Zebedee, a fintech and payments processor targeting the gaming space, has partnered with crypto exchange platform Bitnob to offer payments and gaming reward options in Africa using the Bitcoin Lightning Network (LN). This partnership complements Zebedee’s existing operations in Brazil and the Philippines, expanding its Bitcoin gaming economy into Africa.

Through the partnership, African users can earn Bitcoin through Zebedee-powered apps and games. Zebedee’s offering serves as a second layer in games that allows developers to replace in-game points rewards with satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin. These rewards can be sent and received while playing classic titles like Counter-Strike. Through the partnership with Bitnob, the rewards can be converted to a local currency like the Nigerian naira.

Gamers can already earn Bitcoin by playing popular games such as Counter Strike. Source: Zebedee

The partnership was driven by game developers who had Bitcoin in mind for tournaments and other gaming rewards. According to Zebedee chief strategy officer Ben Cousens, game developers cannot pay players in Africa on fiat rails due to high costs and limited availability. With this partnership, Zebedee aims to tap into the $180 billion video games market in Africa and provide developers with an alternative and cost-effective way to reward players.

The Lightning Network’s ability to facilitate microtransactions has made it a growing area of interest in Africa. With a young and digitally native population, there is high demand for Zebedee’s platform across the African continent. The combination of LN and gaming is a growing trend during the bear market, offering meaningful performance uplift for game developers against a backdrop of slowing growth in mobile gaming revenue while engaging players in a fun and creative way.