Top 10 Crypto Ramp Platforms in Africa

Africa is recognized as one of the world’s fastest-growing crypto markets. A Chainalysis report highlighted that the volume of crypto transactions in Africa hit a peak of $20 billion per month around mid-2021. This surge in cryptocurrency adoption across the continent is linked to the growing availability of crypto ramp platforms.

Crypto ramp platforms serve as dependable and secure links between fiat currencies and crypto tokens. These platforms have emerged as the primary choice for businesses and individuals seeking to buy or sell cryptocurrency in Africa. As the demand for cryptocurrency continues to rise, these platforms are expected to play an increasingly vital role in the African market in the years ahead.

This article explores the top 10 Crypto Ramp solutions in Africa. Let’s dive in!

Luno

Source: Luno

Available in Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa and 40+ countries globally

Supports 15 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, and USDT

Supports most African fiat currencies, including Naira, and also the US dollars

Charges a 2% fee on buying/selling transactions

Luno, originally known as BitX, was founded by Timothy Stranex and Marcus Swanepoel in Cape Town, South Africa. The company, now headquartered in London, United Kingdom, operates as a separate division of the Digital Currency Group to educate people about cryptocurrencies and facilitate the transition to the crypto-financial system.

Luno provides a range of services, including payment services and custody wallet services, along with offramp and onramp trading options. This platform allows users to purchase, store, and manage cryptocurrencies. To ensure the security of users’ cryptocurrency holdings, Luno employs robust security measures, including multi-layer encryption and multi-signature wallets.

The platform offers an API that allows developers to create applications and tools using Luno’s services. Fees on Luno are subject to change, and each transaction incurs a service fee that may vary.

Prestmit

Available in Nigeria and Ghana

Supports Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, USDT, and also gift cards

Supports Naira and Cedis fiat currencies

Charges a 2% fee on buying/selling transactions

Withdrawal is free. (Deposit fee not stated)

Prestmit specializes in providing off-ramping services for a variety of cryptocurrencies. Its direct crypto-to-fiat services are somewhat limited, but it makes up for this with its gift card trading services. Users can exchange their crypto for gift cards instead of fiat and use them to do anything from getting airtime to paying electricity bills.

Prestmit prioritizes security with features like Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and multi-stage verification, ensuring the safety of user accounts and transactions. It also has a user-friendly mobile app for its various services.

One of Prestmit’s notable achievements is its strong presence in some of Africa’s most populous and rapidly growing nations, particularly Nigeria and Ghana.

Quidax

Available in Nigeria only

Supports 30 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Quidax Token, Litecoin, Ethereum and more

Supports most African fiat currencies, including the Nigerian Naira and also the US dollars

Charges a 1% fee on buying/selling transactions

With its user-friendly interface, Quidax is suited to individuals without prior trading experience as it allows them to easily trade and manage cryptocurrencies. The platform supports multiple cryptocurrencies and offers a global trading market, making it easier for users to transact globally.

Quidax provides various services to enhance the customer experience, such as quick transactions with reliable customer support, the option to save USD with interest, and the ability to purchase a virtual crypto debit card. These services aim to make cryptocurrency accessible to people in Africa by providing an easy-to-use platform, a range of features, and a secure environment for users to trade and manage their digital assets.

Bitmama

Available in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya

Supports 100+ cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether (USDT), Celo, Stellar, USDC and more cryptocurrencies

Supports Nigerian Naira, Ghanaian cedis, and Kenyan shilling

Charges a 0.5% trading fee

Based in Nigeria, Bitmama serves as a crypto peer-to-peer trading and offramp platform. One of its standout features is its ability to provide timely alerts and information regarding cryptocurrency trading straight to the user’s inbox.

Users can activate the “crypto price alert” feature within the Bitmama app to receive updates on fluctuations in the prices of cryptocurrencies featured on the platform. This feature helps users stay well-informed about the state of the cryptocurrency market, facilitating decision-making when managing their cryptocurrency portfolio. In essence, Bitmama provides a convenient and reliable way for users to stay ahead of market trends and make informed decisions.

Bitpesa

Available in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Supports Bitcoin only

Supports Naira, Kenyan Shilling, Ugandan Shilling, Tanzanian Shilling and Congolese Franc

Charges a trading fee of 1-3% (on average)

Bitpesa describes itself as a fintech platform, not a typical Crypto Ramp, enabling users to seamlessly send and receive both traditional fiat currency and cryptocurrencies all over the world. It is a pioneering crypto ramp platform on the continent with subsidiaries across Africa and in the United Kingdom, where it has a license from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Headquartered in Nairobi, this crypto ramp platform leverages cryptocurrencies for money transfers, significantly reducing costs and accelerating the speed of commercial payments.

The platform has integrated with banks and mobile money services, making it possible to convert cryptocurrencies into local currency. This establishes new payment routes that connect Africa with the rest of the world.

Yellow Card

Available in 16 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda.

Supports 9 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin (USDC), Polygon (MATIC)

Supports most African fiat currencies, including Naira, Cedis, and also the US dollars

Charges zero trading fees

YellowCard allows its users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies and also offers cryptocurrency gift cards. The platform secured $57 million in funding, including support from Jack Dorsey’s Block, and has facilitated cryptocurrency transactions worth $1.4 billion in Africa.

Interestingly, Yellow Card’s founders, Justin Poiroux and Chris Maurice, have chosen to collaborate with U.S. foreign exchange firms, food producers, and other businesses operating within Africa instead of expanding beyond the continent.

Paychant

Available in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.

Supports X cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Celo, Polygon, Binance, Solana, Tron, Cardano, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Litecoin, and others

Supports most African fiat currencies, including Naira, Ghana Cedis, Kenyan Shilling, Ugandan Shilling and Zambian Kwacha

Charges a 5% processing fee to buy crypto (via bank transfer) and 3% processing fee for selling

Paychant is a Nigerian-based Crypto Ramp platform. It serves as a payment gateway, seamlessly integrating local African payment methods into self-custodial wallets, decentralized exchanges (DEX), and decentralized applications (dApps) through its SDK. It offers a wide range of options for merchants, enabling them to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for both online and offline businesses.

Also, merchants can directly receive crypto payments through the Paychant mobile point-of-sale application, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The platform also has an API that allows developers to seamlessly integrate these services into their applications.

Beyond its services, Paychant actively promotes the widespread adoption of digital currencies across Africa. The company provides a complimentary fundraising platform, facilitating individuals and charitable organizations in raising donations using Bitcoin and various other crypto assets.

BuyCoins

Available in Nigeria and Ghana
Supports 15 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, and USDT
Supports Naira and the US dollars
Charges vary according to the amount of crypto leaving your Buycoins wallet.

Buycoins is a new entrant on the scene and its services are currently limited by location. However, it offers some unique features, one of which is the ability to buy USDT & Bitcoin directly using local bank accounts or debit cards. This direct purchase option saves users from the hassle of buying Bitcoin from international exchanges, which can take longer and incur additional charges.

Another important feature of Buycoins is its escrow service. This service is available for all trading transactions, ensuring that users are protected from fraud and enhancing the security of their cryptocurrency transactions. With the escrow service, buyers and sellers can transact with confidence, knowing that their funds are safe until the transaction is complete.

Kotani Pay

Source: Startup Network

Available in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and South Africa

Supports USDC, USDT, and cUSD

Supports US dollars only

Charges a 2% fee on buying/selling transactions

Kotani Pay provides users with an easy stablecoin-to-fiat conversion solution for all their cross-border needs. It offers the convenience of settling stablecoins directly into customers’ blockchain wallets for cross-border payments. It supports various chains ranging from Optimism, Celo, Polygon, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Cardano, and the Lightning Network.

Additionally, the platform connects blockchains to local payment networks, allowing customers to withdraw their funds using a USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) interface, a prevalent method of financial transactions on the continent.

Paxful

Available in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya

Supports Bitcoin, USDT and USDC

Supports most African fiat currencies, including the Nigerian Naira and also the US dollars

Charges 1% per trade service fee and a fixed fee of 0.0005 BTC for Bitcoin withdrawals

Paxful is a global money transfer service that is changing the way people send and receive money around the world. As a peer-to-peer Bitcoin marketplace, Paxful has a user base of 9 million and offers more than 350 payment options. The platform has become a go-to choice for those who want to transact with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. On Paxful, deposit fees differ based on the chosen deposit method, giving users the flexibility to choose the payment option that best suits their needs.

In Conclusion

Crypto ramp platforms will continue to play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the crypto economy and traditional financial systems as the crypto ecosystem evolves in Africa. One must acknowledge that they have made it easier for cryptocurrency to take centre stage in Africa’s financial landscape. The consequences are potentially immense, especially regarding the future of finance on the continent, and we will have to watch it unfold.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein should be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading or investing in cryptocurrencies carries a considerable risk of financial loss. Always conduct due diligence.

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