Women are becoming catalysts of crypto entrepreneurship in Kenya and the rest of the world. Since 2019, the number of female crypto entrepreneurs has increased by 48%, with 13% of them actively investing in Bitcoin and reaching milestones in financial self-sufficiency.

Paxful, a global peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace, continues to empower and lead women towards crypto- and bitcoin entrepreneurship. With global offices in New York, the Philippines, and Estonia, Paxful has diversified  its workforce by recruiting  over 37% of female employees.

The company is helping people become financially stable on their own terms, through either bitcoin trading or Paxful’s affiliate and peer programs.

However, is it really that easy for female crypto entrepreneurs to thrive in the field that has always  been dominated by men?

Is bitcoin alone enough to push women towards diversifying their income streams and turn bitcoin trading into a side hustle or even a full-time job?

Here are 3 tips for success for any woman considering a career or start-up in bitcoin

1. Become a crypto technology expert; information is paramount when it comes to crypto technology. While bitcoin has gained momentum and acceptance in a number of developed countries, it faces numerous challenges in others. Position yourself as an expert on the subject. Share information on what bitcoin is and isn’t. A great example is Yvonne Kagondu, Paxful Community Coordinator in Kenya, who actively promotes  Bitcoin and blockchain literacy in the region.
2. Harness your problem-solving skills; before embarking on a bitcoin journey, be ready to identify existing problems and generate solutions as you go, to sustain your business. Pinpoint the gaps in the industry  and build your business around them by creatively using bitcoin to mitigate the

• Build a network of skilled crypto enthusiasts; surround yourself with like-minded individuals who can help you grow. Connect with fellow women in the space so you can trade, invest and create future partnerships together.

Increase In P2P Finance Among Female Entrepreneurs

The Paxful Peer Program has been instrumental in helping female crypto enthusiasts succeed in the industry. With 5 female peers in South Africa and 6 in Kenya, the program has given women an opportunity to be their own boss, whilst managing various communities of entrepreneurs and helping them succeed in bitcoin trading.

“The aim of our international Peer Program is to help students, new graduates, freelancers, and all young entrepreneurial-minded people learn new skills, earn extra income, and extend their network. Through the program, we are creating ‘community leaders’ by giving these young individuals numerous tools and opportunities to become advocates of Paxful, bitcoin and peer-to-peer finance within their own local communities,” says Tugba Abadan, Head of Community and African market lead at Paxful.

To take it further, Paxful has also partnered up with various female-led initiatives and organizations dealing with bitcoin. Through such innovative partnerships, Paxful is hoping to inspire more women to join the crypto ecosystem and take control of their finances.

Success Stories

The number of female users who have successfully conquered bitcoin marketplaces is constantly growing. A Kenyan-born female user based in Berlin has utilised the platform to instantly send money to her family in Kenya, via one of Paxful’s 300+ payments methods, including a popular Kenyan mobile money service. The platform allows users to trade bitcoin for this digital wallet, meaning the recipient will get the funds in their account instantly. This is just one of many examples showcasing the use of bitcoin on the Paxful platform in everyday lives. Paxful allows for instant and decentralized transfers around the globe, making it a simple and secure solution. It all starts from a quick process of setting up a free bitcoin wallet where the user can send and receive payments.

Other female users making headway in crypto adoption in the African region include Veecca Smith Uka from Nigeria. Veecca resides in the United Kingdom but is able to send money to her family back in Nigeria using bitcoin.

Continued support for women in bitcoin

Women, especially those in Africa, are slowly proving to be a vital asset in the success of the crypto economy. In the years ahead, Paxful will continue  supporting women and improving gender diversity through programs and partnerships, thus bringing more opportunities for financial inclusion in Africa and around the globe.

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About Paxful

Paxful is a people-powered marketplace for money transfers with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Their mission is to empower the forgotten four billion unbanked and underbanked around the world to have control of their money using peer-to-peer transactions. The company, founded in 2015, has over 4.5 million users globally who you can instantly buy and sell bitcoin with—using over 300 different payment methods.

As part of their mission Paxful also launched #BuiltWithBitcoin, a social good initiative with the goal of building 100 schools funded entirely by bitcoin all across emerging markets. Paxful was co-founded in 2015 by Ray Youssef, Chief Executive Officer, and Artur Schaback, Chief Operating Officer.

 Paxful, a leading peer-to-peer bitcoin (BTC) marketplace that aims to provide financial inclusion around the globe, announced today that the platform has hit $4.6 billion in trade volume and reached 4.5 million wallet registrations. Additionally, as they embark on their 5th year in service, they have released historical data that outlines the progression of peer-to-peer marketplaces over time.

Once reputed to be a breeding ground for fraudulent activity, peer-to-peer marketplaces are now one of the most dependable platforms for buying and selling bitcoin. Paxful has achieved a less than 1% dispute proportion and given people the ability to perform financial transactions online seamlessly with one another from anywhere in the world. This has reduced the dependency of many in the traditional banking sector and has allowed for quicker and cheaper transactions for users globally.

The following data further highlights the progress of the peer-to-peer business model and Paxful’s development towards becoming one of the safest and leading peer-to-peer marketplaces to trade BTC.

As of July 2020, Paxful has hit 4.5 million registered wallets, reached 4.6 billion USD in trading volume, and reduced dispute levels to under 1%. The average dispute rate for all the countries with a minimum of 1,000 trades was a mere 0.025 in 2019 and it took 56 trades before encountering a dispute.

 Since inception, they have added 1 million users per year and so far in 2020 and are on track to sign up an additional 2 million users by the end of the year. These growth numbers can be attributed to high inflation rates, weak national currencies, inadequate financial infrastructures, and growing economic uncertainty.

“We built Paxful to help the little guy and create wealth for those who need it most. There are people who live with restrictions and limitations we cannot imagine. For true financial inclusion to happen, it requires a free market for money transfers,” said Ray Youssef, CEO, and co-founder of Paxful. “The company aligns with the original mission of bitcoin as I felt that we need to give humanity a people-powered marketplace, ” he added.

Taking a deeper look at the evolution and adoption of peer-to-peer crypto platforms, Paxful’s year-over-year growth went from $100K in trade volume in July 2015, to its first $1M in October the same year. It was then followed by 10 million in trade volume in February 2016 and hit their first 100 million in trade volume in January 2017. The first billion in USD trade volume was in May 2018. Currently, the average amount per trade is $102 USD—more than twice the average in 2015 which was $45 USD.

This year alone, during H1 of 2020, the platform has seen growth that continues to fall in line with the upward trends of increased users and volume growth that they have seen over the past 5 years in business. Paxful saw a 34% increase in volume when comparing H1 of 2019 to H1 of 2020. 2020 has also seen over $182M in volumes done each month. Compared to 2019, in which the marketplace saw 488,000 new users during H1, 2020 has seen over 1.1M new users which was an increase of 130%.

“We are a people-focused company and we use blockchain technology in the best possible way to benefit those who need it most. We learned so much in the past 5 years of staying connected to the streets and we will continue to build products to accelerate the process of financial inclusion. This growth is just the beginning for the world of peer-to-peer finance,” said Artur Schaback, COO and co-founder.

The leading markets are Nigeria, the USA, Ghana, India, and Kenya. More than 44.4 million successful marketplace trades have taken place on Paxful.

Additional achievements and milestones reached include its #BuiltWithBitcoin charitable initiative, which has resulted in the building of three schools in Africa that has helped 500 students and their families, a scholarship program, and a fund to help countries in Africa in the fight against COVID-19. From two formerly homeless founders, Paxful has grown to 265 employees spread out across 3 offices.

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About Paxful

 Paxful is a people-powered marketplace for money transfers with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Their mission is to empower the forgotten four billion unbanked and underbanked around the world to have control of their money using peer-to-peer transactions. The company, founded in 2015, has over 4.5 million users globally who you can instantly buy and sell bitcoin with—using over 300 different payment methods.

As part of their mission Paxful also launched #BuiltWithBitcoin, a social good initiative with the goal of building 100 schools funded entirely by bitcoin all across emerging markets. Paxful was co-founded in 2015 by Ray Youssef, Chief Executive Officer, and Artur Schaback, Chief Operating Officer.