Crypto adoption and investment is growing fast, and many people now seek to not just trade in, but also invest in cryptocurrency just the same way they would in other investments like stocks.

The challenge, however, has always been how to build a crypto index fund that would work quite like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and enable people to invest in cryptocurrencies.

Launched in 2019, blockchain startup Revix, which has its offices in Cape Town and London, has the answer to this, and is accordingly transforming the adoption of crypto and its investment in Africa, by shaping the way users invest in the digital currencies.

Revix, an acronym for revolutionary investment experience, is a multi-asset, B2B and B2C, wealthtech business with a mission to enable people to grow and manage their own wealth through the platform, according to founder and CEO, Sean Andrew Sanders.

Crypto-Focused Investment Platform

*(Revix’s logo shown at the company’s office in Cape Town / Photo by NODO News)*

“There are an array of quality investment apps in the developed world like in the US and Europe. But Africa does not seem to have any such quality apps. And while we knew that this would change, the question that lingered was who would change that,” Sanders told NODO News in Cape Town. “So we took that big opportunity and built Revix. And now, our business is to enable ordinary people to grow and manage their own wealth.”

It is a crypto-focused investment platform that offers ready-made crypto portfolios, also known as bundles which function in a similar way to ETFs, providing low-cost diversified exposure to a wide range of the major cryptocurrencies, all through one investment product.

Sanders, who said he first got involved with crypto in 2014, reveals that Revix currently has 45,000 registered users in its platform, most of whom are based in South Africa. But he is gradually expanding the platform’s reach to numerous other regions across the continent.

The tech startup terms itself as a crypto broker, and is regulated to ply its trade in crypto transactions in South Africa, according to Sanders, who has previously founded three others startups; Sataya, an event-driven proprietary trading firm, Blocktree Capital which is a crypto-asset advisory firm, and Application Portal, which is a multi purpose online university application system.

Investment in Generational Trends

*(Revix founder and CEO Sean Andrew Sanders / Photo by Faustine Ngila, NODO News)*

“In essence, we are encouraging investment in generational trends. These include digital assets. Tokenization of digital assets is happening quite fast. There has been an emergence of stablecoin, digital gold, and Paxos gold (PAX Gold), which is a gold-backed token. All these can be invested in through the Revix platform,” Sanders said. “While it is difficult and risky to invest in real physical gold in Africa, Paxos gold offers an ideal option.”

PAX Gold is a tokenized gold bar backed by physical gold and offers investors a safe and cost-effective way to own investment-grade physical gold. It is offered through blockchain technology. Each Paxos gold token owned by an individual is backed by one ounce of real physical gold stored in the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) vaults in the UK.

“We basically got the crypto licences because we want to offer thematic-based investments such as ETFs, securities and cryptocurrencies,” he told NODO News. “These generation-defining investments are becoming the go-to trends.”

Working With Local Banks

*(Cape Town, South Africa / Photo by Faustine Ngila, NODO News)*

Revix, which runs on the data-oriented network architecture (DONA) protocol, currently works with local South African banks such as the Standard Bank, to enable local investors to easily invest in the platform’s products and also the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) without necessarily opening international accounts.

Understanding the local investment cultures is a challenge that the startup faces as it strives to scale up its operations, according to Sanders, which is why educating the masses on crypto investment is a key issue that Revix focuses on.

“Africa is making quick progress in the Web3 space. We, therefore, need to inspire more people in the continent through summits, and webinars, to get involved in this space,” he said, alluding that people need to see the value of Web3 to spark more of its adoption in the African continent.

-Edited by Shigeru Sato