Binance Records 40,000 Ugandan Crypto Traders In One Week, Singapore Next?
Although the world-renowned Binance Exchange, which facilitates crypto-to-crypto transactions, has seen waning demand as of late, the startup has forged ahead and has made notable strides in the fiat-to-crypto realm. Reports indicate that Binance’s Uganda branch, which went live last week, has already seen a proverbial boatload of interest, leading to the obvious, but pressing question — can they replicate this newfound success across the world?
Binance Uganda Sees Tidal Wave Of Interest For Fiat-To-Crypto Platform
When consumers think of crypto-friendly nations, Malta, Japan, and Switzerland are often names that immediately come to mind. Maintaining this thought process, it should come as no surprise that many enthusiasts in this budding industry were shocked when Binance, the world’s foremost crypto exchange, announced plans to launch its first fiat-to-crypto platform in Uganda, a relatively small country in East Africa.
After a lengthy sign-up process and an enticing promotional event for locals, just last week, as reported by NewsBTC, Binance’s Ugandan branch went live in the country of 43 million. Although the global crypto public may have been initially skeptical of this foray, the African Binance subsidiary held high hopes for its platform, issuing optimistic comments via a Medium blog post.
The startup expressed its belief that Uganda is undoubtedly a home for blockchain innovation, adding that the growth of the local crypto economy could “light the way for the content [of Africa] to leverage blockchain technology.” Binance’s African subsidiary added that emerging markets, such as Uganda, could play a key role in the adoption of cryptocurrencies, alluding to the fact that the country is an optimal location for an accesible fiat-to-crypto platform.
And while it has only been a week since its launch, the startup’s unbridled confidence has already paid off, with CoinDesk revealing that Binance’s new branch, which supports Ugandan Shillings, Bitcoin, and Ether, has already taken on 40,000 locals as customers.
Considering that Uganda’s economy is far from flawless, with studies indicating that billions are being siphoned from the nation’s economy due to lawbreakers, it would be fair to assume that the local cryptosphere will continue to swell at an unmatched pace, as decentralization and transparency may beckon oppressed Ugandans in.
Next Stop: Singapore
In early-September, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao revealed that his firm was poised to launch a Singapore-based crypto-to-fiat platform into a closed beta for an exclusive group of investors. At the time, however, Binance’s top brass was hesitant to reveal what spurred this surprising move, which was the startup’s third announced venture into bridging the gap between cryptocurrencies and government-issued currencies.
Per Bloomberg, Vertex Ventures, which is parented by the Singapore government’s sovereign fund, was behind the Malta-based startup’s move to enter the city-state’s local cryptocurrency market, throwing an undisclosed sum at Binance. Although may were bewildered that Vertex, and the government of Singapore by extension invested directly in a crypto-focused startup, the move clearly adds up when you take the island nation’s regulatory environment into account.
Through a series of comments, Ravi Menon of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), recently divulged that the local authorities are aiming to directly connect ‘banks and fintech cryptocurrency startups” to see if a common footing can be reached. It can be presumed that the MAS’ willingness to foster the local cryptocurrency economy will directly impact the progress of Binance Singapore, which will only be as successful as its relationships with local financial institutions.
So while details regarding Binance Singapore’s public rollout have been unusually scant, many are hopeful that the lax regulatory climate will parent an infectious crypto phenomenon that will spread across the globe like wildfire, so to speak.
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by Nick Chong on November 02, 2018 at 07:38PM