TL;DR
- Discovery Bank becomes the first African bank to plug full crypto trading into its app via Luno.
- Super Group (Betway owner) launches ZAR Supercoin, a rand‑backed stablecoin with reserves at Absa and a Luno listing.
- Ghana publishes its first full crypto policy and targets December 2025 for a complete VASP law.
- Stablecoins get a dedicated summit in Johannesburg.
🇿🇦 Discovery Bank adds crypto in‑app
On 13 November, Discovery Bank announced that its customers will be able to trade 50+ crypto assets directly in its mobile app from December 2025, through an integration with Luno. Clients link a Luno account inside the banking app and can move money between bank and exchange instantly and fee‑free.
This is the first time an African bank has embedded retail crypto trading into its core platform, giving over 1m South African customers access to BTC, ETH and others from a fully regulated banking interface.
🇿🇦 ZAR Supercoin: a rand‑backed stablecoin
Super Group(Betway owner) has launched a ZAR stablecoin, ZAR Supercoin (ZARSC) via its FSCA‑regulated subsidiary Super Money SA. It holds Category I and II Crypto Asset Service Provider (Casp) licences.
ZARSC is pegged 1:1 to the rand, backed by cash reserves in Absa bank, issued on Solana, and monitored by Chainalysis Sentinel; Fireblocks provides tokenisation and custody.
For South African users and bettors, ZARSC aims to cut FX friction versus USD stablecoins.
🌍 Africa Stablecoin Summit: regulators in the room
Johannesburg hosted the first Africa Stablecoin Summit on 12–13 November, powered by Binance and supported by Tether, Visa, Telcoin and others. Attendance included central bank officials from across Africa plus representatives from regional organisations.
Data shared at the summit showed stablecoins now account for roughly 43% of Sub‑Saharan Africa’s crypto volume, driven by cross‑border trade, remittances and treasury management. Conversations focused on supervision and how to bring stablecoins into formal payment rails.
🇬🇭 Ghana’s virtual asset blueprint
The Bank of Ghana has released “Ghana’s Policy Position on Virtual Assets and Service Providers,” setting out how it plans to regulate exchanges, wallets and crypto payments. The paper proposes a split model: the Bank of Ghana supervises payments and custody, while the Securities and Exchange Commission oversees trading and investments. A new Virtual Assets Regulatory Office (VARO) would coordinate the regime and a National Virtual Assets Literacy Initiative (NaVALI) would drive public education. We’re all about that financial literacy here!
Ghana has already registered over 100 VASPs and now targets December 2025 for a full legal framework via a Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill.
For local users and businesses, that should mean clearer licensing, better consumer protection, and lower risk of sudden bank account suspensions.
October mention
- Yellow Card is shutting down its consumer app by January 2026 to focus fully on B2B stablecoin‑fiat infrastructure for enterprises across Africa.
📊 Market Watch (19 November 2025)
Crypto spent mid‑November digesting earlier losses rather than setting new highs:
- Bitcoin (BTC) is hovering in the mid‑$90k range, down about a quarter from its early‑October peak near $126k.
- Ethereum (ETH) is trading around $3.1k after bouncing from the $3k area during this month’s sell‑off.
- Solana (SOL) sits in the high‑$130s, still roughly 25–30% below late‑October levels around $190+.
- Stablecoins (USDT, USDC, PYUSD and others) continue to hold their $1 pegs. USDT’s supply is just below the $190bn mark, highlighting how dominant dollar‑linked tokens remain as settlement rails.
ETF flow data, funding rates and the crypto fear‑and‑greed index all point to a cautious mood.
⚡️ Volatility watch: BTC’s pullback and African users
Bitcoin’s record high this cycle came in early October at roughly $126,000. Since then, a broad correction driven by ETF outflows, macro uncertainty and over‑leveraged long positions has pushed BTC below $100,000 and into the low‑$90k range by mid‑month. Analysts estimate the global crypto market has shed $450–600bn in value over this period.
What does this mean for us in Africa?
- Remittances and invoices: if you are requested to accept or send payments in BTC, a 20–25% swing in a few weeks can leave supplier payments suddenly short in shillings, naira or rand.
- Business float and working capital: startups, FX desks and fintechs that park part of their treasury in volatile coins see their runway and liquidity shrink when prices fall.
- Trading and leverage: Retail traders and founders using margin are often first in line for margin calls and forced liquidations when the market turns.
Bottomline: Bitcoin still behaves like a high risk asset. For everyday money, Africans are increasingly choosing stablecoins instead. (We’re still bullish on Bitcoin though! HODL.)
✅ What to do if you use crypto for real‑world money
- Keep near‑term spend and business float in stablecoins (USDT/USDC or corridor‑specific options like ZAR Supercoin), not BTC.
- Avoid leverage unless you fully understand liquidation risks.
- When paid in volatile crypto, convert what you need for bills quickly.
- Prefer licensed VASPs in your country as regulation tightens in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
Disclaimer: This brief is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Always conduct your own research and consult with qualified professionals before making financial decisions.
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