COVID-19: Paxful accelerates Bitcoin Entrepreneur Development Education in Southern Africa in Response to the Economic Crisis

To help aid entrepreneurship and job-creation opportunities in one of their leading markets, peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin marketplace, Paxful will be offering more free virtual entrepreneur education workshops and courses to the public, in Southern Africa, during July and August 2020.

Upcoming workshops include the following:

  • 29 July 2020 @ 6:00 pm (SAST): “How Bitcoin enables a new class of entrepreneurs in Africa” – Webinar hosted in association with Celo.
  • 30 July 2020 @ 1:00 PM (SAST),: “Discovering entrepreneurship opportunities in peer-to-peer (P2P) finance” – Workshop hosted in association with Startup Grind and presented by Paxful’s Africa Community Coordinator, Modibe Matsepane.
  • Starting 10 August 2020, Paxful will host monthly webinars with CoinEd  to help their students learn more about bitcoin, blockchain technology, opportunities within the digital economy and how to use the Paxful platform.
  • Kicking off on 18 August 2020 @ 11:00 AM (SAST) is the Bitcoin and Blockchain Beginner Course sponsored by Paxful hosted in association with the Blockchain Academy.

Bitcoin and blockchain enthusiasts can also join the DeFi Conference 2020 taking place on 5 August 2020 where Artur Schaback, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Paxful will share insights on the application of decentralised finance (DeFi) for financial inclusion and the relevant opportunities and challenges within this space.

In celebration of their fifth birthday this year and to support the entrepreneurship drive amongst participants, Paxful is giving away R100 000. The first 1000 participants who join any of the above workshops or courses, register an account on the Paxful platform and make their first trade in the month of August, will qualify for R100 in prize money to get their bitcoin journey underway.

Responding to public demand

“In addition to noticing an increase in the number of new users globally on our platform since the COVID-19 pandemic, our users have expressed specific interest in learning more about bitcoin and crypto during this time,” says Ray Youssef, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Paxful.

He adds that education is critical to promoting enterprise development in the bitcoin economy, especially in emerging markets as the world continues to face harsh economic conditions and uncertainty. “It’s also important for us as a business to help steer consumers away from get-rich-quick schemes, which tend to grow everywhere at this time in certain corners of the bitcoin economy.”

Passionate about education and entrepreneurship

Paxful’s partnership with these regional educational platforms is testament to the company’s long held commitment to provide first-time and existing users with the right information and guidance on the opportunities that bitcoin and blockchain presents.

“We are extremely excited to be able to help people utilise their entrepreneurial skills to identify new opportunities and job possibilities within the blockchain and crypto space during these difficult times. The bitcoin economy is worth billions of dollars and represents a significant opportunity for African youth in particular,” concludes Youssef.

In the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Paxful’s philanthropic arm #BuiltWithBitcoin (BuiltWithBitcoin.org) has also been playing its part to support vulnerable communities. A #BuiltWithBitcoin  Fund was launched in June, which supports charities who are tackling the impact of the pandemic on underserved communities.

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Winnie Okello, P.E

About Winnie Okello, P.E

I Graduated from Bucknell University with a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, an have been working in the civil & environmental engineering sector for over a decade. My areas of specialty include: Civil -(Roadway & structural analysis) and Environmental Engineering, Water Resources, Environmental/ Regulatory Compliance, Sustainability, Materials Recycling, Research, Social Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, & the Human-Element of Engineering. I am a strong advocate for more equitable representation and inclusivity of women in the STEM sectors, and more importantly, bringing the fullness of who we are to what we do.