Still serious? One AI investor tweeted a tech demo, raving, “AI games are going to be amazing”, and the world laugh-cried with him, because you have to see it for yourself.

In Today’s Open Letter

SA’s R1.3 trillion in monthly card payments can be done smarter – and this local player’s making it happen…

When the unknown person (or people) known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published the famous whitepaper called Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System back in 2008, it launched a $3.79 (R65) trillion industry.

But while most of the 22% of SA who bought crypto likely did so as investment(s), the intention with Bitcoin was actually to replace the cash system. Hence, the genius design:

But even with this great design, Satoshi’s dream of it replacing is a tall order: The network itself can handle around 7 transactions per second. In reality, Visa handles ± 65’000 per second. Bitcoin often falls short of the scale to truly compete globally.

Making it useful for everyday payments

The Lightning Network is Bitcoin’s answer to that problem. Instead of recording every single transaction on the blockchain, it lets users open payment channels, like running tabs, where they can send money back and forth instantly and for almost zero cost. Only the opening and closing balances ever touch the main Bitcoin ledger.

So you can pay for coffee, tip a creator or send money across borders. It’s the layer that could finally make Bitcoin fast enough for the real world, and it scales: in theory, it could manage millions of transactions per second, but that requires more people to use it.

The final frontier?

But just how do you encourage usage? You need to be able to pay with it – everywhere. And that’s what local startup Moneybadger is pioneering. 

Founded by one of the co-founders of Luno and an early engineer at Snapscan, Carel van Wyk, Carl Kitzinger and Brent Peterson, Moneybadger enables merchants to get paid in Bitcoin using currently in-place infrastructure such as scan to pay (think Zapper).

We first saw the tech 8 years ago when a video emerged of a Bitcoin payment at Pick'n Pay. Fast forward to today: you can now pay at Pick'n Pays nationwide, Bootlegger Coffee Co., various online stores that use Peach Payments, all 31’000 Zapper-enabled stores, as well as 650’000 Scan to Pay-enabled merchants across SA.

How does it work? Simply look for the “Scan to Pay” feature on your preferred crypto app or download the Moneybadger app next time you pay. It’s that simple, Moneybadger handles the rest.

Merchants can then select to get settled in SA Rands, Bitcoin or stablecoin. Satoshi would hope they choose Bitcoin and keep money in the system. But for that to become the primary option, we probably need to see SARS accepting tax payments in Bitcoin. If that ever happens, it would mark the moment Bitcoin truly completes Satoshi’s vision, a full-circle return to everyday use.

We are watching this space.

Who still prints programmes and fumbles through event schedules?

For our final Open Letter event of the year — our biggest one yet — we’re taking the entire experience to WhatsApp. From sponsor giveaways and competitions to networking challenges and speaker sessions, every part of the evening lives in chat.

But here’s what’s really clever:

✅ Attendees scan their QR code to get a personalised WhatsApp hub
✅ Full event programme, partner list and competition entries
✅ So each person can get the most out of their experience.

Built by our friends at Chat Inc, this makes WhatsApp the single control centre for 180-something guests and multiple brand activations. Can’t wait.

What would you build WhatsApp today?

Payroll isn’t just admin; it’s the foundation of trust, accuracy and growth. 

Yet for most African companies, it’s still the weakest link.

Deel Local Payroll unifies HR, payroll and finance across every country you operate in:

✅ One source of truth, no conflicting headcounts.
✅ Compliance, tax and multi-currency complexity are automated.
✅ Real-time data and integrations that keep payroll running.

As Deel’s Heinrich Swanepoel puts it: “If you fix payroll, you don’t just fix the back office. You fix trust and the employee experience at scale.”

Built with PaySpace and trusted by teams in 42 countries, Deel Local Payroll is the cloud-native system designed for Africa’s most complex operations.

🌊 (Sea)horse Power. South African startup SeaH4 just snagged top prize at the ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Final 2025 in Vienna with their innovative algae-based fuel, pocketing €10,000. Nice.

📈 FirstRand Dives into Optasia. FirstRand is snapping up a 20.1% stake in Dubai-based AI FinTech Optasia, just before its planned listing on the JSE. Interesting.

🍏 An Apple A Day. Apple just passed the whopping $4 trillion market value, hitting an all-time high and joining tech giants Nvidia and Microsoft in this exclusive club. How you like them 4 trillion Apples?

⛽ Pump It Up. South African motorists can breathe a sigh of relief at the pumps next week as a fuel price cut is on the cards. Petrol drops 58 cents per litre, while diesel drops 25 cents. Here’s hoping we get another one for Dezemba as well.

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools, so our Founder’s Stack gives you cloud solutions by Cloud on Demand, Africa-ready payroll & HR via Deel by PaySpace and loads more.

From 15 October 2025 to 15 November 2025, each friend you get to sign up to The Open Letter gets you one entry into a draw to win a brand new iPad Air!

Yesterday, we showed you how ArcFlow builds smart ERP systems for SMEs, asking how important manufacturing is to SA’s economy. Most feel it’s NB…

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🔥 Critical — we can’t grow without it (70%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 It matters… but it’s not the whole story (17%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🙅 Not a priority — focus elsewhere (4%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧩 Honestly, no clue. Someone show me the data (9%)

Your 2 cents…

Indeed, Jan. Not to mention manufacturing often comes with better benefits and packages than the service and tourism sectors. 💪

Under 26 and building for impact? WSA Young Innovators Award (£60’000 grants & global exposure) closes 31 Oct. Apply here.

Early-stage founder? Investec ESEY Awards (The Easies) offer $50k + global exposure for bold pre-Series A startups. Apply by 5 Nov. Apply here.

Female founder? Aurora Tech Award by inDrive offers $85 000 for women-led tech startups. Apply by 12 Nov. Apply here.

Deep tech founder? Hello Tomorrow Challenge offers €100k equity-free for startups in advanced computing & cybersecurity. Apply by 30 Nov. Apply here.

Want to promote your event/programme here? Let us know.

🎬 Tool to Try: Bytecap turns long videos into viral-ready clips.

🚦 That’s Interesting: Japan’s tiny Himakajima island has only one traffic light, which they turn on once a year to teach kids to cross the road safely.

🌪 Next Level: This guy literally built a tornado in a jar using ionic thrust.

🧘 Hack: A cool guide to getting more flexible — daily stretching routines included.

🛰 Wow Site: ISS in Real Time lets you replay every day aboard the International Space Station from the past 25 years.

Vote in the poll, leave a quick comment, or hit reply — we read every single one.