2026-01-31 –, Machankura
Trade across Africa is hampered by $5 billion in annual losses to Foreign Exchange costs and trade friction. Robert Allen, founder of COINCUBE, proposes Bitcoin as the essential pan-African trade currency. Bitcoin offers a borderless, fast, and neutral settlement rail, empowering direct, low-cost cross-border transactions, eliminating delays and gatekeepers. The continent's mobile-first, tech-savvy population is primed for adoption. This talk will outline actionable steps to build Bitcoin trade corridors and foster a truly financially independent African market.
Imagine an Africa where trade flows seamlessly. Robert Allen, founder of COINCUBE, presents Bitcoin as the solution to unlocking Africa's potential. Africa suffers from a quasi-barter system of trade with 42 different fiat currencies, each with very little utility outside of each respective political jurisdiction. This bifurcation results in $5B in annual currency conversion costs. Learn how Bitcoin's borderless, fast, and low-cost nature can empower direct, independent trade across the continent. To achieve this vision, we will need to move African businesses onto a Bitcoin standard. What are the steps we can take to make this a reality? Let's explore together!
Robert Allen is a veteran financial professional (SchiffGold 2010-2014) and an early Bitcoin pioneer (class of 2014). He is the founder of Coincube.io and co-founder of Satlantis.io. Now based in Lagos, Nigeria, Robert leads Tirith.tech, a software firm with strong Nigerian engineering roots dedicated to building the infrastructure for the decentralized web. His work focuses on unlocking Bitcoin's potential for economic empowerment and accelerating tech development across Africa.