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Crypto Unwrapped: Dive beyond the hype into the real stories, innovations, and controversies of the crypto world. From grassroots projects in Africa to the future of work and finance, each episode unpacks how blockchain is transforming industries, changing lives, and reshaping our future. Engaging, insightful, and a bit irreverent, Crypto Unwrapped is your guide to understanding the potential of crypto, without the noise.
Timi: Welcome, welcome, welcome.
You've tuned into another exciting
episode of Crypto Unwrapped.
Today we're doing
something a bit different.
We're taking you on a
storytelling journey.
We're telling storiesâreal stories,
from people all over Africa who have
dipped their toes or sometimes their
entire wallet into the crypto ocean.
Some of these people are people
with stories of, wins that will
make you want to jump right in.
Others might have you
muttering, ha, what a shame.
But all of them carry lessons about this
unpredictable, thrilling world of crypto.
Now whether you're just getting started
or you've been in crypto for a while,
there is nothing quite like hearing
about real people's experience because
let's be honest at its core, crypto is
about people: It is the human element
that makes this journey all worthwhile.
So let's dive right in
Let's kick things off with a
success story, because I mean,
who doesn't love a good win?
Meet Tega a 27 year old graphic
designer from Lagos Like many
freelancers, Tega had a problem.
He could design anything from logos
to posters, but getting paid for
his work from international clients?
Ha, that's the real challenge.
Delayed payments and bank
fees , eating into his earnings.
He was constantly fighting to keep the
value of his hard earned Naira intact.
But then, Tega discovered crypto,
specifically USDT, the digital
dollar that doesn't judge borders.
With USDT, payments arrive almost
instantly, and the transaction
fees, just a fraction of what
he was paying at the banks.
It wasn't just Tega who loved
this, his clients in the U.
S.
and Europe found it easier as well.
Suddenly, Tega had a way to scale
his freelance career without begging
banks to process his hard earned cash.
Now, here's where it gets truly inspiring.
Tega didn't just stop at solving his own.
He started giving free workshops
in his neighborhood, showing other
freelancers how to use crypto to
escape the limitations of local banks.
He has a small community of designers
and writers who all get paid in crypto,
pooling knowledge and resources.
And the best part, one of Tega's
students, a tailor, started using USDT
to import fabrics for a clothing line.
Today, she's shipping her
designs to clients in Ghana,
South Africa, and even the UK.
Who would've thought that
crypto could turn the sewing
machine into a global business?
Now, let's bring a little balance
into this because as we all know,
for every win, there's often a loss,
and if you're in crypto, you've
probably felt the sting at some point.
Our next story comes from
Miriam, a trader from Nairobi.
Miriam had heard the buzz about
Bitcoin during his wild rise in 2021.
Her cousin made a small fortune flipping
BTC, so she thought, why not me?
With $2000 from her savings, she jumped
right in, dreaming of quick riches.
Then came 2022, the year that
reminded us all that what goes
up must surely comes down.
Bitcoin didn't just dip, it nose-dived.
Miriam watched helplessly as her
$2000 investment turned into $500.
And to make matters worse, she had kept
her BTC on an exchange that soon froze
withdrawals during the FTX collapse.
Miriam's takeaway from all of this, she
says, "Crypto taught me the importance of
two things, patience and self custody."
She learned that if you're going
to play the crypto game, you better
understand the rules, starting with
"Not your keys, not your coins."
But here's the surprising part.
Miriam didn't walk away bitter.
Instead, she started using
stablecoins like USDC for
daily savings and remittances.
Now, instead of worrying about price
charts and all of that, She uses
script to send money to a family in
rural Kenya, skipping the high fees
from traditional remittance platforms.
So let's move on, you know, a little
bit into the gray area this time around.
The stories that sit somewhere between the
trails of wins and the sting of losses.
Here, we find Eric, a farmer from Ghana.
For Eric, crypto isn't about speculation.
He doesn't know the first thing
about DeFi or even trading pairs.
And frankly, he doesn't seem to care.
For him, crypto is a tool, a
way to sell his cocoa beans
directly to buyers in Germany.
Eric started accepting Bitcoin
a few years ago when the Cedi
was particularly volatile.
His German buyersâcrypto
enthusiasts themselves, loved it.
No more intermediary fees and
payments arrived faster than the local
banking system could ever promise.
Of course, it hasn't
all been smooth sailing.
Eric once joked, "Sometimes my
cocoa beans reach Germany faster
than my Bitcoin transaction do".
Between network congestion and
exchange rate volatility, he's had
its fair share of frustrations.
But on a balance, crypto has opened
doors it never thought possible.
And here's the twist.
Eric recently began using the lightning
network, a layer 2 solution that makes
Bitcoin transaction faster and cheaper.
His buyers love it.
And Eric now feels confident enough
to teach other farmers in his
community how to accept crypto.
Now, suddenly the humble cocoa farmer
has become a blockchain advocate.
Thanks to a German buyer, Eric was
invited to Berlin to speak at a
conference about decentralized trade.
Imagine this, a farmer from a small
Ghanaian village sharing a stage with tech
innovators from Silicon Valley and Berlin.
If that is not the power
of crypto, then what is?
So, what do Tega, Miriam,
and Eric have in common?
They've all interacted with
crypto in deeply personal ways.
For Tega, it's empowerment.
For Miriam, it's a lesson.
For Eric, it's opportunity.
Together, their stories show
us that crypto isn't just
Some abstract digital assets.
It's a tool that solves real
problem, for real people.
But let's not sugarcoat
it, Crypto isn't perfect.
It's still a work in progress much like
any other groundbreaking innovation.
And sometimes, its value lies not
in the profits or the headlines but
in the possibility it creates for
communities to connect, adapt and thrive.
Crypto My friend doesn't come
with an instruction manual.
It's like learning to ride a bike
you fall And sometimes you scrape
your knees while you do that.
But eventually you get the hang
of it and when you do, ha, the
freedom is definitely worth it.
So here's my challenge to you: Find
one person in your community who
doesn't know anything about crypto and
share one of the stories with them.
Let it be a system of
"each one, teach one".
Tell them about Tega's workshops, Miriam's
resilience, or Eric's journey from
farmers to speaker or any other story that
you personally might have come across.
Because at the end of the day, crypto
is as much about sharing knowledge
as it is about making transactions.
And if they look at you
like you're speaking another
language, well, don't worry.
That's the secret
handshake of Crypto Club.
We are all learning as we go.
And that's how we bring it to a wrap
for today's episode of Crypto Unwrapped.
We've journeyed through the highs,
the lows and everything basically in-
between proven that crypto isn't just
about numbers, it's also about people
and whether you're using it to send
money home, building a business or
dreaming big, crypto is shaping life
across Africa in ways we couldn't
even imagine just about a decade ago.
So if you've enjoyed today's
episode, why don't you share it
with a friend and also subscribe and
let's keep this conversation alive.
Let's not just talk about moonshot.
Let's also talk about the people making
real change happen on the ground.
Until next time on Crypto Unwrapped,
stay curious, stay informed,
and most importantly, stay real.
You're welcome.