A new report from Discovery Bank and Visa has underscored a transformative shift in South Africa’s financial landscape, indicating that cryptocurrency has matured from a speculative novelty into a mainstream investment class. The Spendtrend26 report reveals that approximately 7.8 million South Africans—roughly one in every eight citizens—now engage with digital assets as a core component of their portfolios. This evolution is driven largely by mobile-first platforms that simplify onboarding and offer user-friendly, app-based trading, making crypto accessible to a broader demographic. For many younger consumers, these digital assets now serve as their primary gateway into the world of financial investing. A Mainstream Milestone The report marks a clear departure from the volatile, speculative trading that characterized earlier crypto cycles. According