Hey, Faadil here.
What if South Africa’s access to SWIFT is threatened?
That’s the question I spoke about on the Moneyweb podcast last week.
SWIFT is the backbone of cross-border payments.
It’s how banks talk to each other. Without it, trade slows. Money gets stuck.
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) says the risk is small.
But the US is reviewing trade with South Africa. That makes the concern real.
There are alternatives. Russia’s SPFS. China’s CIPS. Africa’s PAPSS. They work, but they’re slower.
My view: The more scalable path is a hybrid infrastructure one.
Connecting traditional rails with digital assets, stablecoins, and even tokenised liquidity layers in the near future.
That’s where the world is moving. And that’s the future we’re building at 80eight.
On the 80eight blog
Here’s what the team has been thinking and writing about lately:
What happens when the banks fall in love with crypto
TL;DR: First they ignore it, then they ridicule it, then they attack it and then they embrace it. That’s been the banks’ playbook on crypto. Now, after years of resistance, South African banks are preparing to bring Bitcoin and digital wallets into their apps. Article.
Buying a house in rands vs bitcoin
TL;DR: In 2017, R1 million bought you an average South African home (or 16 BTC). Seven years later, that same home is worth R1.23 million, while 16 BTC is worth R32 million. Full Article.
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