This week at Africa Crypto News, payment processing giant MasterCard announced it will use USDC to expand its Global Digital Settlements partnership with Circle. Like the Tether USDT, USDC is one of the most popular, allowing for inexpensive and instant global value transfer.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, Invastor has launched an education program aimed at political stakeholders and leaders. Over the past few years, Kenya has taken steps to create clarity in regulations with crypto. The Virtual Asset Service Provider Bill (VASP) is being considered in Congress and could ultimately be enacted by law.

Meanwhile, international law enforcement agency Interpol has implemented a major operation to seize fraudulent Bitcoin and crypto mining operations across the continent. Crypto-mining is energy-intensive and farms can be difficult to run in areas with priorities that enhance critical services, such as healthcare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8biv8ensnla

Explore the story that will make headlines for the continent this week:

Africa Crypto News: MasterCard expands its partnership with Circle

MasterCard, an international credit and debit card service provider, has it Expansion Partnerships with circles to promote payments in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

This agreement will allow MasterCard users in these regions to resolve transactions using USDC and to purchase in some cases. Top Solanamime Coin. Payment processors and card issuers are leveraging trustworthy global infrastructure for this initiative.

Stablecoins provide a relatively secure way to handle crypto as their value is fixed on stable assets such as USD and Euro. MasterCard benefits crypto users by linking blockchain native assets with traditional Fiat systems. Sol ▲2.15% Owner.

(Source: TradingView Sol USDT)

Dimitrido Tosis, president of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, explained the benefits of the partnership as follows:

“This is a key move for Mastercard, and our strategic goal is to integrate stubcoin into the financial mainstream by investing in infrastructure, governance and partnerships.

The news is a major milestone for the blockchain sector and is moving away from its early reputation as a hub of fringe assets towards mainstream adoption.

Discover: Best Meme Coin ICO for Investing in 2025

Kenya Crypto News: Invastor is investing in education programs

Available at Digital Finance Platform Infastor announcement An education initiative aimed at Kenyan lawmakers. The program provides lawmakers at various government levels with small amounts of crypto to manage as part of their portfolio and provides guidance on the handling of digital assets. The best cipher to buyLike Bitcoin ETH ▲2.94%.

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Invastor is making this effort to help lawmakers better understand crypto assets and enact appropriate laws for the sector. Kenya’s Parliament is currently considering the Virtual Asset Service Provider Bill (VASP).

Kenya’s approach to digital assets is evolving. From attention to leadership, support blockchain innovation, stable development, exploring Bitcoin reserves.

With national policies regarding the Virtual Asset and Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) draft bill, we have… pic.twitter.com/xqfphmvqq7

– Hon. William Cabogo (@honkabogo) July 10, 2025

Invastor CEO Chris Esukumo highlighted the importance of Kenya’s digital payments and the potential for crypto growth. Esukumo pointed out that Kenya has shown the world how to jump legacy systems with mobile money. He now expects they will do the same thing in cryptography.

Binance has also participated in stakeholder engagement in the VASP bill, strengthening the importance of Kenya as a crypto hub.

Discover: 20+ Next Cryptocurrency to Explode in 2025

Zambia and Angola Crypto News: Interpol cracks down on Zambia and Angola scams

It’s located at Interpol carried out A major seizure targeting crypto fraudsters and illegal operators across the continent, focusing on Zambia and Angola to arrest cybercriminals.

Zambian authorities have shut down a massive crypto investment scam that has scamned an estimated $300 million victim. The surgery led to 15 people being arrested. Additionally, there was domain and bank account seizure to prevent further fraud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukd82gnveu

In Angola, authorities have shut down around 45 illegal crypto mining operations using electricity designated in vulnerable areas. Crypto miners face challenges in electricity consumption as they are unable to meet their needs in some regions.

Discover: 9+ Best High Risk, High Reward Cryptographs for Buying in 2025

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Arslan Butt

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Arslan Butt is an experienced webinar speaker, market analyst, and content writer specializing in crypto, forex, and commodities. He provides expert insights, trading strategies, and in-depth analysis…

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August 23, 2025

Bitcoin (BTC/USD) is back in the spotlight, trading above $116,000 as multiple global catalysts shape its future. US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s rate cut hint has brought optimism, the Philippines is proposing a $1.1 billion Bitcoin reserve and Taiwan’s $72 million crypto crackdown has boosted regulatory trust.

Together, these developments highlight the maturing role of Bitcoin in global finance—both as a hedge and a growth asset. With technical charts also pointing to a potential breakout, traders now eye the path toward $130,000 with renewed confidence.

Taiwan’s $72M Crypto Laundering Case Boosts Market Trust

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged 14 individuals in what they call the country’s largest crypto money laundering case, worth around $72 million. Led by Shi Qiren, the group used unregistered exchanges “CoinW” and “CoinThink Technology” to scam over 1,500 people.

They deposited funds into machines, converted to foreign currency, bought USDT and then moved the money out.

Authorities seized millions in cash, luxury cars, and Bitcoin holdings. Prosecutors are pushing for a $39 million asset seizure, while CoinW denied involvement.

While the case exposed risks in loosely regulated markets, investors view the crackdown as a step toward stronger regulatory trust—likely supportive for Bitcoin in the long run.

Powell’s Jackson Hole Signal Fuels Crypto Rally

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reignited optimism during his Jackson Hole speech, hinting at an upcoming rate cut. He noted that shifting conditions may “call for adjusting policy,” leading markets to assign a 90% probability of a September reduction.

Bitcoin surged from $112,000 to above $114,700 within minutes, with Ethereum jumping 7% to $4,600. Altcoins including Solana, Dogecoin, and XRP all posted 6%+ gains. Investors had sold heavily earlier in the week but Powell’s dovish comments turned sentiment around.

Rate cuts have historically driven liquidity driven rallies across crypto and traders expect this to be no different.

Philippines Eyes 10,000 BTC National Reserve

Another major development came from Manila. Lawmakers in the Philippines have introduced a bill to create a 10,000 BTC strategic reserve worth $1.1 billion at current prices. The plan would see the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas purchase 2,000 BTC annually for five years, holding the coins in trust for 20 years.

Representative Migz Villafuerte framed Bitcoin as “digital gold,” arguing it would strengthen financial security. If approved, the Philippines’ holdings would rival Bhutan’s 10,565 BTC and exceed El Salvador’s 6,276 BTC, a move seen as a strong bullish signal by traders betting on institutional adoption.

Bitcoin Price Prediction – Technical Outlook

The short-term Bitcoin price prediction seems neutral as BTC’s chart below is shaping into a battleground between buyers and sellers.

After sliding into a descending channel in mid-August, BTC has bounced sharply from $112,000 support, reclaiming the 50-period EMA at $115,578. Price briefly tested $117,000, marking an attempt to break the channel’s upper boundary.

A completed harmonic pattern between $124,450 and $105,150 underscores the recent swings. Candlestick action near support produced a bullish hammer, followed by green candles that could evolve into a three white soldiers formation if momentum sustains. RSI has recovered to 55, while MACD shows a bullish crossover with a widening histogram—both reinforcing a constructive outlook.

If Bitcoin clears $117,000 and sustains above $119,000, upside targets emerge at $121,800 and $124,400. A breakout would likely push to $127,500 and possibly $130,000 in the coming months. On the downside $113,500 and $112,000 are key supports.

BTC Potential Trade Setup

A cautious entry above $116,200 with a stop under $112,000 aligns risk and reward. If confirmed BTC could rally to $124,400 and then $130,000 as bullish momentum builds into 2025.

New Presale Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) Combines Bitcoin Security With Solana Speed

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is positioning itself as the first Bitcoin-native Layer 2 powered by the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM). Its goal is to expand the Bitcoin ecosystem by enabling lightning-fast, low-cost smart contracts, decentralized apps, and even meme coin creation.

By combining Bitcoin’s unmatched security with Solana’s high-performance framework, the project opens the door to entirely new use cases, including seamless BTC bridging and scalable dApp development.

The team has put strong emphasis on trust and scalability, with the project audited by Consult to give investors confidence in its foundations.

Momentum is building quickly. The presale has already crossed $11.3 million, leaving only a limited allocation still available. At today’s stage, HYPER tokens are priced at just $0.012775—but that figure will increase as the presale progresses.

You can buy HYPER tokens on the official Bitcoin Hyper website using crypto or a bank card.

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Grosse Pointe Farms, a small town just outside Detroit, has passed a local ordinance aimed at controlling crypto ATM use—even though the town doesn’t have any yet. The city council voted unanimously on the new rules after hearing about a scam that targeted a resident in nearby St. Clair Shores.

The incident involved a crypto ATM, which scammers instructed a local to use for sending money. That case helped push council members to act early, hoping to protect their residents from similar schemes.

New Rules Target Scam Risks

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, concerns were raised about how easily scammers convince people—especially the elderly—to use crypto ATMs to send money. Council member Lev Wood said the machines create a situation that lacks transparency, making people easy targets.

The new rules require any crypto kiosk in town to be registered with the Department of Public Safety. Operators must also apply for a business license and provide written warnings on the machines about the risks of fraud and irreversible transactions.

One of the biggest parts of the ordinance is a spending cap for new users. The law sets a $1,000 daily limit and a $5,000 cap over the first 14 days of use. After that period, those restrictions are lifted. The idea, according to city attorney Bill Burgess, is to give new users time to understand how the machines work before making larger transactions.

Several other states are also taking action. Arizona, Nebraska, California, and Washington have all stepped in this year to add restrictions or outright bans on certain types of crypto ATM operations.

Coinflip Shares Firsthand Scam Story

Carson Gat, a representative from Coinflip—a Chicago-based digital currency ATM operator—attended the meeting to give his perspective. He told the council about a time he personally helped stop an elderly woman from getting scammed at one of their machines.

Gat said Coinflip has explored similar limits on new users to reduce fraud, since most scams happen during a customer’s first visit. Coinflip has been operating in Michigan since 2019 and was granted a money transmitter license in April.

While the company didn’t oppose the town’s new rules, it did highlight the importance of finding a balance between access and safety. Gat’s appearance also added weight to the council’s concern that this type of scam isn’t just theory—it’s happening.

State And National Action Picking Up

This move by Grosse Pointe Farms comes after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statewide alert about crypto ATM scams back in April. Nessel’s office has warned residents to stay away from machines when someone instructs them to deposit money under pressure.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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In a strict repression of regulations, Turkey has blocked access to 46 cryptocurrency platforms. Thousands of Turkish crypto users have suddenly found themselves unable to access the crypto trading platform.

Turkish financial authorities have made that clear – they target both centralized and decentralized exchanges.

This crackdown is alongside the introduction of new rules for crypto exchanges operating in Türkiye. This includes required user verification or KYC for all platforms. There is also withdrawal delays to enhance monitoring of suspicious transactions.

There is also an increase in cooperation between the exchange and the authorities to go ahead and report illegal activities.

Turkey blocks 46 crypto platforms in regulatory crackdowns

The Turkish Capital Markets Board (CMB) blocked access to 46 fraudulent cryptographic platforms in July alone.

– Global (@coinnessgl) appointment July 7, 2025

Discovery: Next 1000x Ciphers: 10+ Ciphers tokens that could hit 1000X in 2025

Moves serious repulsion in the face – “In countries with high inflation and low trust in lira, cryptography has become a lifeline.”

However, the move was filled with serious repulsion. Shyft Network states, “Turkey has just passed the cleaning cryptography. But this is not just about compliance. It’s not about control. Turkey must register, follow AML rules and comply with FATF travel rules.”

“Down the FATF grey list, but there is a deeper play below it. “We will extend the state’s surveillance of the rapidly growing, high-recruiting crypto market,” the embarrassment added. Now that lifeline is regulated – firmly. ”

But why did Turkey take this step? The Turkish government cited several reasons for this aggressive regulatory action.

Fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, consumer proposals, maintaining financial stability, and more. In 2021, the state did something similar, banning the use of crypto for payments.

Turkish regulators have ordered internet service providers to block access to 46 crypto-related websites. The affected platforms range from general central exchanges to major Defi protocols such as Pancakeswap.

Breading Break: Turkey includes 46 crypto platforms @pancakeswap

The Turkish Capital Markets Committee issued a massive ban on major Defi platforms due to “fraudulent service provision” under the State Securities Act.

Important Impact:
•Pancakeswap + 45 other platforms are blocked
•…

– JP (@jpcrypto618) July 5, 2025

read more: Türkiye’s banned pancay swap: a set of codes?

Turkey bans pancake wap

The Turkish Capital Markets Committee (CMB) has closed pancake waps (cakes) for citizens. We also blocked Cryptoradar, a crypto comparison site. why? They said the platform didn’t have the right paper to work there. All this gives CMB the power to block unlicensed crypto platforms, thanks to the new laws of 2024.

The move is part of Türkiye’s bigger plan to crack down on the code and keep things under control. Essentially, they want to make sure the crypto platform is legal and are said to protect people from shade. So, if other exchanges don’t line up their licenses, expect more of these bans.

After the news broke, the cake was a 4.00% hit in just one day. It has now dropped by 10% over the past month, indicating that the market is not satisfied with these rules. Pancakeswap’s trading volume also fell sharply, falling 20%, to $45.54 million.

Discover: Best Meme Coin ICO for Investing in 2025

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Turkish financial regulators have blocked access to decentralized exchange PancakeSwap and 45 other crypto-related websites as part of a broader crackdown on unauthorized digital asset services.

In a July 3 bulletin, the Capital Markets Board (SPK) announced legal action against the websites, citing provisions of Turkey’s Capital Markets Law.

The regulator said the targeted platforms were providing crypto services to residents without the required authorization.

PancakeSwap, which reported over $325 billion in trading volume for June, is among the world’s largest DEXs alongside Uniswap. It remains unclear how Turkish authorities determined the platform was directly offering services in the country.

Other blocked sites included Cryptoradar and various investment and trading platforms, reflecting Turkey’s tightening oversight of the crypto sector.

Under regulatory changes implemented since March, the SPK has full authority over crypto asset service providers offering products to Turkish residents, enforcing standards and compliance requirements.

The country has taken a strict stance on crypto payments since banning their use for purchases in 2021. However, residents are still permitted to buy, hold, and trade digital assets.

Earlier this year, Turkey mandated that crypto users provide identifying information for transactions above approximately $425.

Globally, countries such as Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Russia, and the Philippines have also blocked crypto-related websites, citing unauthorized operations and illicit transaction risks.

Turkey’s regulatory approach is part of its broader strategy to formalize and control digital asset markets amid rising adoption.

Mentioned in this article

The Australian government’s financial intelligence agency has imposed $5,000 cash withdrawal limits on crypto ATMs.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) adopted the new rules and refused to renew the registration of one crypto ATM operator, Harro’s Empires, after an agency task force flagged “worrying trends” in digital asset ATM compliance, according to a new press release.

AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas says the task force noticed customer behavior that resembled scams, fraud and other illicit activity.

“The task force has uncovered disturbing trends, which have confirmed that cryptocurrency ATMs are being used for scam/fraud-related transactions. Surprisingly, the 60 to 70 age group was identified as one of the most prolific users of crypto ATMs in Australia.

It is a huge concern that people in this demographic are overrepresented as customers using cash to purchase cryptocurrency and, as evidence suggests, that a large number of 60-70 year old users are victims of scam activity.”

AUSTRAC’s Cryptocurrency Task Force notes that 60-70-year-olds accounted for 29% of all crypto ATM transactions by value.

Australia had only 23 operating crypto ATMs in 2019 and 60 in 2022, but now has more than 1,800. Nearly 150,000 transactions occur annually across those machines, 99% of which are cash deposits to purchase crypto like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and the stablecoin USDT, according to AUSTRAC.

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Apple has delisted 14 crypto apps in South Korea at the request of one of the country’s regulators.

South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), an anti-money laundering agency, issued the requests.

The regulator claims the banned apps involved foreign virtual asset operators conducting “unreported business activities.”

Apple’s list of blocked apps includes the crypto exchange giants KuCoin and MEXC. Last month, Google Play delisted both of those exchanges and 15 other crypto operators at the FIU’s request.

The regulatory crackdown materializes as crypto adoption swells across South Korea. The Seoul-based news agency Yonhap, citing data released by the South Korean government, reported that as of late February of this year, 16.29 million people have opened accounts on Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, the country’s top five domestic crypto exchanges. The country currently has an overall population of nearly 52 million.

Banks in South Korea have also reportedly been rushing to partner with crypto firms as the country’s digital asset regulations become less restrictive.

In February, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission announced that the country would launch a pilot program in the second half of 2025 that allows 3,500 corporate entities to buy crypto for investment and financial purposes. Corporate crypto transactions have been banned in the country since 2017.

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Bankrupt FTX has received court approval to reject creditor claims from users who failed to begin the Know Your Customer (KYC) process before March 3, 2025.

The April 2 court filing includes 2,378 pages of invalidated claims, representing around 500,000 entries. The court order clearly disallows any claim listed that is not backed by KYC compliance.

According to the filing:

“In accordance with the Order, each claim set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto has been expunged and disallowed in its entirety.”

FTX creditors were previously advised to complete KYC steps to retain eligibility for payouts.

Sunil Kavuri, a known activist for the creditor community, stated on social media that more claims will be removed after June 1 if required documentation remains missing.

He added that the exchange could disqualify up to $655 million in claims under $50,000 and around $1.9 billion in more significant claims if users fail to submit KYC documents.

Another FTX creditor advocate, who goes by the alias “Mr Purple,” shared a slightly different perspective. He noted that out of 457,000 smaller claims, the estimated value stood at $344 million. Based on updated figures, he believes FTX’s total liabilities may drop by roughly $300 million.

FTX bankruptcy process

This update comes just weeks before FTX begins processing repayments for claims exceeding $50,000, scheduled to start on May 30.

The move marks a significant step forward in the lengthy and contentious bankruptcy case that began in November 2022.

Meanwhile, creditors with smaller claims, labeled “convenience claims” by the estate, have already received payments in February.

Backpack, the exchange that acquired FTX’s European unit, has also begun assisting affected users. Former FTX EU customers have been asked to create accounts, submit KYC documents, and link their old claim data to the new platform.

However, the platform has yet to provide a timeline for when it would begin the repayment.

Despite these developments, creditors in countries like China, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ukraine remain excluded from all distributions.

Mentioned in this article