ETP issuer Valour eyes African market with Bitcoin, Ethereum products

Valour plans to bring its cryptocurrency exchange-traded products to more investors in Africa in response to a major agreement it has reached with the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

Valour stated in a press release on August 6 that the initial support will be for crypto ETPs for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Hedera (HBAR).

Valour, a subsidiary of financial technology firm DeFi Technologies, announced that these plans follow a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSE. The firm is also partnering with liquidity and capital solutions provider SovFi.

According to the ETP issuer, NSE and SovFi will assist in the creation, issuance and trading of Valour ETPs in Africa. The Nairobi-based exchange will onboard Valour as the issuer. The partners will benefit from SovFi’s expertise in blockchain integration and distribution channels, as well as financial instruments.

Why is this important?

Africa is one of the most booming markets in the crypto space, with Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa among the countries with the most crypto users.

Valour’s expansion allows it to move its ETPs to the NSE and offer opportunities in the crypto market to local investors.

In this case, NSE investors can gain exposure to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether through crypto products. ETPs mean they will do this through their regular brokerage accounts. The benefits include institutional-grade custody.

“By leveraging our expertise in issuing innovative ETPs and facilitating the transition of our financial instruments to the NSE, we aim to provide investors with safe and regulated exposure to the dynamic world of digital assets,” Olivier Roussy Newton, CEO of DeFi Technologies, said in a statement.

The first ETPs include Bitcoin and Ethereum

Valour aims to expand into the African market, starting with some of the best crypto ETPs on the market. According to the platform, initial launches will include exchange-traded products in BTC, ETH, SOL, and HBAR.

With further development of market infrastructure, more investors across the continent will have access to more products. Companies will also look into tokenized finance and real-world asset markets.

Valour offers its ETPs to both retail and institutional investors, and its products include ETPS on Uniswap, Solana, Cardano, and XRP. The platform recently launched the Valour Near (NEAR) ETP.

Investment products are traded on exchanges such as Frankfurt, Euronext and the Spotlight Exchange in Sweden.