Lerato Lamola | Partner | Webber Wentzel | mail me |
Africa is entering a defining period for virtual asset regulation. As adoption accelerates, driven by fintech innovation, remittance demand and a digitally savvy youth population, governments across the continent are recalibrating their regulatory posture.
Once characterised by blanket warnings or outright prohibitions, the landscape is now shifting toward structured oversight, risk mitigation and greater market stability.
Licensing and compliance
For years, many African jurisdictions adopted a largely hands-off approach, issuing public cautions but stopping short of formal rulemaking. That era is now ending.
Countries such as Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius and Nigeria have begun embedding comprehensive licensing models into law. Their message is clear – virtual assets are becoming part of the broader financial ecosystem, but only within a regulated environment.
In these markets, virtual asset service providers (VASPs) must secure licences, maintain minimum capital, meet “fit and proper” requirements and comply with robust anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) controls. Regulators are also recognising the cross-sector nature of digital assets, creating supervisory structures where central banks, capital markets authorities and financial intelligence units all play a role.
Early-stage oversight
Even countries without dedicated virtual asset statutes, such as…
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Read the full article by Lerato Lamola, Partner, Webber Wentzel, as well as a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the April/May 2026 edition of BusinessBrief.
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The idea of combining satellite intelligence with agriculture and spatial planning sounds very promising. It’s encouraging to see universities and national agencies working together on practical solutions that can directly benefit local communities.