Bitcoin is an attractive cryptocurrency to use to remit money to Africa. By using cryptocurrency, you can avoid some of the high costs and transfer delays associated with traditional money transfer services to Africa. Since some of the African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana have embraced cryptocurrency, crypto remittance to Africa is becoming popular. In this article, I will show you how to make crypto remittances to Africa.
Crypto Based Remittances to Africa
- Bitcoin is a digital currency that uses peer-to-peer technology to facilitate payments.
- You can remit money to Africa through Bitcoin through the following services: Bitpesa, Bitsika, Tempo Money Transfer, Paychant and Bitcoin ATM.
- Bitcoin-based remittances are fast, safe and secure. You can use bitcoin-based remittances to pay for goods and services or send money to family and friends.
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Countries that Have Embraced Bitcoin in Africa
Bitcoin is increasingly getting embraced in most African countries. Some of the African countries where Bitcoin has been highly embraced include Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Bitcoin of all cryptocurrencies is the most commonly used in African countries.
Where to Buy Bitcoin
What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a digital or virtual currency that was invented in 2008 and uses peer-to-peer technology to facilitate payments. Unlike fiat currency, Bitcoin does not have a central regular Bitcoin that was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto.
If you want to buy crypto such as Bitcoin, there are several platforms that you can use. Among them are:
- Cryptocurrency exchanges. Exchanges like Binance, Coinbase and Yellow Card are some of the platforms you can use to buy Bitcoin. You can also use them to trade, buy and sell Bitcoin.
- Bitcoin ATMs. You can also buy Bitcoin from Bitcoin ATMs using cash. The BATM usually has a QR code scanner that you need to scan and it will transfer the Bitcoin you have bought to your wallet. Bitcoin ATMs are available in some African countries that have embraced Bitcoin.
- Peer-to-peer exchanges. The other platform you can use to buy Bitcoin is peer-to-peer exchanges. Peer-to-peer exchanges include Paxful and Bisq and they link up buyers and sellers.
How to Make Bitcoin Remittance
There are also several platforms that facilitate crypto-based remittances to Africa. We have listed below some of the best known platforms for making bitcoin-based remittances to Africa. They can do the process outlined above for you.
Bitcoin Remittance: Doing it yourself
Wondering how Bitcoin remittance works if you would do it yourself? A Bitcoin transfer can be made easily. Once you have Bitcoin, you can transfer it to another wallet address. The person you want to send it to, simply have to let you know which address to use. Once you have received your Bitcoin, you can keep it, spend it, or exchange it back to your local currency. Transferring Bitcoin doesn’t take more than 10 minutes. And if you use a lightning wallet, the costs are near zero and the transfer is made in seconds.
BitPesa
BitPesa was founded in Nairobi in 2013. It also has offices in Lagos, London, Luxembourg, Dakar and Madrid. It is an excellent digital currency platform that allows users to make and receive payments in sub-Saharan African countries. You can send money to a recipient and BitPesa will allow you to deposit funds directly to their bank account or mobile money transfer wallets like Mpesa, Airtel Money, or Orange Money.
BitPesa is licensed by Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. You can use it for a business like paying suppliers. You can use BitPesa from any part of the world to make bitcoin-based remittances to the following African countries: Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal.
Bitsika
Bitsika is a digital currency platform that you can use to receive and send money. You can use the service from one Pan African country to another country. The platform allows for instant payments and you can send money to Bitsika users using their username. As such, recipients don’t have to provide their banking information.
You can use Bitsika to make payments from the rest of the world to recipients in Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire Benin. Recipients can receive money in the local currency directly to their local bank accounts or mobile wallets. It is free to send up to $200 every month without having to pay even a cent. Beyond the threshold, you will be charged a small fee.
Tempo Money Transfer
Tempo Money Transfer is a digital currency transfer platform that you can use to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to send money to nine African countries. When you send money, the recipient will receive it on the same day. You can send money using crypto like Bitcoin and Ethereum and the recipient will receive it in fiat currency.
The recipient will receive the money directly to their local bank account or collect the cash from Tempo partners. It takes between 14 minutes and 4 working days for the recipient to receive the money. You can use their services through the web or download their Android App. Tempo Money Transfer has partnered with Fullterwave money transfer service to offer fast, safe and secure Stellar payments to Nigeria.
Paychant
Paychant is a digital currency payment platform founded in 2019. It accepts online payments. You can integrate the platform on your website and start receiving payments from customers. Also, you can use the platform to make bitcoin-based transfers and the recipient will receive Naira into their bank account. You can send money directly to major banks in Nigeria like UBA, Zenith, Access Bank, GTBank, First City and Monument Bank. Paychant only charges a 1% fee to send money and does not have hidden fees. With Paychant, you can request money from friends and relatives, send invoices and receive donations.
Bitcoin ATM Transfers
The other way to remit money to Africa is through Bitcoin ATMs. To do so, you just need to locate an ATM near you. Then, you need to insert cash into the Bitcoin ATM to transfer Bitcoin. With a Bitcoin ATM, you can buy Bitcoin that is equivalent to fiat currency. Enter the recipient’s wallet address to transfer Bitcoin to their wallet. Wait for the ATM to complete the transaction before you can leave the Bitcoin ATM. Once you have Bitcoin in your wallet, you can now send them to the recipient. The recipient can then convert them to fiat local currency.
Check out here if there is a Bitcoin ATM close to your home.
How Bitcoin can be Used for Remittances to Africa
Bitcoin has made it effortless to send money overseas. Users can avoid high fees that are charged by traditional banks by using Bitcoin as a medium to send money. Many people in developed countries send money to their family and friends in developing countries in Africa. Due to the borderless nature of Bitcoin, it is a good medium for international remittances to Africa. Users can use Bitcoin remittance to send money without requiring them to understand Bitcoin technology.
Bitcoin remittance is generally fast, cheap and convenient for remittance payments. On the other hand, sending Bitcoin also has some transaction fees. The transaction fees can be unpredictable and can change from time to time. This is why it’s better to use lightning wallets and lightning channels. These channels are cheap and faster. It is one of the reasons why a country such as El Salvador made Bitcoin a legal tender in their country; to enable cheap and easy money transfers for its citizens from abroad.
If you want to send money to Africa, you can use Bitcoin-based remittances as a medium. There are several blockchain platforms in the industry that offer bitcoin remittances. When you make bitcoin-based remittance, the recipient can receive cash directly to their local bank account, cash, or mobile money wallet.
Unlike traditional banks, bitcoin remittances to Africa are cheap and safe. It is also a fast way to send money to Africa. If you want to send money to friends and relatives in Africa, or you have a business and want to pay suppliers, you can use the above services.
