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Africa’s blockchain industry is entering a new phase of economic relevance, according to the fifth edition of the CV VC African Blockchain Report, published in association with Absa Group.
- Blockchain accounts for 5.3% of all African funding
- Pan-African led with 57.2%, followed by South Africa (21.1%) and Nigeria (13.5%)
- 15 nations have formal digital asset regulatory frameworks, up from seven a year ago
Blockchain is an outlier in Africa’s venture landscape. It accounted for 5.3% of all African venture funding in 2025, nearly double the global share of 3%. In deal count, blockchain represented 6.9% of Africa’s all-sector deal count, up from 6.1% in 2024.
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The gap reflects a continent adopting blockchain faster and more practically than many larger markets, driven by a need for reliable infrastructure, efficiency and trust. The report shows blockchain increasingly being deployed in financial services and payments, identity verification, fraud mitigation, AI coordination, and data authentication across the continent.
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“Africa is not an emerging blockchain market. It is an arriving one,” said Mathias Ruch, founder & CEO of CV VC. “While global capital is consolidating around fewer, larger bets, Africa is widening the innovation frontier, integrating blockchain into essential economic infrastructure because necessity and foresight are driving its effective use.”
Global blockchain venture funding rose 28.8% year-on-year to $15.4 billion in 2025, while global all-sector venture funding climbed 24.7% to $512.8 billion. Against this backdrop, Africa secured $1.7 billion in all-sector venture capital, representing just 0.33% of global funding despite the continent’s strong macroeconomic indicators: some of the world’s most youthful demographics, a demonstrable “leapfrogging” mindset and accelerating digital expertise. For investors, the report frames this imbalance as one of the most compelling strategic opportunities in global technology markets.
Blockchain accounted for 5.3% of all African venture funding in 2025, nearly double the global share of 3%.
African blockchain startups raised $90.1 million across 28 deals in 2025. While total capital deployed declined 26.6% year-on-year, Africa’s share of global blockchain deal activity climbed to a record 2.8%, signalling sustained early-stage innovation. Seed rounds accounted for nearly half of all disclosed funding, reflecting continued entrepreneurial momentum at the early stage despite tighter capital conditions.
Centralised blockchain services dominated segment-wise, capturing 67.9% of all blockchain capital deployed on the continent. Key segments included stablecoin-powered payments, digital asset banking infrastructure, tokenised real-world assets, cross-border settlement rails and blockchain-enabled credit systems.
Jarryd Kennedy, CV VC Head of Investments Africa.
“Africa has already demonstrated its ability to leapfrog legacy infrastructure through mobile money,” said Jarryd Kennedy, CV VC Head of Investments Africa. “Blockchain and stablecoins are enabling the next leap to a digitally native financial system that is faster, more accessible and increasingly interconnected across borders.”
Geographically, Pan-African startups led with 57.2% of total funding secured, followed by South Africa (21.1%) and Nigeria (13.5%), with Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda accounting for the balance.
Regulation is accelerating rapidly. Fifteen African countries now have formal digital asset frameworks in place, up from seven last year, reflecting a broader shift toward achieving holistic licensing and regulatory regimes alongside institutional-grade compliance standards.
“The African Blockchain Report is fast becoming the future ticker for the utility of blockchain technology across the continent,” said Rob Downes, Head of Digital Assets at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.
He added:
“Institutions want secure, regulated infrastructure that allows digital assets to sit alongside traditional assets within the same trusted banking environment.”
Beyond fintech, the report demonstrates blockchain’s convergence with artificial intelligence, acting as a trust and coordination layer, particularly as African economies pursue greater financial and data sovereignty.
The 2025 CV VC African Blockchain Report provides a detailed analysis of venture funding flows, profiles of funded companies and industries served, regulatory developments and applications across Africa. Contributors include Absa Bank, Binance, Circle, BlockTower, Solcon Capital, SumSub, ZARP & cNGN and Yellow Card. Alongside, those building within the continent with a global focus such as Turnstay, OkHi and Orca Fraud. The report underscores Africa’s position as a globally significant frontier technology market and is a compelling signal for global investors, developers, and policymakers alike.
