Two years after the April 2024 Bitcoin halving, with BTC trading near $76,000 in May 2026, months after the $126K all-time high, many ask: does the classic four-year cycle still drive price action? Institutional inflows, corporate treasuries, ETFs, and macro forces are transforming the once-predictable pattern of post-halving rallies and bear markets.

Africa’s leading digital asset platform VALR has received provisional approval from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) to operate as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP).The license enables fiat-to-crypto trading, custody, and cross-border transfers, strengthening its global expansion alongside South African FSCA licenses.

Imagine leaving a store without paying at the till — your purchase handled automatically by AI. From 6000 BC barter to Bitcoin, QR codes, stablecoins, and checkout-free shopping, payments have evolved for greater speed and security. Now heading into space: blockchain enables seamless transactions between satellites and future Mars colonies. The future of money is frictionless and multi-planetary.

Wondering how much 10 XRP will cost you? Our up-to-date exchange rate and guide will show you how to buy XRP with South African rands.

Wondering how much 10 Bitcoin will cost you? Our up-to-date exchange rate and guide will show you how to buy BTC with South African rands.

Tens of billions of sensors already track vaccines, vehicles, air quality, and farms. The missing piece? Tamper-proof data that every party can trust without a central middleman. Discover how blockchain makes IoT verifiable, efficient, and truly decentralized.

Johannesburg, 18 May 2026 – VALR, was a Diamond Sponsor of the Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference. Country Manager Peter Mwangi highlighted Kenya’s rise as a digital asset hub, linking it to mobile money success.With the new VASP Act and 2026 Regulations in place, VALR is driving partnerships with its stablecoin expertise and institutional solutions.

What if flared gas, untapped river hydropower, and volcanic geothermal energy could power the world’s largest decentralised financial network?Bitcoin mining is making this reality. Instead of wasting surplus and stranded energy, miners are converting it into reliable power for the Bitcoin network.

AI scans thousands of transactions in seconds, spots hidden fraud, plans responses, checks regulations, executes actions, and learns all within strict human boundaries. This is agentic AI, shifting finance to supervised autonomy.

Discover the best times to trade crypto on weekends. Learn how market overlaps impact liquidity, volatility, and spreads, and time your trades for maximum impact.

Learn how market overlaps impact liquidity, volatility, and spreads, and time your crypto trades in South Africa for maximum impact.

Join VALR’s exciting new Buy & Hold campaign for VALR10 and BITGOLD bundles. Enjoy weekly airdrops and share in tiered prize pools (up to R250 per week) with a massive R10,000 grand prize. Start buying and holding from 13 May 2026 to qualify — all rewards paid in BITGOLD and VALR10. Don’t miss out!

Michael Saylor launched STRC at Bitcoin 2026 — Strategy Inc’s Variable Rate Perpetual Preferred Stock. Since July 2025, the Nasdaq-listed shares have raised $8.5 billion, paying an 11.50% variable monthly dividend while funding more Bitcoin purchases for the company’s 818k BTC treasury.

Self-custody gives you full control of crypto assets by managing your own private keys. Ditch third-party risks, embrace true ownership, and follow Bitcoin’s “not your keys, not your coins” principle with secure wallet setup and best practices.

From May 2026 until the end of April 2027, new verified users on VALR, who make at least one trade, may be eligible to receive an iPhone Air or $250 in Bitcoin. Each month, one randomly selected new user will be awarded an iPhone, while two randomly selected new users will each receive $250 in Bitcoin. 

Discover the most volatile assets to trade in 2026, including oil futures, natural gas, Bitcoin, silver, airline stocks and exotic forex pairs. This guide examines current price swings, realised volatility levels and key drivers such as Middle East tensions and supply deficits. Learn which markets offer the largest opportunities and risks this year with accurate data and trading insights.

Explore the top emerging crypto sectors in 2026: RWA tokenisation (over 25 billion US dollars), DePIN, AI crypto, and stablecoins (exceeding 300 billion US dollars market cap). This article delivers objective data and key metrics on the fastest-growing areas, including prediction markets with 51 billion US dollars in 2025 volume.

A step-by-step guide on how to buy Tether (USDT) in Nigeria using VALR

National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank have published draft Capital Flow Management Regulations, 2026, for public comment. We believe it is important that you understand the proposed Regulations and have the opportunity to contribute constructively.

Bitcoin has delivered near-perfect uptime for 17+ years since January 2009. As of April 2026, its fixed 21 million supply, ~995 EH/s hash rate, Lightning scaling, and rising institutional ETF inflows prove its resilience.Quantum threats and infrastructure risks persist, yet satellite solutions and conservative upgrades keep it adapting.