A cryptomoney is a virtual currency. There are currently nearly 5,000 of them in the world. The first and best known of these is Bitcoin, created in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Thought as an alternative to the current banking and financial system, it is decentralized (unlike traditional currencies which are managed by central banks), and is intended to be reliable. To do so, it is based on the electronic signature and the blockchain.
Several economic agents are beginning to consider these cryptomonnages for real transactions. Thus in August 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the American banking regulator, authorized American banks to create Bitcoin accounts for their users.
In Africa, we distinguish between countries that prohibit trading and possession of cryptomoney (such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya); countries that do not yet have a clear position on the issue, but are taking a close interest in it (such as Cameroon); countries that are progressive with regard to these new technologies (Tunisia, Senegal, Mauritius or South Africa for example).
The value of a bitcoin (BTC) currently varies between 13,000 and 14,000 USD; that of ethereum (ETH) is about 384 USD (which corresponds to the second largest capitalization in the world among cryptodevices). The highest bitcoin valuation was on December 15, 2017 with 1 bitcoin worth USD 19,650 while the highest ethereum valuation was on January 12, 2018 with 1 ethereum worth USD 1,386.
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