The move positions the bank as a key gateway for secure, regulated digital\u2011asset finance on the continent. The collaboration aims to enhance transparency, reduce transaction times and increase efficiency in cross\u2011border payments, traditionally hampered by slow settlement systems and high costs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Speaking to Channel Africa on Thursday, Simon Marland, Nedbank\u2019s Managing Executive for Automation, Blockchain and Analytics, said the partnership represents a shift towards modernising financial infrastructure while maintaining strong regulatory safeguards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThink of legacy banking systems as an old highway. Blockchain is a new highway running alongside it,\u201d Marland explained. \u201cOur strategy is to build safe, compliant on\u2011 and off\u2011ramps between those two highways so we can navigate speed versus risk, regulation and compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Marland highlighted significant opportunities in the cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem, particularly in cross\u2011border transactions. \u201cSending money from South Africa to another African country can take three or four days. With blockchain technology, this could be done in minutes,\u201d he said, emphasising that regulatory compliance remains essential.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Other opportunities include streamlining treasury operations, improving dollar liquidity flows between banks and introducing blockchain\u2011based solutions to support sectors such as agriculture. Nedbank is exploring ways to tokenise agricultural outputs to improve payments and financing access for farmers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Marland acknowledged concerns around volatility and regulation in the crypto space but stressed that Nedbank is embracing blockchain as a technology rather than focusing on speculative digital assets. \u201cRegulation has been catching up,\u201d he noted, referring to measures such as South Africa\u2019s CASP licensing framework and growing global oversight. \u201cThe last few years have shaken out many of the shady players.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He added that while public perceptions often equate blockchain solely with buying and selling Bitcoin, Nedbank\u2019s focus is on the underlying technology as a tool to enhance speed, security and transparency in financial services. The bank sees blockchain as a catalyst for modernising Africa\u2019s financial landscape while adhering to strict governance standards. \u201cIt is really about speed and efficiency, and transparency and security,\u201d Marland said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29290,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-29289","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Nedbank has entered into a strategic partnership with Crypto.com to develop blockchain\u2011enabled payment, settlement and liquidity solutions across Africa.\u00a0","published_date":"","news_description":"Nedbank has entered into a strategic partnership with Crypto.com to develop blockchain\u2011enabled payment, settlement and liquidity solutions across Africa.\u00a0","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29291,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29289\/revisions\/29291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=29289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}