BoB closes door on cryptocurrencies

The Bank of Botswana says while it has widened investment guidelines for the foreign reserves, it has no plans to consider investing in cryptocurrencies, which it describes as “speculative assets without the backing of any underlying economic activity”.

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the global cryptocurrency market capitalisation had hit an all-time peak of $2 trillion (P22 trillion), led by its most popular product, Bitcoin, whose own market capitalisation was at a record $1 trillion (P11 trillion).

Bitcoin was by far the world’s top-performing asset class last year, rising by 300% and providing returns 10-times better than the next best performing asset. The cryptocurrency’s performance beat the combined gains of gold and the Dow Jones stock market by a factor of 10, as investors flocked to Bitcoin with the coronavirus (COVID-19) decimating economies and traditional markets.

Editor's Comment
Botswana must not be a flag of convenience for rogues

‘A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle’.- George William CurtisAccording to the report carried in this publication, the fraudsters operating the so-called “dark fleet” have selected Botswana’s flag as their cover of choice. This is a direct assault on our country’s most valuable asset, the good name.For decades, Botswana has...

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