E-Financial
Who is Buying Crypto in Africa

The average African crypto buyer is most likely to be male, spends about $20 USD on the first purchase and holds onto it for about nine months, according to data from Luno, the largest crypto platform in the country with over 10 million customers in 40+ countries.

Interest in crypto is rising on the African continent, says Richard Ball, Lead Data Scientist at Luno.
“Over the past year, Luno has verified more than three million new users worldwide. Africa is one of our strongest markets, with over 55% of the new customers added in the last six months being based on the continent. We’re extremely pleased to see new signups continue to register with Luno as we head into the next six months of the year.”
Customer behaviour in Africa
Africans usually start with an average first deposit of $14 USD, an increase since the dip in Bitcoin in November last year, Ball says.
“Most customers start with a relatively small deposit, while the top 25% of our biggest local customers start to buy crypto at around $65 USD and the highest deposit amount among our smallest 25% of customers is only around $3.40 USD.”
Ball says these metrics are good news for Luno, as they indicate that Africans are investing in crypto responsibly. Luno allows customers to buy crypto for as little as $1 USD in line with its mission to ensure wider access and encourages people to start with smaller deposits while they learn more about crypto.
Africa’s most popular crypto coins
According to Ball, the most popular crypto coins in Africa are Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP, with more customers buying than selling. Almost 80% of the transactions on Luno are from people buying crypto, which provides a rough indication of how bullish customers are on the top three coins.
“The greatest increase so far this year in demand is XRP, with a 25% price surge within a single week. USDC, a cryptocurrency linked to the US dollar, is the least popular on Luno’s platform, in line with its status as a stable coin.”
Ball says customers bought USDC during the market dip in the past few months. “When crypto prices fall, some customers buy into USDC to shield themselves from further market volatility. Once volatility has cooled down, traders will typically move from USDC back into crypto such as BTC. In some sense, this is in line with traditional financial markets where investors avoid risk and move to cash during periods of uncertainty.”
Who are Africa’s crypto buyers?
The local buyers are almost a mirror image of the global picture. In line with the gender split in traditional financial services, more men are buying crypto in Africa than women, with about 30% of the activity in the 18–29-year age bracket from women. However, in the 60+ age bracket, a greater percentage of women – about 46% – are active on Luno.
African customers hold their crypto for an average of 9 months, which is much longer than two years ago, with the exception of traders, who would naturally be more active, Ball says. “Overall, this indicates that African customers increasingly view crypto as a longer-term investment and are not necessarily buying it to make a quick buck.”
Behaviour depends on when customers bought
Ball says Luno is noticing that customer behaviour varies depending on when customers first bought crypto. “We frequently perform cohort analysis to track the transactional behaviour of customers who first bought at a particular point in time.
Ball explains that customers who first bought when the price was surging, might be more speculative, while customers who buy when the markets are flat, tend to be longer-term investors.
Using Luno’s savings wallets
Customers using Luno’s savings wallets can earn interest on their crypto holdings and Ball says about 7% of Luno’s customer base uses the savings wallet monthly. “There has been a 13% increase in local customers using the savings wallet over the past three months.
“The interest earned on crypto holdings via savings wallets is paid monthly. Luno customers can earn interest of up to 7.6% when they open a Luno savings wallet. Since Africans are holding on to their crypto coins for longer, it makes sense to earn interest until they are ready to sell.”
Repeat buying
According to Ball, more than 1 in 10 active Luno customers have used the repeat buy function in the past three months, with Africans buying an average of $50 USD worth of cryptocurrency per month using this facility.
Repeat buy is an instruction to buy into the market at regular intervals and is a great way for customers to buy crypto without having to time the market. Without a repeat buy instruction, you need to keep a very close eye on movements in the market to ensure you buy when the price dips and sell when it rises.
E-Financial
Ecobank Nigeria to Fully Repay $300m Eurobond Ahead of Schedule

Ecobank Nigeria has moved to retire the remaining part of its $300 million Eurobond before maturity. The bank has launched a tender offer for holders of its 7.125% senior notes due February 2026.

The bank announced the offer on Friday, 28 November 2025, inviting investors to tender their holdings ahead of schedule. Of the original $300 million issuance, $150 million remains outstanding.
Under the terms, investors whose notes are accepted for repurchase will receive $1,000 for every $1,000 in principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the settlement date. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before 31 December 2025.
Ecobank said the early repayment move is part of a broader strategy to optimise its balance sheet and strengthen capital planning flexibility. The lender added that the tender offer gives investors an opportunity to exit the instrument ahead of the original February 2026 maturity.
In a statement, the bank said the initiative underscores its “commitment to transparent engagement with funding partners and investors,” stressing that the offer supports its long-term goal of maintaining a well-structured debt profile.
Participation in the programme is voluntary, and investors will make decisions based on their individual considerations, the bank added.
Ecobank emphasised that the announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities. Eligible noteholders are expected to rely on the formal tender documents when deciding whether to take part.
E-Financial
Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating deductions of taxes and sundry charges from the earnings of civil and public servants has given commercial banks a four-day deadline to submit all requested documents.

House of Rep
The committee, chaired by Hon. Kelechi Nwogwu, issued the ultimatum at the commencement of its investigation, following a motion earlier moved by the House Chief Whip, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, on alleged deductions from civil servants’ salaries.
Nwogwu insisted that Chief Executive Officers of affected financial institutions must appear in person before the panel, rejecting representatives sent by GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other banks.
He explained that the panel was mandated to ensure that all deductions of charges by banks on customers’ accounts were fair and properly applied.
The committee disclosed that invitations had also been extended to the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and all commercial banks operating in Nigeria.
“You cannot appear here without an identity. We are here on the mandate of the people who elected us into parliament. We have resolved to meet next week on Wednesday.
“You must submit all requested documents by Monday, May 1,” Nwogwu said.
He warned that any bank that failed to comply with the deadline would face sanctions, adding that the committee would put the CEOs on oath during the next sitting.
The investigation continues next week.
E-Financial
SEC Urges IST to Freeze all CBEX Bank Accounts in Nigeria

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) to order the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) and other defendants held in commercial banks and financial institutions across Nigeria.

The request was made in Suit No. IST/OA/02/2025: Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) & 25 Others, the first case before the 6th Tribunal presided over by Hon. Aminu Jinaidu, Chairman of the IST.
SEC also urged the Tribunal to seize houses and other assets allegedly acquired by the defendants using proceeds obtained from the public through the CBEX investment scheme, which it said falsely operated as a digital assets platform and capital-market operator.
The Commission argued that CBEX, which is not registered with SEC, unlawfully promised investors a 100 percent return on investment within 30 days—conduct it said is in violation of Section 3(b) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.
SEC further disclosed that the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong had, on April 23, 2024, issued an advisory warning against CBEX, describing it as a suspicious virtual-asset entity. According to the advisory, CBEX adopted a name resembling that of a Chinese property-rights trading organisation to give investors false assurance, despite having no connection with the legitimate entity.
At Tuesday’s sitting, the Tribunal ordered that hearing notices be served on the defendants through national newspapers, as CBEX failed to appear and was not represented in court.
CBEX launched in Nigeria in July 2024, operating through a website and mobile app. It claimed to use advanced artificial intelligence to generate unusually high profits from cryptocurrency trading, promising returns of up to 100 percent within a 40- to 45-day lock-in period. The scheme later collapsed and was exposed as a Ponzi operation that reportedly defrauded investors of more than N1.3 trillion (about $800 million).
Hon. Jinaidu also presided over several other matters on the tribunal’s docket, including Benue Investments Property Co. Ltd & Anor v. Securities and Exchange Commission & 6 Others; Maven Asset Management Ltd v. Securities and Exchange Commission; John Makinde Onade & Anor v. First Registrars & Investors Services Ltd & Anor; and Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Tourist Company of Nigeria PLC & 6 Ors. All the cases were adjourned to January 27, 2026.
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