Luno, Zapper Partner for Crypto Payments at 31,000 Merchants

South African crypto exchange Luno has partnered with Zapper to enable crypto payments at over 31,000 merchants. This partnership aims to expand crypto’s use beyond investment and into daily transactions. The partnership is part of a broader trend in South Africa, with other exchanges like Valr and supermarkets like Pick n Pay also accepting crypto … Read more

South African Financial Sector Regulator Declares Crypto Assets a Financial Product

According to a general notice published in a government gazette, crypto assets are now treated as financial products under South Africa’s Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act. Declaration of the crypto assets as financial products means crypto asset service providers (CASP), such as exchanges, must apply for a license. Declaration Applicable to Any Digital … Read more

South African Banking Regulator: ‘De-risking’ Crypto Firms Potentially Creates ‘Opacity in Financial Conduct’

According to the latest guidance note issued by the South African banking sector regulator, Prudential Authority, risk assessment does not mean financial institutions should avoid or eliminate risks via the wholesale termination of client relationships with entities such as crypto asset service providers. Instead, the regulator wants financial institutions to only consider “de-risking” when the … Read more

South African Crypto Exchange Valr Raises $50 Million in Series B Funding Round

South African cryptocurrency exchange Valr announced recently that it has raised $50 million in a Series B round led by Pantera Capital. The capital raise means Valr is now valued at a reported $240 million. Funds Raised to Finance Valr’s Expansion Into Other Markets The South African cryptocurrency exchange, Valr, recently announced that it raised … Read more

Valr Becomes Latest South African Exchange to Exit Crypto Arbitrage Market

Crypto exchange Valr has announced it has closed its crypto arbitrage service to new customers in order to comply with the requirements of its banking partner. This announcement makes Valr the latest South African crypto exchange platform to close its arbitrage business. Ovex was one of the first exchanges to announce its exit from the … Read more

Report: Tweaks to South African Tax Filing System to Result in Decreased Crypto Arbitrage

Reports from South Africa suggest that tax authorities have plugged a loophole on the online tax filing system that enabled crypto arbitrage traders to make several purchases on overseas cryptocurrency platforms using just one approval. As a consequence of these tweaks, crypto arbitrage traders are now forced to make a new application each they need … Read more

South African Crypto Exchanges Confirm Receiving Request for Client Data From Tax Collection Body

Three leading cryptocurrency exchanges from South Africa recently confirmed receiving a request for client data from the country’s revenue collector. In a joint statement, the exchanges, (namely Altcointrader, Luno, and Valr) said this request, which targets a “selection of customers”, has been made “in terms of section 46 of the (South African) Tax Administration Act.” … Read more

South African Exchange Valr Raises $3.4 Million in a Series A Funding Round

A South Africa based cryptocurrency exchange, Valr has just raised $3.4 million in a Series A funding round led by 100x Group, the parent company to Bitmex. The funding round, in which 4Di Capital also participated, however, does not change Valr’s controlling shareholder structure. In a podcast with SA Crypto, Valr CEO, Farzam Ehsani explains … Read more