Grace Ashiru
One of the most severe market crashes in the history of technology is currently being experienced by cryptocurrencies due to the conflict in Europe and soaring interest rates in the United States.
The value of the cryptocurrency industry has dropped below $1 trillion, a significant decrease from just a few months ago when the industry was worth more than three times that amount. Bitcoin and Ethereum have experienced more than 70% price declines since the peak of the bull run that occurred last year. In addition, several prominent cryptocurrency companies have closed their doors.
Even if the volatility of the market could scare off some investors, those who have a taste for high-risk, high-reward innovation can see the potential on the horizon, and nowhere else in the world is this possibility stronger than in Africa, where cryptocurrency transactions have surged by more than 2,500% over the past year, and where funding for African cryptocurrency start-ups has increased by an elevenfold over the same period.
Cryptocurrency is no longer a foreign idea that African investors can choose to ignore for the foreseeable future. This begs the question: for how much longer will those who are skeptical of new technology and afraid of it continue to keep their heads down?
Bitcoin Events is excited to announce that Crypto Fest 2022 will be back to help experienced investors and people who don’t know much about Crypto take advantage of the opportunities in Africa on September 30, 2022, at the Grand Africa Café & Beach, there will be an online and an in-person gathering the largest number of crypto industry executives, entrepreneurs, and specialists on the continent.
Supporters and cryptocurrency skeptics will find this year’s event a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity since the conference is now in its fourth year. Within the context of the theme “Don’t Look Up, “A variety of business owners will have hard-hitting dialogues, traders, investors, developers, and fans.
These conversations will ignite crucial debates about the prospects that cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance, and web 3.0 have to offer the impact that the Metaverse has had on a variety of fields, including business, investments, the arts, music, sports, gaming, entertainment, governance, and more.
“Change is inevitable, and the world is slowly but surely realizing the impact that crypto and crypto-related technologies are having on the future of the industry,” says Sonya Kuhnel, director, and co-founder of Bitcoin Events and organizer of this year’s festival.
This will include, among other things, a keynote talk by Michael Jordan, the South African Business Development Lead at Polygon; an investigation into crypto innovation and regulation by Wiehann Olivier, a Partner and the Digital Assets Lead for Mazars; and more. Nolu Mashologu, Business Development Manager of FTX Africa, discusses the pathways leading to the education and adoption of Crypto on a large scale across Africa.
Daniel Kimber from Bakari will lead a panel discussion about managing risk with your DeFi investments. Kyle Brown (rugby) and Sean Roberts (football) will lead a discussion about what Crypto is and what role it will play in South African sports and a talk that was delivered by rugby player Kyle Brown and football player Sean Roberts describing Crypto and the impact that it is going to play in South African sport.
Crypto Fest 2022 will have an NFT Gallery and a Metaverse gaming zone for the first time. The NFT Gallery will feature NFTs from local artists, and Livex, owned by South Africa, will show off the NFT Gallery.
Arno Carstens, a well-known musician and fine artist from South Africa, will give a “flash talk” for fifteen minutes, describing his most recent collection of minted artworks.
“It makes me happy to be a part of something that is still being developed, and it makes me even more pleased to interact with other individuals that feel the same way that I do. The human mind is naturally driven to the possibilities of what could be, and it is just those possibilities that I am excited about.
Both NFTs and the Metaverse represent early stages of technological development. Developers, artists, and collectors will all be able to interact with one another during Crypto Fest 2022, which will be a trip of discovery in and of itself. “For many people, the idea of being self-sufficient is like a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Carstens.
Michael Jordan at Polygon said this about this year’s program: “The world of cryptocurrencies can be hard to understand, especially for people who don’t know much about the ecosystem or how the technology could change the world.” Because of this, we’re excited to work with Crypto Fest 2022 to give more people a place to learn, explore, and figure out how they can get involved with one of the most important changes in finance and business since the end of the gold standard 50 years ago.
