Stafford Masie, executive chairman of Africa Bitcoin Corporation, told Coin Stories host Natalie Brunell that in some African communities Bitcoin is used as everyday money rather than primarily a long-term store of value. He described local economies where vendors prefer satoshis to dollars and where people transact directly in tiny units of BTC to escape collapsing local currencies.
Masie said currency depreciation in parts of Africa is far more rapid than in developed markets — not the single-digit annual erosion often discussed in the West, but loss of value that can happen within hours or days. That pressure, he argued, drives adoption: rather than gradually converting strong fiat into crypto, many people are abandoning what he called “broken money” and moving into digital assets as a practical means of preserving purchasing power.
Drawing a parallel with the continent’s fast mobile-phone adoption, Masie suggested younger Africans are skipping legacy financial infrastructure. More than a quarter of Africa’s population is under 20, he noted, and younger people are quick to embrace new technologies such as AI and Bitcoin. In that context he described Bitcoin not just as a passive store of value but as “pristine capital,” a foundational financial asset that is immutable, decentralized and hard to confiscate — qualities that have been transformative for many since the publication of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008.
The remarks come amid broader evidence of rising crypto activity across the region. Chainalysis data show Sub-Saharan Africa received more than $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025, a 52% year-on-year increase. Monthly on-chain volume peaked at nearly $25 billion in March 2025, driven largely by heightened activity in Nigeria following a currency devaluation.
The market in Africa has a strong retail component: transfers under $10,000 accounted for more than 8% of total value sent in that period, compared with roughly 6% globally. At the same time, Nigeria and South Africa displayed institutional-scale flows — recurring multimillion-dollar stablecoin transactions tied to cross-border trade between Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
At the World Economic Forum in January, former UN Under-Secretary-General Vera Songwe pointed out that stablecoins are increasingly viewed in Africa as a cheaper remittance and settlement tool. She said remittances have become more important than aid in some economies, while traditional transfers can cost about $6 for every $100 sent. With inflation above 20% in around a dozen African countries and an estimated 650 million people unbanked, stablecoins can serve both as a payments rail and a more stable store of value where local currencies are under severe strain.
This report is based on comments Masie made on the Coin Stories podcast and on public on-chain data. Cointelegraph maintains a commitment to independent, transparent reporting and encourages readers to verify information independently.