Agent Shops, But For Bitcoin: Kenya’s Pursuit Of Physical Crypto Dealers

Lewis Mutugi, a Kenyan in his twenties, arrived in Nairobi not too long ago, pretty much with scanty pockets and a bag full of dreams. He was seeking a fresh start in Kenya’s capital city, but it didn’t help that he was basically homeless upon his arrival.

Homeless, not clueless. Mutugi did have ideas.

So, what was his big plan? Bitcoin and the rest of them. Mutugi identifies as a cryptocurrency enthusiast - he calls himself the “No. 1 bitcoin vendor in Kenya” - and he was determined to apply himself, in a perhaps unusual way.

His goal? Set up a physical crypto shop in Nairobi. It’s like the mobile money agent shops that people all over Kenya are used to, but his dream was a shop that would deal in cryptocurrency transactions: buying, selling, transferring, spending, paying, withdrawing - the works!