The Citizen (KZN)

Banking on digital currency

EXCHANGE: SA MAN LAUNCHES FIRST BLACK-OWNED PLATFORM TO HIT CRYPTO MARKET

- Brian Sokutu

In the first quarter of 2020, a new player is looking at creating 50 jobs.

The New York-based internatio­nal cryptocurr­ency market research company CoinMarket­Cap puts the global worth of the growing industry at R3 trillion in digital assets – a developmen­t that has this week seen the Internatio­nal Monetary Fund sending a clear message to finance ministers and central banks, meeting in Washington, that the digital currency is on their countries’ doorstep.

The new economy has also led to the wealthy G-7 countries discussing broad guidelines on how best to deal with the digital tsunami.

Against this background, South African businesspe­rson Trevor Tambo, pictured, who has for several years been sceptical about Bitcoin, has now become the latest player to enter the industry.

Tambo has launched a crypto currency exchange platform called National Digital Asset Exchange (NDAX) which, next year, will become the first black-owned platform to hit the SA market.

“On social media platforms like Facebook, NDAX has 11 000 registered followers. On LinkedIn, the company has 3 000 followers,” said Tambo.

“This amount of following, which augurs well ahead of the official launch next year, will translate into R113 million a day, at a mere 1 000 Bitcoins traded in South Africa.”

Born in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, Tambo has 17 years’ experience in the financial sector, having served in leadership positions at Absa, First National Bank and Capitec.

Growing up in Port Elizabeth, once a thriving economic hub for four decades but now with an unemployme­nt

 ?? Picture: AFP ?? A Lebanese demonstrat­or poses during a protest against dire economic conditions in the Lebanese capital Beirut’s southern suburbs this week.
Picture: AFP A Lebanese demonstrat­or poses during a protest against dire economic conditions in the Lebanese capital Beirut’s southern suburbs this week.
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