Tether’s African Moonshot: A Century Late or Right on Time? 🌍💰

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In the labyrinthine corridors of financial history, where shadows of the past dance with the neon glow of the future, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has emerged as a latter-day Prospero, waving his stablecoin wand over the African continent. With a flourish worthy of a baroque opera, he declares Africa the new North America-a canvas awaiting the brushstrokes of decentralized destiny. 🧙♂️✨

Yet, his audacious analogy, like a misfired cannon at a gala, has ignited a conflagration of opinions. Is Africa truly a century behind, or is Ardoino merely a time-traveling salesman peddling crypto-infused nostalgia? 🕰️💨

Ardoino’s Crypto Odyssey: A Tale of Rails and Stablecoins

On a Tuesday that shall live in infamy-or at least in the annals of crypto Twitter-Ardoino unveiled Tether’s African ambitions. “An amazing company,” he teased, with the air of a magician refusing to reveal his trick. 🪄

“Tether is investing in an amazing company,” wrote Ardoino, his words dripping with the suspense of a serialized novel. 📜

In a follow-up post, he drew a parallel so bold it could only be described as Nabokovian in its audacity: Africa, he proclaimed, is the 1920s North America, ripe for a stablecoin-powered renaissance. Power grids, post offices, financial systems-all mere preludes to the decentralized symphony Tether aims to conduct. 🎻⚡

His remarks, coupled with the claim of a 99% profit margin, paint Tether as a financial leviathan with both the means and the hubris to reshape continents. 🦜💼

“If you were asked to invest in the Company that would build the power grid, the post office, and finance markets one century ago in North America, would you take that bet? That’s what we’re doing in Africa. Building decentralized energy, communications, and finances for the continent,” wrote Ardoino, his prose as grandiose as a Tolstoy novel. 📖

But not all were swayed by his vision. Critics, like modern-day Don Quixotes tilting at crypto windmills, accused him of perpetuating a colonial narrative. “Africa is not 100 years behind,” retorted analyst Duo Nine, his words a dagger of pragmatism. 🗡️

The debate, like a chess game played on a global scale, highlights the delicate balance between opportunity and respect. Africa, after all, is not a blank slate but a mosaic of progress and potential. 🌍🎨

ETHSafari’s Echoes: A Crypto Camelot in Nairobi

These tensions found their mirror at ETHSafari 2025, where Nairobi became the stage for a crypto roundtable. Founders, developers, and investors clashed like knights in a verbal joust, debating whether Africa’s Web3 future should be built on capital, code, or community. 🏰🗡️

Lisk’s COO Dominic Schwenter, channeling his inner visionary, declared Africa Web3’s Eldorado. “The continent represents what happens when Web3 bypasses the speculation phase and goes straight to solving real problems,” he told BeInCrypto, his words as polished as a gem from a forgotten mine. 💎

“Africa has the highest entrepreneurship rate in the world-one in five adults owns their own business…the continent represents what happens when Web3 bypasses the speculation phase and goes straight to solving real problems,” Schwenter proclaimed, his voice a clarion call. 📢

African founders, however, were quick to remind the world that global capital, while welcome, is but a tool. The true magic lies in solutions rooted in local soil-payments, remittances, supply chain transparency. 🌱🔧

Ardoino’s analogy, though clumsily delivered, strikes a chord. Africa’s unique conditions-a young population, high mobile penetration, and a banking system that excludes more than it includes-make it fertile ground for decentralized innovation. 📱🌱

Most Africans cannot access a bank account, but they do have internet connections.

You can give people freedom, work and infrastructure. Love Tether.- Routescan | The Unified Explorer (@routescan_io) September 16, 2025 💌

The question lingers like a riddle in a sphinx’s lair: Whose vision will triumph? Will Tether’s stablecoin rails define Africa’s crypto future, or will it emerge from the grassroots, shaped by communities crafting solutions as diverse as the continent itself? 🌱🚀

Ardoino’s pitch, for all its flaws, has reignited a conversation that refuses to be silenced. Africa, it seems, is not just a player in Web3’s drama-it is the stage itself. 🎭🌍

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2025-09-17 09:57