South Africa Leads Africa’s Crypto Payment Adoption in 2025, Report

The acceptance of crypto is growing rapidly in Africa. A new report shows that more merchants in African regions are adopting crypto as a daily payment method.

South Africa will be at the forefront of Africa’s merchant crypto payments adoption in 2025, holding the sixth position globally.

Obviously, new regulated approaches to digital assets are attracting more people to the African continent to witness their benefits.

A 2025 study by Liam Miller of NTFEvening, in conjunction with Storible, asserted that Africa witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of merchants accepting cryptocurrencies, from 528 locations in 2023 to 748 in 2024. 

South Africa, with 115 additional locations, contributes 584 locations to the number.

South Africa 🇿🇦 dominates Africa with 584 locations that accept crypto, showing its advancement around the continent, while it is also 6th globally, says latest survey.

See details here: https://t.co/xjpzbgIcRq pic.twitter.com/yjZ20ev18u

— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) April 2, 2025

Additionally, the report placed Kenya as the second African country that saw a significant increase in the adoption of crypto payments, followed by Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana.

The Worldwide Adoption of Crypto Merchant Payments Increases by Nearly 50%

Furthermore, the report stated that the world saw a nearly 50% increase in merchant crypto payments adoption in 2024. 12,824 locations, compared to 8,571 locations in 2023, were reported to be accepting crypto as a form of payment

Meanwhile, Europe maintains its position as the crypto payment hub. It boasts of 5,677 locations, while Americas trail it with 5,362 locations.

“Europe remains the epicenter for crypto payments, with the highest numeric increase in locations (2,029 new locations), emphasizing the region’s openness to crypto-friendly business environments. Yet, the highest percentage growth emerged from Asia (73%), indicating rapidly expanding acceptance,”

the report stated.

However, based on countries, Brazil leads the pack with 1,292 crypto payment locations, followed by the United States of America, El Salvador, Italy, Czechia, and South Africa in the sixth position.

Coinwaft earlier reported on the steps that African crypto and blockchain stakeholders are taking to bring digital assets closer to the people of Africa. 

They aim to make it easily accessible for remittance and cross-border transactions for every individual.

🚀 NEW: Quidax partners with Tether to expand crypto education in Nigeria and Ghana, aiming to increase awareness and adoption of digital assets across the region. pic.twitter.com/JMc61EEBFh

— Coinwaft (@coinwaft) March 27, 2025

The World Adopts Crypto for Faster and Borderless Payments

As the adoption of crypto as a form of payment increases, digital assets are providing faster and borderless payments that eliminate a third party’s consent in the transaction.

In addition, some merchants claimed that their customers also requested to pay in crypto. Some added that the digital assets allow them to scale through inflation and offer safety and security advantages.

In conclusion, many crypto users see it as a lifetime investment. In fact, according to the report, a compelling 88.2% of business owners reported increased revenue after introducing crypto payment options. 

Moreover, the report shows that 75.7% of merchants are choosing to retain their crypto earnings as investments.