience about this soon.
— Loïc Kassamoto (@Loicbtc) January 24, 2023
He explains that Bitcoin adoption has increased, but it comes with risks due to its association with crypto:
“Bitcoin adoption in West Africa is greatly helped and hindered by cryptocurrencies.”
Kassamoto said that the money-making side of crypto attracts more and more people into the “crypto universe,” but crypto scams, loss and rug pulls taint Bitcoin’s appeal. The promise of crypto riches drawing noobies into Bitcoin is not necessarily good.
“It’s toxic for Bitcoin because these people are very quickly disappointed with their loss and associate it with Bitcoin because they haven’t even had time to understand the difference between the two,” he said.
Kassamoto said that “Bitcoin, not crypto,” is what the West African community should understand.
There are more Bitcoin meetups and, therefore, more opportunities to demonstrate what many Bitcoin exchanges and thought leaders have preached for some time: that there could be a difference between Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto market.
Related: Worldcoin cryptocurrency project suspended in Kenya
The Central African Republic, which made headlines in 2022 for adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, was elevated and then dropped by large swathes of the Bitcoin community. After adopting Bitcoin, it announced its own crypto token, Sango Coin, while the country is now experimenting with tokenizing real-world assets such as farmland.
In Ghana, to the east of Benin, another large Bitcoin and educational conference will occur this year. Strike CEO Jack Mallers and Human Rights Foundation chief strategy officer Alex Gladstein will speak as part of a Bitcoin educational drive in West Africa.
Cryptocurrency
Ripple v. SEC Lawsuit Updates, Cardano (ADA) Price Predictions, and More: Bits Recap Feb 7
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ripple-v-sec-lawsuit-updates-cardano-ada-pricepredictions-and-more-bits-recap-feb-7_67a5fd39846fc.jpeg)
TL;DR
- The legal battle between Ripple and the SEC continues, but recent changes in the regulator’s leadership may favor the company.
- Analysts predict a parabolic rally for Cardano (ADA), with strong fundamentals and rising adoption signaling a possible breakout despite recent price declines.
- Whales accumulated 750 million DOGE during the dip, and analysts see $0.17 as a potential bottom before a major price surge.
More Changes at the SEC
Over the past few years, Ripple secured some vital partial court wins that seemingly positioned the regulator as the underdog in the legal tussle. Most recently, the SEC enforced some amendments to its leadership, which could also be interpreted as good news for the company.
As CryptoPotato reported, the agency moved Jorge Tenreiro to its computer systems management department. The law expert joined the agency 11 years ago and signed the SEC’s notice of appeal in its case against Ripple.
The plea was submitted in October last year, challenging Judge Torres’ 2023 decision. At that time, she ruled that Ripple’s sales of XRP to retail investors through centralized exchanges did not violate securities regulations.
Earlier this year, the SEC’s former Chairman, Gary Gensler, stepped down. The agency had a quite hostile approach towards the cryptocurrency industry during his tenure, and somewhat expectedly, the XRP community cheered his resignation.
His role was succeeded by Mark Uyeda, who is pro-crypto and even criticized the SEC’s previous leadership for launching a war on the sector.
ADA Bull Run in the Cards?
Cardano’s native token suffered the consequences of the market decline at the start of the business week and is currently deep in the red on a 7-day scale, trading at approximately $0.71 (per CoinGecko’s data).
However, many industry participants believe a fresh resurgence could be just around the corner. Such is the case with Ali Martinez, who observed ADA’s performance in the past years and assumed that it might be “at the very beginning of a monster parabolic rally.”
The X user Lucky was also bullish, telling his over 2 million followers on the social media platform that “strong fundamentals and rising adoption make Cardano a solid bet before the next big move.”
DOGE Price Predictions
Last but not least, we will touch upon the OG meme coin – Dogecoin (DOGE). Similar to ADA, it has also sank by double digits in the past week, but some factors signal a potential reversal.
Martinez recently disclosed that whales accumulated 750 million tokens during the correction, describing the move as “a strong sign of confidence in the market.”
For their part, the X users AMCrypto and KALEO outlined predictions for the near future. The former envisioned a potential decline to as low as $0.17 before a bull run to a new all-time high.
KALEO claimed that the current price level of $0.25 is “a solid entry and practically free compared to where we’ll see it a few months from now.”
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Cryptocurrency
Berachain Community Members Show Mix Reactions Following BERA Airdrop
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/berachain-community-members-show-mix-reactions-followingbera-airdrop_67a5fd2e799c3.jpeg)
The Berachain team has finally released BERA airdrops to community members following the successful launch of the proof-of-liquidity layer-1 network.
However, the airdrops have received mixed reactions from community members, with users complaining that the allocation to certain groups was not fair.
BERA Airdrop Allocations
According to the Berachain tokenomics and airdrop overview, market participants eligible for the airdrops include testnet users, community members who deposited capital in the Boyco program, and holders of Berachain ecosystem non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Additionally, Binance Coin (BNB) holders, strategic partners, successful recipients of the Request for Broposal programs, holders of the Bong Bears NFTs who bridge their collectibles to Berachain, and users who constructively engaged with Berachain on X and Discord are eligible.
The Berachain Foundation, a non-profit organization piloting the affairs of the layer-1 network, allocated 1.65% BERA to testnet users, 2.35% BERA to Request for Broposal recipients, 2% to Boyco depositors, and 0.25% to X and Discord commentators. Holders of Berachain ecosystem NFTs received 0.25% of the amount, while the Berachain Foundation allocated 6.9% BERA to Bong Bears NFT holders. Strategic partners have been given 0.4% BERA, while BNB holders are to receive 2% BERA.
Notably, the airdrop makes up 15.75% of Berachain’s 500 million total supply. Although 107.48 million tokens are currently in circulation, the remaining will be released according to a linear vesting schedule over the next three years.
Mixed Reaction From Community
Berachain community members on X are complaining that the airdrop allocations are not fair. Some insist it is not right for testnet users, who have engaged with the network for years, to receive way fewer tokens than Bong Bears NFT holders. Some users revealed that they received substantial allocations, while others said they got none despite consistently interacting with the protocol over time.
Although pseudonymous Berachain co-founder Smokey the Bera explained that it is nearly impossible to target people perfectly during airdrops, community members are still voicing their grievances in the comment section. The pseudonymous crypto trader Jarzombek asserted that Smokey and the Berachain team members “rugged the most loyal community” by allocating 0.25% to holders of ecosystem NFTs.
Amid this chaos, the price of BERA has corrected a bit after rallying 1,346% to $14.46 after launch. Data from CoinMarketCap shows the token changing hands at $7.36 at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, the Berachain ecosystem has three main tokens: BERA, BGT, and HONEY. BERA is the native gas and staking token of the network, BGT is for governance and economic incentives, while HONEY is the chain’s native stablecoin.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Cryptocurrency
3 Reasons That Ripple (XRP) Is Preparing for a Major Rally
![](https://letizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3-reasons-that-ripple-xrp-is-preparing-for-a-majorrally_67a5fd2882392.jpeg)
TL;DR
- Spot XRP ETF filings from well-known financial players could boost institutional and retail investment in the asset if approved.
- Whales accumulated millions of tokens during the dip, and the RSI briefly dropped below 30, suggesting a potential price rebound.
The Potential Catalysts
Ripple’s XRP did not start the business week on the right foot, briefly tanking below $2 during the market correction witnessed on February 3. In the following days, the bulls reclaimed some lost ground, but the price remains deep in the red on a weekly scale, currently trading at around $2.37 (per CoinGecko’s data).
Despite the bearish environment, some essential factors hint that a move to the upside could be incoming. On February 6, Cboe BZX Exchange lodged 19b-4 filings on behalf of Canary Capital, WisdomTree, 21Shares, and Bitwise. The well-known asset managers seek to list the first spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the USA.
The filings represent a formal request submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agency must approve or reject the application, often within 240 days.
A potential green light would grant American investors additional options to gain exposure to Ripple’s native token, which could create upward pressure on its price.
The whales’ activity is another factor worth observing. The popular X user Ali Martinez revealed that large investors had accumulated 520 million XRP (worth over $1.2 billion at current rates) during the latest dip.
Whales seized the opportunity during the recent dip, buying 520 million $XRP! pic.twitter.com/v2Lu4uBMgm
— Ali (@ali_charts) February 6, 2025
Such actions reduce the circulating supply of the asset, possibly setting the stage for a rally (should demand keep its level or rise).
Last but not least, we will focus on XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which measures the speed and change of price movements. The technical analysis tool varies from 0 to 100, with readings below 30 indicating oversold conditions and a potential for a bounce. Earlier this week, the ratio plunged below the bullish mark, currently set at around 35.
Bonus: Garlinghouse and Trump
The president of the USA, Donald Trump, started his second term at the White House with a bang, signing numerous executive orders and doubling down on his focus on the cryptocurrency industry. He reportedly plans to establish a crypto advisory council that may be comprised of some well-known names.
One of the people who could find a place there is Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse. The advisors’ main role will be to design a comprehensive regulatory framework for the sector and work closely with Trump and David Sacks (whom the president tapped to serve as cryptocurrency and AI “czar”).
Garlinghouse’s possible connection with the White House could have a significant impact on Ripple’s native token. He might advocate for clearer regulations surrounding the asset, which has faced scrutiny from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for years.
Ripple’s CEO and the American president have shown a close connection to each other, having a dinner meeting at the Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this year.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
- Forex3 years ago
Forex Today: the dollar is gaining strength amid gloomy sentiment at the start of the Fed’s week
- Forex2 years ago
Unbiased review of Pocket Option broker
- Forex3 years ago
How is the Australian dollar doing today?
- Forex2 years ago
Dollar to pound sterling exchange rate today: Pound plummeted to its lowest since 1985
- Cryptocurrency3 years ago
What happened in the crypto market – current events today
- World2 years ago
Why are modern video games an art form?
- Commodities3 years ago
Copper continues to fall in price on expectations of lower demand in China
- Forex2 years ago
The dollar is down again against major world currencies