On Freedom Day, Bitcoin gives South Africans a stake in their financial future
On Wednesday, South Africa celebrated Freedom Day, which honors the country's first post-apartheid democratic election in 1994.
Cointelegraph reached out to different notable individuals in the South African crypto community to see what the holiday meant to them. BitcoinZAR, a Bitcoin advocate in South Africa, noted that "Freedom Day means you are free to use your own money to live your best life," adding:
Several crypto-related firms have sprouted in the nation, including Luno, a cryptocurrency exchange, while several businesses now take Bitcoin payments, including retail stores and travel companies.
Luno, which was founded by two South Africans in 2013, now has 10 million customers in over 40 countries. The company's rapid expansion was demonstrated by adding one million new clients in four months last year. In 2017, South Africa's then-largest online retailer, Pick n Pay, began accepting Bitcoin payments at one of its stores, hinting at cryptocurrency's potential as a form of payment.
Freedom day is celebrated today in South Africa. Freedom is a scary notion. To be free one needs to accept personal responsibility. #Bitcoin will naturally stir you in the direction of learning and making choices instead of waiting for those in power to hopefully take care of you pic.twitter.com/Ib7h50XAdq
Unravel Surf Travel is a South African travel company that began accepting Bitcoin in 2015. According to the travel company, it has primarily served the Russian/Eastern European market since 2011, providing surfing trips to South Africa. The region is presently in upheaval because of Russia's military incursion into Ukraine. Western sanctions and fiat currency volatility have made Unravel Surf Travel's clients more open to paying for trips
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