This landmark commitment, now Africa’s largest crypto education initiative, marks a significant step in Luno’s continued efforts to strengthen trust in digital assets and support safer participation in the digital economy.

Africa’s fast-growing digital finance landscape has created the urgent need for credible, structured crypto education.

With 33% of the country’s population already engaged with digital assets, and a rapidly growing youth population eager to participate in the digital economy, the partnership aims to bridge the knowledge gap by providing structured, practical, and safe crypto education.

By combining Luno’s experience in promoting safe crypto participation with AltSchool Africa’s capability in delivering accessible digital skills training, the course directly addresses the misinformation and financial risks associated with unregulated digital assets, while demonstrating real-world applications tailored to African contexts.

Beginning in March 2026 and running through the year, the program will be led by Web3 expert Abdulsamad Tiamiyu, and will provide a practical, Africa-focused introduction to cryptocurrency, showing how it can be used for saving, remittances, global trading, and entrepreneurship.

The curriculum consists of five core modules and is designed to be completed within three to four weeks. Learners benefit from up to one year of access to all course materials, including online, self-paced video lessons, slides, quizzes, and case studies.

The course combines theory with hands-on experience, where learners interact with wallets, exchanges, stablecoins, and research tools like CoinGecko and Etherscan.

This approach gives learners the tools to confidently use digital currencies in everyday financial activities. Successful learners, upon passing the assessments, earn an AltSchool Africa Certificate of Completion.

Speaking on the partnership, Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, said:

“This initiative is a crucial intervention in Africa’s digital ecosystem. As crypto adoption accelerates, formal literacy must grow alongside it, so individuals can benefit safely and meaningfully. Our partnership with AltSchool Africa is a deliberate step toward that goal and a foundational investment in the integrity of the industry. By delivering structured, high-quality education, Luno is helping ensure that Africans can participate confidently, securely, and sustainably – turning what is often seen as risk into real economic opportunity.”

Adewale Yusuf, co-founder and CEO of AltSchool Africa, said:

“This partnership between AltSchool and Luno is a major step toward financial education that truly serves Africans and helps people gain the knowledge and tools they need to understand crypto with confidence and use it in practical, life-changing ways. This is more than a course or partnership, I see it as an investment in economic empowerment and in the future of a continent that deserves every opportunity to participate fully in the global digital economy. AltSchool is proud to work with a partner that believes in access, clarity, and education that creates measurable impact.”

The initiative will be rolled out in three cohorts of 5,000 learners each:

• Cohort 1: Applications run January–February 2026; course runs in March 2026.
• Cohort 2: Course access in July 2026.
• Cohort 3: Course access in November 2026.

The program is open to Nigerian residents aged 18 and above who are able to commit to completing it within four weeks.

Applicants must have a Luno account or create one before enrolling. Starting January, Interested participants are encouraged to submit application through the AltSchool Africa portal, with scholarship decisions communicated within one week.

Scheduled to take place from October 15 –16, 2025, at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, the future-shaping conference will convene over 4,000 participants and more than 120 speakers from over 15 countries, all focused on accelerating the trajectory of Africa’s tech-driven future.

This year’s theme, “Building Momentum: Africa’s Tech Ecosystem Positions Itself for Its Next Big Leap,” captures a critical moment for the continent’s tech landscape. Following years of resilience through economic downturns and funding contractions, the ecosystem is maturing rapidly and sensibly redirecting focus toward sustainable, scalable growth.

Moonshot 2025 will serve as a platform to consolidate these hard-won gains and align stakeholders around the next era of opportunity, across key tech verticals.

Headline sponsored by Sabi, a global trade and supply chain enabler, the agenda-setting conference has evolved into a continental platform for catalysing connections, unlocking capital, and amplifying bold ideas.

Now in its third year, Moonshot serves as a dynamic hub, and a living museum, of Africa’s innovation journey, actively bridging past achievements with future ambitions.

Speaking about the event, Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media, said:

“The last few years truly tested the resilience of Africa’s tech ecosystem, but they also undeniably sharpened it. The ups and downs in funding have given way to something far more intentional, with founders now building smarter and with clearer purpose. Despite the challenges, African founders have persevered and thrived. Crucially, regulations have also matured, providing much-needed direction. What we’re witnessing now is genuine momentum, firmly grounded in strong fundamentals, propelled by clarity, and intensely focused on scale. Moonshot 2025 offers a vital space to reflect on our journey and to channel this momentum into meaningful progress for founders, investors, and the entire ecosystem”

This year’s edition will welcome a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Andrew Alli, non-executive director, British International Investment (BII), Maxime Bayen, Operating Partner, Catalyst Fund, and Lexi Novitske, General Partner, Norrsken22, among others.

The event will also showcase its nine signature content tracks, now enhanced with refreshed programming designed to foster deeper, more impactful conversations. This include:

• FUEL: The Investor Conference: This track is significantly upgraded to improve deal-making and investment opportunities, with a stronger focus on attracting Limited Partners (LPs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and first-time investors in Africa. It will feature structured deal rooms, curated pitch sessions, an investor’s guide to Africa, and dedicated spaces for peer exchange across the investor landscape.
• Startup Festival: Tailored for both early- and growth-stage founders, this festival will offer intensive workshops, operator-led sessions, and live startup showcases, including the TC Battlefield – it’s flagship pitch competition.
• Emerging Tech (AI): A dedicated space to explore the practical applications of artificial intelligence across various sectors on the continent, featuring product demos and insights from leading builders and researchers.
• Government & Policy Conference: This vital track will convene policymakers from across Africa to engage in discussions on crucial digital policy reforms and work towards tangible commitments to support innovation and scale across the continent.

Additional tracks, including Creative Economy, Climate Tech, Future of Commerce, Big Tech & Enterprise, and Entering Tech, will feature compelling conversations on critical topics such as financing infrastructure, workforce development, and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

Also speaking about the event, Anu Adedoyin, CEO and co-founder of Sabi said:

“This marks our third year as a proud partner of Moonshot, and the evolution of this conference mirrors the incredible growth and ambition of African tech. We believe in building robust foundations for digital commerce, and Moonshot is crucial for fostering the connections and clarity needed for founders to build smart, scalable solutions. We’re excited to see the tangible momentum this year’s event will generate for Africa’s next big leap.”

Proudly supported by platinum sponsors Flutterwave, Luno, Fincra, Raenest, Cardtonic, Roqqu, Opay, and Busha, the conference will build on the outcomes of previous editions, including a $120,000 ecosystem pledge at last year’s Tech Ecosystem Alliance roundtable.

Delegates are encouraged to register via moonshot.techcabal.com  with Early bird tickets available through July 31.

The event is open to founders, operators, investors, creatives, policymakers, students, and professionals shaping Africa’s innovation economy.

“From today, users can buy, sell, and store ADA on the Luno app and website, alongside its existing cryptocurrency offering, Luno said in a statement sent to TechEconomy.

Luno will also be adding SOL to its investment portfolio early next month.

Cardano is often described as a “next-gen evolution” of Ethereum. It aims to be the most scalable and sustainable platform for running decentralized applications (dApps) by taking a methodical, research-driven approach to its development.

Solana is the fastest blockchain in the world and the fastest growing ecosystem in crypto, with thousands of projects spanning DeFi, NFTs, Web3, and more.

With continuing interest in the wider applications of Bitcoin, ADA and SOL are the latest cryptocurrencies that Luno is adding to its portfolio, following the addition of Chainlink (LINK) and Uniswap (UNI) earlier this year.

Luno wants to ensure its ten million+ customers have access to these wider investment opportunities.

“As big advocates of building for the long term, we believe it’s important to give customers access to newer crypto applications that have a promising future.

Now, not only do customers have access to ADA and SOL, but they also have the peace of mind that comes with the rigorous security that customers rely on from Luno”, comments Marius Reitz, General Manager for Africa at Luno.

“In a world that can look complex, we want to break down the complications around cryptocurrencies to make it easy for people to buy, send, store, and learn about them.”

Customers don’t need to make one large investment to get started but can build and grow their investment over time through smaller amounts – similar to how they make contributions to their pension for example,” comments Reitz.

While ADA and SOL meet Luno standards for safety, being listed on Luno is not an endorsement of its future potential as an investment.

Luno assesses prospective assets based on factors like security, compliance, and utility, but will always suggest anyone looking to invest in crypto should do their own research and exercise good judgment before investing.

“Luno only offers the most compelling investment options, viewed through a long-term lens,” concludes Reitz.

“That’s why, over the coming months, customers will be able to explore and invest in more opportunities to tap into a new global financial system and participate equally.”

To launch the new partnership, the first 5,000 applicants for the show’s new series will receive $5 in Bitcoin redeemable via the Luno app on Android and iOS.

Applicants must be between the ages of 21 – 40 and registrations close on Sunday 31st July 2022.

Aired on DStv, The Next Titan brings together Nigeria’s most ambitious founders to battle it out through a series of entrepreneurial challenges and elimination rounds.

This will be held over 10 weeks under the guidance of the country’s leading business figures and the winning contestant will secure a grand prize of ₦20,000,000 (USD $47,000) to support their new or existing business idea. Runners-up will be awarded ₦5,000,000 (USD $11,750).

Speaking on the launch of the partnership, Owen Odia, Country Manager for Nigeria at Luno, says,

“Since launching in Nigeria seven years ago, we’ve prided ourselves on empowering millions of people to safely explore the potential of a new and upgraded financial system.

Through our new partnership with The Next Titan, we have a unique opportunity to expand this mission by supporting some of Nigeria’s most innovative minds as they unlock an entirely new range of possibilities for people across the country.”

“Over the last eight years, The Next Titan inspired the entrepreneurial spirit of young people throughout Nigeria and has undoubtedly been one of the leading business reality TV shows. With this in mind, we’re especially proud to support their drive to find the next generation of elite business leaders who can continue to push Nigeria forward.”

Launched in 2013, Luno’s products and services make it safe and easy to buy, store and learn about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. To-date, the exchange has enabled over $52bn of crypto to be safely transacted and its customers have stored in excess of $1bn.

Mide Akinlaja, executive producer of The Next Titan, adds “Luno’s partnership with The Next Titan is as a result of both parties’ shared interest of empowering entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths through identifying the best business minds and providing them with the required support that would propel them into successful business personalities.”

“This partnership is a step in the right direction as Luno is working to make crypto easily accessible to everyone most especially young business owners thereby empowering them to be game changers in their businesses.”

“The Luno and The Next Titan partnership will equip the young business owners with a mind shift to be innovative to the unprecedented change and transformation in global payment systems as they revolutionize the way business is done across the world.”

Since the start of 2022, Luno has built on its impressive traction to-date and broke past its 10mn customer milestone in April.

Over 55% of its new customers are based in Africa. This followed its launch in March 2022 of Luno Expeditions – its global, early-stage investment arm supporting the best fintech and crypto/web3 founders.

In light of this, Richard Ball who is the Lead Data Scientist at Luno has written an interesting piece called ‘ Who’s buying crypto in Africa?’  highlighting the key crypto activity demographic in Africa and insights as to how they buy, sell and invest in crypto currency.

There’s a lot of eye-catching information in the article including statistics on the age group of Africans buying crypto, where women age 60 and above now account for 46 percent of the active female users on Luno’s platform.

Share your view after reading:

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 buycrypto 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. 

Following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) circular in February 2021, crypto exchanges in Nigeria have been banned from working with financial institutions; however, the latest developments from the SEC could act as the precursor for a surprise move from the CBN to reverse its approach, providing critical foundations for mass crypto adoption across the country.

Speaking on the SEC’s proposed framework, Owen Odia, Country Manager for Nigeria at Luno, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange with over 10mn customers worldwide, says “At Luno, we strongly believe today’s developments could mark a major breakthrough in not only delivering much-needed clarity and protection for crypto customers, but also for businesses.”

“Since launching in Nigeria in 2015, we’ve always prided ourselves on consistently adopting an open and proactive approach towards regulation and with the SEC’s new framework, our hope is that our current and potential users will have even greater confidence to trust us with their funds as we strengthen our push to raise the standards of our industry.”

“We are well-aware that regulators such as the SEC share this same mission; however, we are also conscious that this is by no means an easy task for them. They have to get to grips with a new technology that very few are yet to understand but it is for this reason why they should continue to collaborate with industry players over the coming months and years.”

“Due to our expertise, we believe we can play a crucial role in helping the SEC navigate the nuances of this technology so any eventual regulations manage the need to protect consumers without stifling the huge innovation we’ve seen in Nigeria over the last few years.” 

Currently, Luno has more than 3 million customers in Nigeria and secures an average of more than 4,000 instals of its app per day in the country alone. The platform is also registered with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and adheres to stringent KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) processes in all of its 40 operating countries.

Additionally, Luno undergoes full verification of the existence of its customers’ cryptocurrency by an independent audit firm, Mazars, on a quarterly basis and has achieved an ISO 27001 certification, which is a globally recognised standard for an Information Security Management System.

“The 2020 UN Report on Trade and Development, estimates illicit losses of USD 88.6 million each year in Africa alone. In 2019, 2,1% of all global crypto transactions globally were categorised as illicit, in 2020 this number dropped to 0.34% of all global cryptocurrency transactions.

This translates to roughly USD 10 billion globally,” she says.

Reasons for rise in financial crime

According to Crouwel, there is a perfect storm of three main reasons for the rise in financial crimes across the continent.

“First, financial education levels tend to be lower in Africa and combined with financial hardship caused by Covid-19, citizens are seeking good returns. Second, crypto is a new technology, so users are uncertain about how it works and how to protect themselves.

Finally, personal data in Africa has not been well protected compared to Asian and European markets, even though POPIA was recently introduced in South Africa, one of the continent’s largest economies. This makes it easy for people with bad intentions to get hold of personal information,” she explains.

Among its 9 million customers across 40 countries, in around 95% of Luno’s current financial crime cases, customers have been scammed.

This varies from traditional ‘get-rich-quick’ scams to cases where customers are scammed into surrendering their login information to fraudsters, who sometimes pretend to be from Luno.

Regulation, or the lack thereof, is a significant factor. “Luno fully supports regulation of crypto and believes that it will help to combat fraud. But the reality is that even highly regulated sectors experience financial crime, especially scams,” she says.

Given that crypto is so new, crypto businesses have a significant role to play in teaching customers how to stay safe and protecting customers.

Luno uses external blockchain monitoring companies and restricts crypto movements when the data indicates that customers are at risk.

Says Crouwel, “Interestingly, there is no specific demographic for victims, despite widely-held perceptions that scammers target either the ignorant elderly, or young mavericks looking to make a quick buck or previously disadvantaged users.”

Keeping customers safe

Luno recently underwent the rigorous process of independently verifying the existence of customer funds by means of a proof of reserves report prepared by Mazars South Africa. “The proof of reserve report confirms to crypto holders that their wallets do in fact contain the cryptocurrency stated and avoids the dangerous situation of thinking they have digital assets which don’t exist.”

In addition, Luno conducts financial audits, security audits, audit of reserves and compliance audits. “We invest heavily in advanced technology that allows our dedicated investigations team to access  real time, tech-driven insights, which means we are able to respond much more quickly to behaviour that has been identified as risky. We have always said that Luno is a safe platform to secure and store cryptocurrency and we now have external validation of this,” she says.

The financial services industry tracks patterns and fraud margins. “While risk appetite differs between institutions, traditional financial service providers like banks would generally consider overall fraud loss thresholds of 5% or even as high as 8% as acceptable. In fact, according to a recent PWC report on fraud losses, most fraud is not even further investigated. Luno’s threshold is much lower at between 0,5% and 1,5% depending on the region. While it is a bold statement, based on these numbers Luno can confirm that our security is better than bank-grade.”

Customers also need to be alert and careful. “We also count on our customers to keep the best interest of their funds in mind when dealing with cryptocurrency. We recently embarked on an email campaign to our customers to explain the risks and what to look out for.”

Tips to keep your crypto safe

• Use a recognised, reputable exchange, as the significant investment in security will mean that your money remains safe.
• The weakest link is human beings. It is very rare to see actual hacking in crypto financial fraud.
• It is true that crypto is volatile but be aware that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Treat your login information with as much respect as you do your bank login details.

However, from a regional perspective, it is also arguably the year where Africa took centre stage.

From a reported 1,200% surge in crypto adoption, the launch of Africa’s first central bank digital currency and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s circular on cryptocurrencies, it is hard to navigate any of the key conversations surrounding the sector without referencing activities on the continent.

As we kick off the new year, Marius Reitz, Luno’s General Manager for Africa, explores three key trends to expect on the continent throughout the year:

Rethinking Regulation

To describe regulation of Africa’s crypto sector in 2021 as eventful would be an understatement. Last year saw the continent’s major economies take a much more proactive stance on consumer protection with one strategy in particular grabbing attention – the introduction of blanket bans. For countries that adopted these measures, the results have been far from ideal with trading activity being pushed underground and regulators left with a reduced level of visibility of the sector.

With this in mind, we could see a greater openness amongst regulators to work alongside industry players to establish a more robust and effective framework, which could encourage other African countries to follow suit.

As we’ve witnessed from China, blanket bans do little in terms of limiting trading activity and protecting consumers but engaging experts who understand the nuances of new and complex technology like cryptocurrencies can provide a huge amount of value on how to protect consumers from its risks.

Kenya’s emergence

With Nigeria’s crypto ban dominating headlines throughout 2021, one significant development on the continent which potentially slipped under the radar was Kenya’s ranking as the world’s leader in P2P trading volumes for the second consecutive year.

The country’s crypto industry is booming with a rapidly emerging crop of companies building blockchain-based solutions and considering its young population, high levels of mobile connectivity and familiarity with digital payment solutions like mobile money, it’s firmly positioned to emerge as East Africa’s leading crypto hub in 2022.

However, in order for any significant inroads to be made in terms of mainstream adoption, the importance of widespread crypto education can’t be understated.

According to Luno’s 2021 consumer research survey, 64% of Kenyans don’t invest in cryptocurrencies as they don’t simply understand them and given Kenyans were also found to be the most proactive in seeking out financial advice from traditional sources (i.e. financial services companies, publications and advisors) before making investment decisions, it is vital crypto firms go the extra mile to ensure the right information is readily available.

A new solution to Africa’s remittances problem

It is no secret that investments are currently the most prevalent use case for cryptocurrencies across Africa however, one area which could receive a major boost this year is remittances. According to the World Bank, total remittances in Sub-Saharan Africa alone broke past $45bn in 2021 but with the severe lack of foreign currency reserves across Africa stopping companies from receiving international payments and remitting their profits, many businesses could look towards cryptocurrencies as an alternative means of handling cross-border transactions.

The key strength of cryptocurrencies in this area lies in the open and decentralized blockchain networks that support them, which allow money to be easily transferred between parties without all the lag times and exorbitant fees no matter who or where they are.

Similar to most aspects of the crypto industry, progress in this area will be heavily dependent on a favourable regulatory climate and should this materialize, cryptocurrencies could emerge as a major asset for companies with extensive operations throughout Africa.

Expect the unexpected

Despite the huge influence developments in the three categories mentioned will have over the course of the next year, they are by no means the only trends to keep an eye on.

For example, attracting institutional investment into Africa’s crypto space is still a major problem; however, we could see more mature markets on the continent like South Africa introduce stronger regulatory frameworks to encourage more participation from these stakeholders.

Equally, as the sector grows in popularity, it is attracting world-class talent as well as attention from leading media outlets who are dedicating more resources to quality reporting and both of these are trends that we should expect to continue.

However, if we have learnt anything from events over the last two years, we should also expect the unexpected and whilst this can often breed uncertainty, a quick look at Africa’s current position and prospects should still provide huge optimism that it remains the most promising region for the adoption of cryptocurrencies.