Binance trading platform said this week that it has distributed more than $10 billion, around R165bn at today's rand, in rewards to users since 2019, across its Earn, Launchpool, HODLer Airdrops, Megadrop and Alpha programmes.
The exchange also launched BTC Yield (BTCY) on 7 July 2026, a covered-call product that gives long-term Bitcoin holders potential weekly income on idle BTC. The announcement landed alongside Binance's ninth-anniversary marketing.
Interesting insights on crypto earnings in SA
Binance Earn alone has paid about $1.2 billion (roughly R19.8bn) in yield to stablecoin holders since 2022, with annualised returns of 3.36% on RWUSD and 2.09% on delta-hedged BFUSD, compared to a US national savings deposit rate of 0.38%.
Launchpool, Megadrop and HODLer Airdrops added another $5.1 billion between them.
BTC Yield, the new product, runs a covered-call strategy on subscribed Bitcoin: Binance holds the BTC, sells other traders the right to buy it at a set strike price for a premium, and passes some of that premium to users as weekly BTC-denominated income.
That means that when Bitcoin stays at or below the strike, users keep the premium. Above the strike, upside is capped. Binance takes 15% of gross option premiums, and principal is not protected.
What others are saying about crypto earnings in SA
Traders Union confirms the $10bn total, noting the rewards span the Launchpool, Megadrop, HODLer Airdrops, Earn and Alpha ecosystems. Incrypted frames the retrospective as part of Binance's ninth-anniversary positioning, with Launchpool, Megadrop and HODLer Airdrops making up $5.1bn of the $10bn figure.
For SA holders sick of watching the rand slide
Local savings accounts pay 5% to 8% in rand, but the rand has slid 6.84% against the dollar over the past 12 months. A dollar-denominated stablecoin yield of 3% to 4% actually preserves buying power better than a rand-denominated savings rate of 7%, once the currency slide is priced in.
Binance is not the only platform offering this, but the R165bn track record over six years is real receipts on the mechanism working. BTC Yield adds a second layer for SA-based Bitcoin holders wanting weekly BTC-denominated income, while accepting real risks including capped upside and unprotected principal.
You might also like the end of crypto arbitrage in SA story, our Pagamio commerce platform piece on SA money-tech, and the VCs funding South African startups roundup.
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