Key Takeaways:
- Altvest Capital Ltd., listed in South Africa, launches Africa’s first Bitcoin treasury strategy company.
- The firm plans to raise $210 million to buy Bitcoin, rebranding as Africa Bitcoin Corp.
- Institutional investors gain regulated BTC exposure as crypto adoption surges 52% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
South African investment firm Altvest Capital Ltd. has officially announced that it is transforming into Africa Bitcoin Corp, the continent’s first listed Bitcoin treasury strategy company. The move places Africa firmly on the map of corporate Bitcoin adoption, echoing strategies already embraced by giants like MicroStrategy in the U.S. and Metaplanet in Japan.
Read More: Nigeria Sends Strong Signal to Crypto: “We’re Open for Stablecoin Business, On Our Terms”
Altvest Bets $210M on Bitcoin
Altvest also announced its intent to allocate up to $210 million as a direct investment in Bitcoin, and it made it its fundamental treasury asset. The Africa Bitcoin Corp does not plan to use reserves (as a store of value or financial cushion) as was common with traditional companies, who keep their reserves in cash or gold.
The announcement was made by founder and CEO Warren Wheatley, who emphasized that this strategy creates a new gateway for institutional investors in Africa. Pension funds, retirement annuities, and other regulated pools of capital often cannot purchase Bitcoin directly. However, by buying equity in Africa Bitcoin Corp, they gain indirect yet fully regulated exposure to BTC.
Wheatley said the move aligns with global trends where corporations are increasingly treating Bitcoin as both an inflation hedge and a catalyst for stock market revaluation. Altvest wants to follow in the footsteps of MicroStrategy which now owns over 636,000 BTC and whose market capitalization has skyrocketed because of its Bitcoin-first strategy, a roadmap that Altvest is attempting to implement on African soil.
A Rebrand With Big Ambitions
As part of the transformation, Altvest Capital Ltd. is rebranding to Africa Bitcoin Corp, a name that highlights its single-minded strategy. The firm is already listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and intends to broaden its footprint with new listings in Namibia, Botswana, and Kenya, with further international exchange access under consideration.
Although its current valuation is small (52.8 million rands or approximately $3 million), the company is aiming at a valuation close to 70 times its market value, a huge risk that highlights the risks and opportunities involved with Bitcoin. If successful, the fundraising would mark one of the largest crypto-related treasury allocations ever attempted by an African company.
A Turning Point for African Crypto Adoption
Africa has emerged as one of the fastest expanding crypto zones in the globe. Chainalysis 2025 Global Adoption Index shows that Nigeria has been ranked 6th globally in adoption and Ethiopia is ranked in the top 20. Overall, the rates of crypto usage in Sub-Saharan Africa have risen by 52% within the timeframe between July 2024 and June 2025.
Much of this uptake is unofficial and driven by peer-to-peer exchange, remittances, and merchants accepting Bitcoin as a payment. In April, a report by NFTEvening indicated that the number of African businesses that accept crypto payments increased 45% in 2024 and there are 768 points of sale on the continent, 584 of which are located in South Africa alone.
By bringing Bitcoin directly into its treasury and onto the balance sheet of a listed entity, Africa Bitcoin Corp is formalizing what individuals and small businesses have been doing for years: treating BTC as a functional store of value and hedge against inflationary fiat currencies.
Read More: Ripple and Chipper Cash Join Forces to Elevate Cross-Border Payments in Africa