Thanks for the tip. I have checked it out and these seems to be a centralised exchange rather than an "instant exchange service". I will make sure I include it when I do my review of centralised exchanges.

Hello, I am James, in London UK.

I have created a global directory of crypto businesses called CryptoStar. It lists over 185 crypto businesses in Africa. I would be very grateful if you could have a look and tell me how to make it better..

Crypto businesses in Africa

I think it is that it is possible that Africa will become the leading crypto continent. What do you think?

I have written a guide to instant cryptocurrency exchange services like ShapeShift.

• How can I make it better?
• Are there services that I have missed that you think should be mentioned?

I have just published long post in the crypto directory Cryptostar that gives my thoughts about the future of Bitcoin.

What will bitcoin be worth in 12 years time?

TLDR: Boom-bust cycles getting shorter, move to hybrid PoW/PoS/, $150k

You might find this account of the problems facing people in Venezuela interesting. It shows the human cost of hyperinflation.

* https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-cant-fix-venezuela-i-should-know

(I first posted this on my blog)

This article argues that clever pricing strategies and the ability to cut transaction fees payments less than $1 may help speed the adoption of cryptocurrencies.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/britain-is-keeping-the-penny-lessons-for-crypto-marketing-teams/

--- update 15:33 ---

Great points Beerwizard and Stompix  below.

When using crypto the buyer pays the transaction fee. Cash is cheaper for them unless they get a discount.
Merchants using Lightning Network might have to close their channel each night to keep their books in order.

Hello I am new to this thread. I live in London not Africa but crypto is  a global movement and I believe it has more potential for good or harm in Africa than anywhere else.

https://cryptostar.money/country/world/africa/ lists 185 crypto businesses in Africa.

It is my website and welcome any advice or feedback you can give me.

Microsoft Support was hacked and hackers got access to @outlook, @msn, @hotmail mailboxes. They use this access to do password resets on users exchange accounts and steal their money. You can read more about it here.
https://cryptostar.money/blog/users-robbed-due-to-microsoft-errors-enable-2-factor-authentication-now/

Thanks for lots of feedback. Lots of good points about currency independence and volatility. I have addressed them here.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/will-scotland-choose-bitcoin-part-an-academic-analysis/

TLDR: Small nations will often sacrifice currency independence. Bitcoin volatility will go down.

This article argues that the recent move by Bakkt and BNY Mellon to create institutional quality custody solutions indicates the future of bitcoin is to be just another asset class.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/cold-storage-and-custody-is-key-to-institutional-adoption-of-crypto

The SNP voted to drop the British Pound after independence (they will have to win a referendum first). Will the Scottish people accept this or will they use Bitcoin?

https://cryptostar.money/blog/scots-want-to-abandon-the-pound-will-they-choose-bitcoin/

-- Update 1 May 2019 --
Thanks for lots of feedback. Lots of good points about currency independence and volitility. I have addressed them here.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/will-scotland-choose-bitcoin-part-an-academic-analysis/

TLDR: Small nations will often sacrifice currency independence. Bitcoin volatility will go down.

In 2008 there was a banking scandal and there was a run on the banks because knew that they could not access their money. Yesterday Bitfinex has a scandal and everyone with their own keys just smiles.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/bitfinex-scandal-bitcoin-stops-bank-runs/

Summary
I am the original poster (OP). I would like to thank everyone who responded. I have learnt that Lightning Network is a Level 2 protocol that can work with many blockchains. It reduces fees and transaction times at the expense of some security. It is also very early days in its development and there is no guarantee that it will work at scale as its inventors hope.

The majority view seems to be that if Lightning Network works, and it is a big 'if', then it would, to some degree make altcoins slightly less attractive for smaller transactions as suggested by the original article but if you were selling something of high value like a car you are unlikely to object to the slightly higher fee and block time of the Bitcoin network.

https://cryptostar.money/blog/will-dash-and-litecoin-be-struck-by-lighting/

Suggests that if users can pay with Bitcoin using Lighting enabled wallets than Dash and Litecoin are pointless. Is this right?

Dear Commenter,

Thank you all very much for your comments. The mod in this forum said that I was not allowed to reply to you individually but must publish one reply to you all. This makes sense I guess but I hope you get the notification.

* Lyks15 - I will carefully consider how I can support newbies better
* OmegaStarScream - You are right. My next task is to improve the categorisations by doing them manually, interesting remark about using Disqus. I will consider it.
* erikalui - You are right. I will improve the categorisations
* haunebu - Thank you for you comments about the site design. After I have improved the categorisations I will make it look better
* Ailmand - Thank you for your kind words and comments about supporting newbies
* fudser - Thank you for your feedback about navigation. I will consider this carefully when I do the redesign
* MakeMoneyBTC - Thank you for your helpful comments about the design. I will improve this
* okala - Thank you for your kind words.
* ChrisPop - Thank you for your kind words. I will try to improve the design as you suggest - still simple but more modern
* waiforme - Thank you for pointing out fake ICOs. I will try to remove them.
* r1s2g3 - Thank you for your comments about the crypto games section. You know much more about this than me! I will improve it. Also a lending section in the forums.
* Vesperion - Thank you for reporting that my system's firewall blocked you. This should not have happened. If you could tell me your IP number this would help me resolve the issue.
* xvids - Thank you for your kind words
* kryptqnick - You make an excellent point. When I redesign the site I must make the offer clearer.
* MAKEDEV - Thank you for the confidence boost!
* Digitalbitcoin - You are so right. The first version ran very slowly and the front page is still not great. I have lots of caching in place but I know I need to do better.
* Sharon121212 - I carefully investigate what happens when you drill down into a category.
* maxreish - Thank you for your feedback. I will continue to update the site and make it better.
* Wasimalik - Thank you for sending your friends! That's great.
* jubilarian - I used a bot to get the data and then scripts + manual effort to classify it. It has taken me 6 months full-time so far. Looking at the feedback above it is clear that the robot classification is not working well and I will need to do more classifications manually.
* Kakmakr - I am very pleased that it helped you discover businesses in your country. I create the "quick add" as you suggest.

I will keep improving the site and I will keep you informed of progress.
Many thanks,
James

Thank you for your feedback Ailmand. I will pay careful attention to the needs of newbie as I develop the site.

Thank you for your kind words lyks15. I will carefully consider how I can make it even easier for newbies and continuous learning. TI can now see that there is value in having a site that covers a wide range of topics for beginners and experts.

Hi waitforme, thank you for pointing problem with ico listings. I will try to find them and remove them. If you see any listing you don't like just click "report abuse" and I can remove it.

Thank you kryptqnick  for your very helpful comments. I think that you are right that it is not clear what the site for and the how it works. I will think carefully about what you have said and make changes when I redesign it. James

I am sorry that this happened to you. I use the Wordfence firewall and for some reason it is blocking you. If you tell me your IP number (Google "what is my ip") then that will help me fix my problem.

Many thanks,
James