Tag: cryptocurrency

The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) updated statement on the Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations has moved South Africa’s crypto regulation debate into a more practical phase. Just as importantly, Treasury and SARB have clarified that the draft regulations are not intended to criminalise the possession of crypto assets or apply retrospectively.

For years, one question has shaped South Africa’s crypto debate. It sounds simple, but it carries major legal consequences. If bitcoin is bought in South Africa and moved to a wallet linked to an offshore custodian, has capital left the country? The latest High Court ruling brings that question into sharper focus. It shifts attention away from what Bitcoin is. Instead, it focuses on what Bitcoin can do.

Television series like Breaking Bad and Ozark reflect the public’s fascination with money laundering and its criminals. Yet, in reality, laundering is far more sophisticated, dangerous, and far-reaching than the fictional exploits of Walter White or Marty Byrde. Unregulated gambling and financial crime are increasingly interconnected, providing criminals with new avenues to launder illicit funds globally.

It was the late noughties that saw the most prominent emergence of digital tools, which in turn paved the way for a whole new generation of investment companies in the form of online trading platforms. Since then, spurred on by rapid innovation, emerging inventions like cryptocurrency and the speed of its mainstream adoption have put online trading into overdrive.

Blockchain technology goes by many names; game-changer, disruptive, futuristic and impenetrable. Names all well-deserved and valid. Initially associated with cryptocurrency, blockchain has well and truly come into its own and now includes health, transportation, disaster recovery and importantly, supply chain management.

Cryptocurrency traders in South Africa are focused on understanding the tax implications of their transactions. These transactions are relative to the Income Tax Act. This has been challenging, as SARS has only stated that "the normal rules apply." They have not provided authoritative guidance on cryptocurrency-related transactions or when profits are considered capital or income.

For most people, one of the most fascinating aspects of cryptocurrency is the ability to bypass traditional financial intermediaries, such as banks, and directly control their funds. But what many people may not know is that cross-border crypto asset transactions require prior exchange control permission.

The volatility of the South African Rand (ZAR) against the US Dollar (USD) and other major currencies is a trend that is keeping many South Africans up at night. How well the USD performs and how it impacts the value of the ZAR, is greatly impacted by factors such as the US employment figures, inflation rates and gross domestic product (GDP) data, pronouncements by the US Federal Reserve (Fed), and locally, South Africa’s trade balance, GDP, inflation levels, unemployment figures, and guidance from the South African Reserve Bank about monetary policy.

As a global leader in the cryptocurrency industry, we recognise the significance of the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority's (FSCA) recent decision to include cryptocurrencies within its licensing legislation. This move comes at a crucial time for the evolution of crypto as an investment asset class in South Africa, signalling the maturation of the local crypto market and a step towards integrating digital assets into the mainstream investment ecosystem.

Dive into the captivating world of ownership, technology, and crypto as Maverick451, the book-publishing arm of Daily Maverick, introduces its latest publication, It’s Mine: How the Crypto Industry is Redefining Ownership, penned by the renowned author and blockchain authority Steven Sidley.