Want to buy bitcoin in South Africa or other countries in Africa? Because it’s easy.

Posted on 16th February 201716th February 2017 by Gerard

Readers of my blogs (not that I have the time to plough out tons of them) may know that besides having a passion for advertising, I have an interest in blockchain technology and a passion for bitcoin. Bitcoin is a fascinating and disruptive technology, and besides having the potential to make people seriously wealthy, could also change the way we pay for things.

With the growing awareness – and interest in – bitcoin as a means of remittance and a creator of wealth, more and more people in more and more countries are looking to buy the crypto-currency, and asking how and where they can buy it. The fact is, buying bitcoin (or BTC as it is more commonly known) is easy. All you need to do is search online for eg “Buying and selling bitcoin in South Africa or ““Buying bitcoin in Nigeria and Ghana”. A no-brainer, I know.

I typically buy bitcoin on www.localbitcoins.com but there are two other reputable platforms in South Africa that one could try:

www.luno.com

www.altcointrader.co.za

The interest in bitcoin is spreading across Africa – most notably:

in Kenya, where the more popular and trusted platforms are:

www.localbitcoins.com

www.bitpesa.co

www.altcoins.io

www.99bitcoins.com

In Uganda, where sellers and buyers of bitcoin include:

www.localbitcoins.com

www.bitpesa.co

www.bitcoincenterug.com

www.bitcoin-net.com

In Nigeria, where the most trusted platforms are:

www.localbitcoins.com

www.bitpesa.co

www.naira4dollar.com

www.buybitcoinworldwide.com

In Ghana, where most people turn to:

www.buybitcoinworldwide.com

Just make sure that you do your due diligence before deciding who to buy your bitcoin from.

Before being able to purchase the currency, though, you’ll need to open a bitcoin wallet – which you’ll do when you register an account. Next step is to place your order, indicating how many BTC you want. Once you’ve paid the amount shown, the bitcoin will be sent to your wallet. And you’re done. The whole process should take no more than a few minutes.

Buying bitcoin is a simple decision. A far bigger decision is: what to do with your bitcoin?

Spend it? Hold on to it? This is up to you, but if you had to ask me, I’d say: DON’T spend it but rather put it away and forget about it. (Or buy into a bitcoin mining pool, so as to increase the number bitcoin you hold).

At the beginning of last year, the bitcoin price was US$380. Today, it’s over US$1 000. Next year, it could be US$2 000. And the year after that, US$3 000. Of course, no-one knows for sure….but the fact that there can only ever be 21 million bitcoin in circulation means that the price will likely go up and up. Making it one of the best investments around.

It’s something you may want to keep your eye on.

Gerard Kavonic is an experienced copywriter, conceptualiser of advertising ideas and co-ordinator of marketing projects, running a small – tiny – advertising agency in Johannesburg. He is also an ardent proponent of bitcoin and is an active member of BitClub Network. He can be contacted on +27 83 444 9888 and emailed on [email protected] His skype address is gerardkavonic

Bitcoin. A Fad Or The Future?

Posted on 18th November 201618th November 2016 by Gerard

Suddenly, people are starting to talk about bitcoin. It’s all over the internet – with articles that are ebullient and some, that for whetever reason, are less so.

You’re either a believer or you’re not. Is it a fad? Or is it the real deal?

I’m just an advertising guy (and a biased one at that, in that I’m an ardent proponent of the currency) so what do I know?

Only the following, after spending some time this past week with a person who has a deep understanding of crypto-currencies, and who was in South Africa to meet with interested local parties – the American co-founder of BitClub Network, of which I’m an active member:

Bitcoin is currently used by a minute percentage of the global population, but is already priced at around US$740 per bitcoin (BTC).

The price of bitcoin is projected to go a LOT higher over the next few years. (With a fair bit of volatility on the way)

Bitcoin is being kept an eye on by Governments and banks around the world, who are trying to understand the implications of a quick and easy means of payment between individuals that can’t be controlled.

Bitcoin provides an incredibly inexpensive means of paying another person.

It is already accepted by more than 200 000 establishments in the US.

It can be used to purchase anything – from a coffee at Starbucks to airplane tickets on Emirates to a castle in Scotland.

Transactions are all recorded on the Blockchain, which is a public ledger open to all.

Bitcoin wallets can be opened by anyone at any time and cost nothing to open. In South Africa, a wallet can be opened on www.localbitcoins.com, www.altcointrader.co.za and www.bitx.co.za

One can easily buy or sell the crypto-currency on any of these platforms.

Some people who DO know about bitcoin include:

Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson.

Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates.

Ex US vice-president, Al Gore.

CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt

Venture Capitalist and founder of Netscap, Marc Andreessen.

Founder of McAfee, John McAfee.

Former CEO of Paypal, David Marcus.

Co-creator of Facebook, Tyler Winklevoss.

Well-known entrepreneur, Eric Voorhees.

Former Chairman of the US Federal reserve, Ben Bernanke.

Here’s what they have to say about bitcoin.

Sir Richard Branson “Virgin Atlantic is a bold entrepreneurial technology. It’s driving a revolution and bitcoin is doing the same when it comes to inventing a new currency” “

Bill Gates “Bitcoin is a technological tour de force” “

Al Gore “I think the fact that within the bitcoin universe, an algorithm replaces the functions of Government, is actually pretty cool” “

Eric Schmidt “Bitcoin is a remarkable cryptographic achievement and the ability to create something that is not duplicable in the digital world has enormous value” “

Marc Andreessen “At our venture firm, we continue to see an escalating stream of fascinating new bitcoin uses, cases and applications from entrepreneurs”

John McAfee “ You can’t stop things like bitcoin. It will be everywhere and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust“

David Marcus “I really like bitcoin. It’s a store of value, a distributed ledger. It’s a great place to put assets” “

Tyler Winklevoss ‘We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error“

Eric Voorhees “Economists and journalists often get caught up in this question: why does bitcoin have value? And the answer is very easy. It’s useful and scarce”.

Ben Bernanke “Bitcoin may hold long-term promise, particularly if the innovations promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system” “

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take a cue from people of this calibre than a broke next door neighbour who tells me that bitcoin is a fad and that I should stay clear of it.

Another clincher for me is something the co-founder of Bitclub Network pointed my attention to on the site blockchain.info – the number of reputable global firms and institutions that are actively – and currently – funding blockchain and bitcoin start-ups. One of which is The New York Stock Exchange, which for the first time in its 200 year history, is putting money behind an entity that is NOT listed.

Now THAT is interesting….

Naspers too.

Interesting again…

Is Bitclub Network Only For Network Marketers?

Posted on 6th September 20166th September 2016 by Gerard

As one of the people behind the launch of BitClub Network into South Arica and Africa, I’m often asked whether we cater for network marketers only – and the answer I give is: no, not at all. BitClub Network is for anyone who has an interest in, or believes in, bitcoin as a vehicle for wealth creation.

Whist BitClub Network has a network marketing component built-in (which appeals to the network marketers out there), one can quite easily join purely as an investor. Fact is, there are many South Africans who have joined as investors with no intention of “recruiting” others. And there is nothing wrong with this.

What they do is pay their once-off membership fee (US$99) and then buy into one of the mining pools – of which there are three (Pool 1, costing US$500), Pool 2 (costing US$1 000). Pool 3 (costing US$2 000) or the Founder’s Pool (costing US$3 500). The Founder’s Pool equates to buying a share in all three pools and many investors prefer buying straight into the Founder’s Pool, without first buying into the lesser pools.

When an investor buys into a mining pool, what they are doing is buying mining equipment to “mine” bitcoin. This said, it’s really not important for you to know the technicalities or to understand bitcoin “mining” (although you’ll find a number of videos on the website www.bitclubnetwork.com and You Tube explaining the process if you’re interested).

Bitcoin mining is done on the investor’s behalf and profits from this mining activity are shared amongst the investors in that particular pool. Investors can choose to be paid daily or can select to “store” their bitcoin for the period of their choice. The latter option is generally preferred as it compounds one’s earnings over time.

The difference between the mining pools (besides from the cost) is the percentage paid out and the percentage re-invested to purchase newer mining equipment.

(Another difference is the number of “club coin” given to you – but more about this in a bit).

Investors pay in bitcoin – and get paid in bitcoin (BTC).

With the price of bitcoin currently at around US$600 per bitcoin (BTC) – . go to http://www.coindesk.com/price/ for the latest price – we advise that you purchase as many bitcoin as you can and hold on to them. For the simple reason that there can ever be only 21 million BTC in circulation. So it’s a question of supply and demand.

There are many analysts and crypto-currency “experts” who predict that the price of bitcoin could get as high as US$10 000 in 3 years – whilst there are others who believe it could be even higher. The fact is, no-one quite knows.

My take on things is that even if BTC reaches a – relatively conservative – US$1 500 in 3 years, this is not a bad return. In which case, the advice is the same: BUY BITCOIN.

There are a number of platforms in South Africa from which you can buy the crypto-currency: www.altcointrader.co.za www.bitx.co.za and www.localbitcoins.com

My preference is for the latter, but only for the reason that this is the platform I’m familiar with.

Once you’ve opened an account and created a bitcoin wallet, you can either:

Leave your BTC in your bitcoin wallet and forget about them

Use them to buy into a mining pool, so they can work for you.

By buying into a mining pool, your bitcoin will grow over time.

You’ll also be given BitClub’s own “in-house” crypto-currency (ClubCoin) – free and gratis – as a thank you (so long as you buy in before the end of December 2016).

(Note that whilst ClubCoin can be traded on the open market as we speak, it’s best to hold on to them as they WILL increase in value).

Whilst bitcoin is a relatively new concept in South Africa, and not widely understood, we’re happy to meet with anyone interested so as to expand on the opportunity.

The minimum investment would be US$599 – US$99 to join Bitclub Network and US$500 to buy into Pool 1.

If you’re interested, I’ve just put up a local site www.bitclubnetwork.co.za

Alternatively, you could mail me on [email protected]

Gerard Kavonic is an experienced copywriter, conceptualiser of advertising ideas and co-ordinator of marketing of projects. Based in Johannesburg, he runs This country’s smallest ad agency, Kavonic Hone. See www.kavonichone.co.za He is also involved in the launch of Bitclub Network in South Africa. See www.bitclubnetwork.co.za He can be reached on 083 444 9888 and on the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected]

How Is Bitclub Network Going In South Africa?

Posted on 24th August 201624th August 2016 by Gerard

Started eight months ago by a lady in Johannesburg who had heard of bitcoin (BTC) and was intrigued by it, BitClub Network South Africa is growing in leaps and bounds.

Whereas the first few meetings were (predictably) not that well-attended, these days there’s scarcely a seat to be had in the weekly BitClub Network presentations. This is partly due to the magnetism of the lady in question (the hardest worker I have EVER encountered) and partly due to the interest in bitcoin. Not that people understand it, of course….

Bitcoin is an interesting concept, and it’s one that people either choose to embrace or stay away from entirely. (Those that do the latter in all likelihood feel that it’s not something that they will ever quite understand, and if they can’t understand it, they’ll stay away from it. Which is all well and good. Some people are more open-minded than others and this will always be the case).

So what is bitcoin (BTC)?

Bitcoin is the first decentralised digital currency that works peer-to-peer without needing a bank or central repository. It’s a global currency that uses a public ledger to record transactions being sent from one person to another. This all happens without the involvement of a bank and it’s not controlled by any government, regulating body or person. All transactions are completely transparent and thousands of copies of the ledger are kept across a distributed network of computers.

It’s a currency that nobody can control and it’s for this reason that it is generating the kind of interest that it is. Bitcoin works a lot like cash in that you receive it instantly when it’s sent and once you have it, you have it. This makes bitcoin a truly revolutionary peer-to-peer system that is designed to get even better as more and more people start using it.

Still confused? That’s fine. All you need to know is that it works, it’s legal and it’s the way of the future!

In the meantime, here are some of the questions most often asked:

Is BTC not used for illicit activity?

The answer is that whilst it has been used for sporadic illicit activity in the past (for purchases of drugs in the US, for instance), so too has the US dollar and other fiat currencies. The sad reality is that we live in a world of dishonesty, criminality and corruption and bitcoin’s ease of use is sometimes taken advantage of. On the positive side, a good 98% of bitcoin usage is ethical and honest.

Is BTC not MMM?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. (I put this in capital letters to knock this misconception on the head!!). Whilst MMM made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, the only reason why bitcoin is sometimes associated with MMM is because MMM allowed payments in bitcoin. Bitcoin is a currency. It has nothing to do with MMM.

Where could one spend bitcoin?

If you were in the US, for instance, you’d be able to spend BTC in thousands of places, and for a multitude of things – from a coffee at Starbucks to an airline ticket to London. In South Africa, we’re at the very early stages. As things stand, you could make purchases on, for example, BidorBuy using bitcoin. And you could pay people, using BTC. In time, you’ll be able to buy pretty much anything. In fact, if you apply for a Visa Xapo card from http://www.xapo.com/ you could load your bitcoin onto the card and use the card for purchases from Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Edgars or wherever you want, right now.

There’s tons of information on bitcoin on the internet, so if it’s of interest to you, check it out.

But back to BitClub Network.

A global wealth-building platform for the digital currency market, BitClub Network allows people to earn profits from its shared mining pools. There’s also a referral program through which members earn by introducing other people and building their teams– network marketing, in other words (but NOT a pyramid scheme!!!).

It started about two years in the US and was then taken to Malaysia, where it just exploded. (In terms of people joining). From a post I saw yesterday, I see that it’s now taken hold in South Korea, and other countries in SE Asia.

Having met with the co-founder when he was in South Africa two months back, and due to my working closely with the person who brought it to South Africa, I know that the plan is to grow BitClub Network across South Africa, and then, to launch it into Africa.

Things will go (grow) quickly, and already, people are joining in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria and even Dubai.

BitClub Network South Africa’s offices open in Johannesburg next month. So, things are happening at pace, and people who can afford to, are joining in numbers.

The cost to join is US$99 and to buy a share in the cheapest mining pool is US$500. So if you’re interested, you’d need a minimum of US$599. A good investment, in my opinion. There’s more info on http://www.bitclubnetwork.co.za if you’d like to visit.

On my side, I’d be happy to meet with anyone interested – assuming they’re in Johannesburg, of course!

Advertising & Bitcoin. Two Sides Of The Same Coin?

Posted on 22nd August 201622nd August 2016 by Gerard

OK, I confess – maybe the title of this blog article is a bit too clever for its own good. The reality is that there’s no correlation between advertising and bitcoin, other than the fact that I’m involved in both – and passionate about both.

I’ve been in advertising for nearly 29 years, running This country’s smallest ad agency (in Johannesburg) and am an experienced copywriter, conceptualiser of advertising ideas and co-ordinator of marketing projects – whilst I’ve been involved in bitcoin for no more than a year. Bitcoin excites me. When I heard that bitcoin, blockchain technology and crypto-currencies could eventually be as a disruptive as the internet, it had my attention – and I began to delve deeper.

There’s tons of information about blockchain and bitcoin on the internet, but what really got me interested was the fact that bitcoin was endorsed – and enthused about – by the likes of Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group), Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) and Al Gore (45^th Vice President of the United States). See their comments below:

Sir Richard Branson: “I have invested in bitcoin because I believe in its potential, the capacity it has to transform global payments is very exciting”

Bill Gates: “Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don’t have to be physically in the same place and of course for large transactions currency can get pretty inconvenient”

Al Gore: “I think the fact that within the bitcoin universe an algorithm replaces the function of Government is actually pretty cool. I am a big fan of bitcoin”

There are many other people who believe in bitcoin. The head of Google, for instance. (And if he believes in the potential of the currency, it’s worth listening, I’d say.)

If people of this calibre were excited about bitcoin, I decided that I would be guided by them rather than by friends or family who told me that yes, they had heard about bitcoin, but that I should stay away from it as it was an “illicit currency used for illicit activity” and that it was too risky and a “fad”.

A fad, it’s clearly not. Bitcoin and blockchain technology will be as disruptive as the internet. Yes, we may be a few years away from that, but there’s a high probability of this being the case. One only has to surf the internet to see how many blockchain-related developments there are currently around the world.

(Closer to home, ABSA bank have announced their intention to look into blockchain technology – the first African bank to do so). Others will surely follow.

Internationally, Japan has made bitcoin a legitimate currency, and whilst Russia was wary about bitcoin in the beginning, there are a number of signs that the doors are opening to crypto-currencies in that country.

Malaysia? BTC is huge there.

Korea: Gaining traction in a big way.

India? Getting started…

South Africa? Judging by the growth of BitClub network here, and the number of people enthusing about bitcoin, it’s just a matter of time before it takes off here…and other countries in Africa. (BTC is already being adopted in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and doors are opening in Dubai as we speak..)

It’s just a question of time before crypto-currencies – of which bitcoin (BTC) is the most widely-known and accepted – become mainstream around the world. Governments will be come more embracing of the technology, as will banks and other financial institutions.

In the meantime, many people around the world are already interacting with BTC (paying each other, or buying goods), and if you’d like to see the transactions happening currently, go to Blockchain on https://blockchain.info/ and look at the transactions at the bottom left corner of the page. Blockchain is the public ledger, on which every single BTC transaction globally can be viewed as it happens.

At the time of writing, the price of bitcoin is around the US$585 mark. See http://www.coindesk.com/price/ for the current price.

As there can only ever be 21 million bitcoin in circulation, the forecast for BTC is undeniably upwards. Yes, there will be volatility and yes, the price could go down before it goes up..but the curve will head upwards for sure.

Whilst no-one can say for certain, a number of analysts believe that the price of BTC could get to as high as US$10 000 in 3-5 years.

Even if it gets to $1 500, I’m in. BTC is the way of the future and I’m by no means the only South African to think so.