EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Imagine a future where financial empowerment is truly democratic across Africa, not dictated by traditional systems. Our pre-seed blockchain startup is democratizing financial empowerment across Africa. We are building the continent’s first truly affordable, fair, and decentralized digital currency, designed to put economic power directly into the hands of the average African, where traditional systems have failed

WHAT WE DO

Most cryptocurrencies remain unaffordable for the average African to effectively participate in, limiting access to crucial financial tools like buying, selling, trading, and staking. Our innovative solution leverages a Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS) consensus mechanism designed for affordability and fairness. Unlike traditional systems, our NPoS actively considers individual merit and participation, not just coin holdings, ensuring broader economic inclusion. Backed by advanced cryptography (hybrid Post Quantum Cryptography to protect against Quantum Computing threats), and scalable blockchain technology, we are building an ecosystem for the Africa of tomorrow.

Our Vision

Our vision is to empower the average African to achieve financial independence, serving the people where traditional financial institutions have failed, ensuring affordable cross-border remittance securely. Our long-term vision is to not only expand across the African continent, but peg the value of our currency against gold (which Africa is rich in) to create a new stable coin unfettered by inflation and conflict associated with fiat currency.

Our Mission

Our core purpose is ensuring financial inclusivity for the people of Africa – a continent rich in people and wealth, but hampered by inequality, conflict and corruption. We wish to put Africa on the map and have it earn its rightful place as a key economic player in rapidly globalized world. We have the capability, the experience, and the knowledge to put this concept into action and create lasting change by using our technology and engaging with key partnerships and real-world projects across Africa.

Why now?

The cryptocurrency and blockchain industries are experiencing rapid expansion across Africa, representing a $2.9B Total Addressable Market based on current statistics. In South Africa alone, a key player in the African crypto market, over 5.8 million people (9.44% of the total population) currently own cryptocurrency.

Despite this significant growth and high mobile internet penetration, leading cryptocurrencies remain largely unaffordable for the majority. This creates a critical unmet need for secure, affordable cross-border remittances and accessible financial services – a gap our solution is uniquely positioned to fill.

The Problem and Our Solution

Massive poverty and obscene inequality are such terrible scourges of our times… that they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom,
– Nelson Mandela

The Problem

Africa boasts some of the highest reserves of natural resources in the world. It also has a rapidly developing, tech-savvy populace actively embracing and driving digital engagement. The core problem, however, is that most people cannot afford leading cryptocurrencies, often due to high entry costs, volatile pricing, and complex accessibility. Wealth inequality remains high, and conflict and corruption frequently lead to hyperinflation, ravaging already strained populations.

This disparity represents not only a huge demand for an alternative that can meet basic needs and enable wealth creation, but also a massive, largely untapped market. The revenue in the Cryptocurrencies market for Africa is projected to reach $4.8 billion in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2026) of 6.75%, resulting in a projected total of $5.1 billion by 2026. Despite this immense growth potential, most people lack the financial means to participate in this rapidly expanding market.

Our Solution

By creating an affordable Pan-African cryptocurrency that uses an innovative Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS) system, we can effectively target a larger portion of people in Africa who are presently underserved by traditional institutions. This ensures greater economic freedom and the ability to grow wealth by prioritizing broad participation over just rewarding those with large existing holdings. Users can elect validators to validate transactions via a democratic system that focuses on reputation, empowering more individuals to grow their wealth.

By creating low barriers to participation, we can ensure that nearly everyone has a chance to participate in the digital economy. In addition, our blockchain is secure against both traditional and quantum threats, thereby ensuring that people can be at ease no one their hard-earned wealth will not be taken from them by malicious actors.

For the tech-savvy population, our blockchain has the capabilities for Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Decentralized Applications (dApps) and Derivative Tokens (both fungible and non-fungible), ensuring technological innovation and multiple sources of revenue for our company.

To ensure compatibility with traditional financial institutions, our product suite has support for ISO-20022 compliance, offering seamless exchange with banks and other traditional financial providers.

Our Product and the Market

We are offering a suite of products designed to attract a growing number of Africans to participate effectively in the digital future. By leveraging conservative market estimates, we are confident in making a significant impact and achieving profitability as a company.

Core Concept

At our core, we are building not just another cryptocurrency, but a robust, scalable, and sustainable ecosystem. We utilize well-respected open-source frameworks, such as Hyperledger Iroha2, backed by international foundations. Our platform is designed to be affordable for the average person, providing a solid foundation for technological innovation and inclusive financial solutions.

We are in active development of our prototypes for our key products: our blockchain, our native cryptocurrency Coin Afriq (CAFQ), our website, and our non-custodial cryptowallet. By offering an affordable, secure, and easy-to-use system, we anticipate attracting a substantial number of users to our platform.

Current Status

Currently, we are in active development of our product suite. We have already completed our whitepaper, business plan, pitch deck, company valuation, and this company profile. Furthermore, we are in active negotiations with Market Makers, Crypto Marketers, Listing Agencies, and KYC/AML partners, ensuring full compliance with all relevant regulatory frameworks.

Key features

Our product offering includes several key features designed to make it easy for users to not only participate but actively grow their wealth, while also enabling tech-savvy users to innovate on our platform:

• A robust, secure and scalable blockchain with vast token utility cases such as cryptocurrency, DeFi, dApps, Derivative Tokens (fungible and non-fungible) as well as Smart Contracts
• An affordable Pan-African cryptocurrency that has low barriers for participating to help the average African
• User-friendly web and mobile applications for users to buy, sell, trade and stake our cryptocurrency with ease.
• A robust ecosystem built on an open-source framework (Hyperledger Iroha2) using a secure, robust, performant and scalable programming language (Rust) making innovation easy

This will ensure not only a host of applications that can ensure easier access to users across Africa, but also multiple sources of revenue to help our project grow.

Roadmap

We have already established a comprehensive plan going forward once we have been funded to ensure we can not only effectively launch, but remain impactful and grow:

• Phase 1: Foundation & MVP Development (Currently in Progress)
  • Finalize core blockchain architecture leveraging Rust and HyperLedger Iroha2.
  • Complete development and internal testing of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) showcasing:
    • Core transaction functionality with CAFQ.
    • Implementation of post-quantum cryptography (ML-KEM and
    • Demonstration of Byzantine Fault Tolerance.
    • Basic wallet functionality.
    • Initial showcase of smart contract capabilities.
  • Establish core team and operational infrastructure.
  • Secure strategic early partnerships
• Phase 2: Pre-Sale & Community Building
  • Launch and execute the pre-sale event for early supporters and strategic investors (10% of current total CAFQ supply at R6.80 per CAFQ).
  • Actively engage and grow the Coin Afriq community through dedicated channels.
  • Expand marketing and awareness campaigns.
  • Finalize legal and regulatory frameworks for initial launch.
  • Secure initial partnerships for ecosystem integration.
• Phase 3: ICO & Mainnet Launch (South Africa Focus)
  • Conduct the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for the wider public (up to 15% of current total CAFQ supply at R8.50 per CAFQ).
  • Successfully launch the Coin Afriq Mainnet.
  • List CAFQ on a Tier 2 Centralized Exchange (CEX) with a dedicated market maker focused on liquidity.
  • Drive initial user adoption and transaction volume within South Africa.
  • Onboard early dApps and DeFi projects to the platform.
  • Implement the initial network transaction fee structure (0.5% with burn mechanism)
• Phase 4: Building Towards Gold Pegging
  • Focus on generating sustainable revenue from network operations within the South African market.
  • Strategically explore and establish partnerships within the mining sector, leveraging the founder’s expertise, to secure consistent access to gold resources.
  • Research and develop the specific mechanism for pegging the value of CAFQ to gold (direct backing, stablecoin model, etc.), prioritizing security and transparency.
  • Begin accumulating initial gold reserves based on operational profits and strategic acquisitions.
  • Develop transparent and auditable systems for managing and verifying gold reserves.
• Phase 5: Gold Peg Implementation & Initial African Expansion
  • Officially implement the gold-pegging mechanism for CAFQ, communicating the details and benefits to the community and potential users.
  • Initiate strategic expansion into 2-3 key neighboring African markets, leveraging the enhanced trust and stability offered by the gold peg.
  • Focus on early user acquisition and establishing use cases within these initial expansion regions.
  • Continue growing the developer community and the number of dApps and DeFi solutions on the platform, highlighting the stability of CAFQ.
• Phase 6: Broader Pan-African Expansion & Advanced Features
  • Broader expansion across the African continent, adapting strategies for diverse markets, now with the added advantage of a gold-backed currency.
  • Focus on large-scale partnerships with businesses, financial institutions, and potentially governments, emphasizing the stability and store-of-value proposition.
  • Implement advanced features such as derivative token support and enhanced interoperability.
  • Evaluate and potentially pursue listing on Tier 1 Centralized Exchanges, leveraging the credibility of the gold peg.
  • Further refine and optimize the network fee structure and burn mechanism based on usage and community feedback.

Our commitment is to build a robust, secure, and widely adopted digital currency that empowers individuals and businesses across Africa. By strategically prioritizing the establishment of a gold-backed peg, we aim to provide unparalleled stability and trust to our users as we expand our reach across the continent. This roadmap outlines our journey, and we look forward to sharing our progress with the community.

The Market

Africa is one of the fastest-growing crypto markets in the world with an expected CAGR of 11.9% from 2025-2030. While Sub-Saharan Africa represents a smaller share of the global crypto economy (~2.7% of transaction volume), it shows modest growth, receiving an estimated on-chain value of $125B between July 2023 and June 2024, a $7.5B increase from the previous year. Crypto revenue in Africa reached $457M in 2024 and is expected to grow by 11.23% (2024-2027), resulting in a market volume of $628.9M in 2027.

The drivers of this rapid adoption are due to the economic instability and inflation in Africa, faster remittances and cross-border transactions, limited access to traditional financial services, a young tech-savvy population and strong grassroots adoption.

Our target demographic is initially the younger tech-savvy population who can rapidly use our platform as an alternative to traditional institutions as well as participate by building on our blockchain. We envision with their participation and implementing user-friendly design and localization/internationalization we can help spread our platform to the older, less tech-savvy population.

As most newer cryptocurrencies and blockchains are not just tokens, but also have token utilities, our blockchain will be suitable for multiple use-cases.
Another growing trend in Africa is the adoption of stable coins.
As Coin Afriq’s roadmap includes pegging our token against gold, this ensures a vast opportunity for users to adopt our cryptocurrency and blockchain, and benefit from its inherent stability and store-of-value proposition, especially given the growing trend of stablecoin adoption in Africa.

Team Leadership, Business Model and Traction

Our core strength lies in the combined expertise of our founders, driving a robust business model designed for sustained growth, innovation, and diverse revenue streams. We’ve already gained early traction, securing key partnerships and making significant strides toward regulatory compliance.

Team Leadership

Our leadership team brings a powerful combination of expertise across business development, software engineering, finance, and business intelligence. This diverse skill set uniquely positions us to not only implement our ambitious project with robust and scalable products but also to confidently navigate complex regulatory landscapes.

Hannes Uys | Founder and CEO

• 30+ years leading multinational teams, with a proven track record in identifying and securing strategic investment opportunities.
• 35+ years successfully launching and scaling ventures within the

gold mining industry across EMEA and ASEAN regions, providing invaluable expertise for our gold-pegging strategy.

Andre Theron | Co-Founder and CTO

• 12 years collaborating with development teams on complex web and mobile technologies, delivering robust and user-centric solutions both locally and internationally.
• 12 years working with clients on building solutions using cutting-edge technologies for diverse businesses and professionals.

Chris Wilcocks | Consultant and CFO Candidate

• 15 years of progressive experience in the financial industry, culminating in a Financial Controller role at a leading multinational hospitality company, where he was responsible for monthly revenue calculation, preparation of management accounts, and strategic financial reporting.
• Holds qualifications in accounting, data analysis, and business intelligence from reputable academic institutions, crucial for our financial strategy, compliance, and growth modeling.

Business Model

Coin Afriq is designed as a comprehensive ecosystem, offering vast opportunities for developers eager to embrace blockchain and Web3 technologies, going far beyond the scope of a simple cryptocurrency.

As our native token, Coin Afriq (CAFQ) is the lifeblood of our ecosystem, serving multiple critical functions that drive value and generate revenue:

• Pan-African Medium of Exchange: Facilitating seamless and low-cost transactions for goods and services across the African continent.
• Transaction Fees: A small network fee of 0.5% is applied to on-chain transactions, a portion of which is allocated to a deflationary burn mechanism and the remainder to network maintenance and validator incentives.
• Smart Contract Gas: Fueling the execution of smart contracts, powering Decentralized Applications (dApps), and enabling Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols built on the Coin Afriq blockchain.
• dApp, DeFi, and Derivative Token Fees: A lower fee of 0.2% is applied to transactions within dApps, DeFi platforms, and involving derivative tokens built on the Coin Afriq blockchain, incentivizing ecosystem development.
• Staking and Governance: Enabling holders to participate in the NPoS consensus mechanism by staking their CAFQ to nominated validators and potentially participating in future on-chain governance processes.
• Base Asset for Derivative Tokens: Serving as the foundational currency for the creation and interaction with derivative tokens within the Coin Afriq ecosystem.

Beyond token utility, our business model includes additional revenue streams:

• Trading Fees (On Platform): A 0.5% fee will be applied to all transactions for buying and selling CAFQ tokens executed via our native platform (e.g., Imali Digital Wallet’s integrated exchange).
• Imali Digital Wallet Fees: Our non-custodial Imali Digital Wallet will be free to register. It will incur a 0.5% transaction fee for general wallet activities (e.g., transfers) and a 0.25% staking fee.
• Developer Platform Fees: For developers building on our blockchain, a competitive 0.25% platform fee will apply as a recurring fee. This makes Coin Afriq an attractive and competitive option for developers.
• Consulting Services: We will offer specialized training and consulting services to organizations requiring tailored support for integrating with our blockchain, provided at standard consulting rates.

Traction

Despite being a startup in the crypto industry, Coin Afriq has already made significant progress towards implementing a robust solution to the blockchain and web3 industry, particularly in the African context.

• Secured Strategic Partnerships for Real-World Use Cases: We are proud to have partnered with the Africa Speed Rail project, providing a foundational use case for our blockchain. This collaboration is set to explore using CAFQ for cross-border payments for project workers, leveraging our blockchain for transparent supply chain logistics, and as a medium for customers for payment, demonstrating immediate utility and potential for significant transaction volume within a critical infrastructure development.
• Established Key Regulatory Compliance Framework: We have proactively secured a KYC/AML partnership, ensuring our platform is built from the ground up with robust defenses against fraud and money laundering, instilling trust and facilitating future regulatory adherence.
• Advanced Prototype Development & Early Testing: Our core blockchain and wallet prototypes are in active development, leveraging cross-platform frameworks for efficient deployment. We have successfully completed core transaction functionality testing, demonstrated initial smart contract implementation, and created the design and development of our Imali Digital Wallet, thus laying the groundwork for our Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Financials

Through rigorous financial modeling, leveraging cohort analysis and industry-standard market analytics, we project that the Coin Afriq project is not only viable and holds substantial revenue potential, but is also highly profitable, even under conservative estimates.

Funding Requirements

We require a minimum pre-seed funding of $300K based on cohort analysis to successfully finish our MVP, hold our pre-sale and ICO rounds and formally launch on a Tier 2 CEX exchange. We are pre-approved for listing with MEXC, Gate and Weex.

Calculated over 24-months we have the following metrics:

• Total Addressable Market size (TAM) – $2.9B
• Serviceable Addressable Market size (SAM) – $17.4M (0.6% conservative estimate)
• Serviceable Obtainable Market size (SOM) – $1.74M

Our pre-seed funding will be spent in the following manner:

• Development – 40%
• Operations – 30%
• Marketing – 20%
• Contingency – 10%

Our Milestones over 24-months based on cohort analysis are:

• Achieve 750K users
• Achieve $375K Monthly Revenue Rate (MRR)

Using high-level financial projections, we predict an Annual Revenue Rate (ARR) of $60M over 5 years using the following defensible assumptions:

• Phased African Expansion: Focused market entry reduces risk, optimizes learning
• Gold Peg = Trust and Adoption: Unique stability drives user growth in Africa
• Growing African Digital Payments: Large, expanding target market
• Network Effects Fuel Growth: Increase user base enhances platform value
• Lean & Scalable Operations: Efficient tech enables cost-effective growth
• Ecosystem Monetization: dApps/DeFi provide additional revenue streams
• Realistic Market Share: Conservative projections with significant upside
• Data-Driven Optimization: Continuous learning informs strategy

Conclusion

We appreciate you taking the time to learn about Coin Afriq and our vision for the future of the African digital economy.

For further information or to discuss partnerships and/or opportunities, please feel free to contact:

                                                       
For general enquiries, please email info@coinafriq.org