Sipho Dlamini is 28 and lives in Johannesburg. He works as a freelance designer, taking on projects from clients in Europe and the US. Most of them pay him in USDT.
SD
Sipho Dlamini, 28
Freelance designer · Clients in Europe and the US · Johannesburg
He still has a bank account. He just does not rely on it much anymore.
When Sipho first started freelancing internationally, getting paid was not straightforward. Bank transfers took time, fees reduced what he received, and there was always some uncertainty around the final amount. Switching to crypto solved that part. Payments arrive quickly, and what he earns is what he gets.
At the beginning, he converted most of it into rands. That felt like the obvious thing to do. Over time, he stopped doing that as often. Some expenses turned out to be easier to handle directly with crypto, so he kept part of his balance in USDT and started using it.
How it shifted
Getting paid internationally was complicated
Bank transfers took time. Fees reduced what arrived. The final amount was never certain.
Switched to USDT
Payments started arriving quickly. What he earned was what he got.
Stopped converting everything
Some expenses turned out to be easier to handle directly with crypto. So he kept part of his balance in USDT.
Moved his phone first
He tops up his Vodacom balance through Cryptorefills and pays in USDT. A few minutes, works every time. He also sends airtime to his brother in Soweto. His brother doesn't use crypto. The airtime arrives like any other top-up.
Subscriptions followed
Netflix gift cards. A virtual Visa funded with crypto for tools that need a card. For a freelancer, those costs are regular. Having one way to handle them makes things easier.
Travel in Cape Town, booked with crypto
The flight, accommodation, and a travel eSIM. All paid with crypto. The bookings were standard. Only the payment method was different.
His income and part of his spending now sit in the same place. He gets paid in USDT and uses that balance for tools, subscriptions, and other digital expenses. He doesn't need to move the money before using it.
Where Sipho's crypto spending goes
Rough breakdown by category: digital expenses handled directly with crypto
Tools and subscriptions38%
Mobile top up22%
Food delivery16%
Travel and eSIM14%
Entertainment10%
Other parts of his routine follow the same pattern. He orders groceries through Woolworths or Takealot using gift cards. He tops up Steam when he wants to relax after work.
Some things have not changed. Local transport, and smaller daily payments still go through his bank or in cash. Those are harder to replace. Because of that, Sipho keeps a small amount in rands. The bank is still there, just used less often.
Crypto vs bank: monthly spending split
A larger share comes from digital services, where crypto works directly.
Crypto ~60%
Bank / cash ~40%
Groceries, local transport and small daily payments stay in rands for now.
By the numbers
1
payment method for digital services
8+
crypto-powered categories in use
0
extra conversions before spending
A larger share of his monthly spending now comes from crypto, mostly for services that are already digital. For freelance work, that fits naturally. When your income comes in crypto, using it directly is often the simpler option.
