Johan Gevers, the CEO of the Monetas cryptofinance company, says that Tunisia is likely to become the world's first country to use distributed ledger for its national currency.

In an interview with Techmoran, Monetas CEO Johann Gevers called Africa "the prime candidate" to become the continent where digital banking technologies could burst, as it has the highest transaction costs and the highest number of the unbanked.

In Tunisia, Monetas launched a technology start-up DigitUs supported by the national government and La Poste Tunisienne (Tunisian National Post Office), which plays the key role in the country's financial system and was searching for the innovative ways to fight financial exclusion. Now Tunisians can make secure financial and legal transactions “at negligible costs” using the cryptographically secured digital notary, namely blockchain.

“The Tunisian Government are fully aware of the tremendous potential cryptofinance provides to improve financial security and prosperity. The rollout in Tunisia, in partnership with the National Post Office, La Poste Tunisienne, is supported by both the Government and the Central Bank,” Johan Gevers said, adding that Tunisia “will be the first country in the world to issue its national currency via advanced cryptofinance technology.”

Earlier this year Monetas partnered governmental structures to launch a digital version of the country's national currency, eDinar, which now is used by more than 600,000 Tunisians.

Maria Rudina