Newsletter
This is where we leave some of the news around the globe concerning crypto currency:
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What are the common challenges in blockchain adoption? Joel Flynn of Forkast News explains
An increasing number of enterprises and services have been utilizing blockchain technology since it was developed over a decade ago. However, global nations struggle to achieve mass adoption despite its wide popularity.
Forkast News Chief Correspondent Joel Flynn said this is understandable considering the state of the digital asset industry following the FTX implosion and the impacts of the “crypto winter,” which resulted in heightened concerns among the public.... Read More -
Mohammad Jaber of Elas on improving lives in the Philippines with blockchain’s help
The Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW2022), which took place in November 2022, ended with great success. Several personalities and thought leaders in the blockchain and fintech world and the government were present during the week-long event—among them were nChain’s Simit Naik and Gareth Roberts, as well as Mohammad Jaber of digital consultancy firm Elas.
In an interview with CoinGeek Backstage reporter Claire Celdran on the sidelines of the event, the Elas co-founder and COO shared his objectives during the event and their future projects on the digital consultancy firm.
Jaber shared that they are looking to connect with people at the event and understand how blockchain technology operates in the Philippines. The primary goal for Elas is to help Filipinos improve how they live with the help of blockchain.... Read More -
Simit Naik shares how nChain can aid the Philippines in its CBDC journey
While numerous countries have announced their plans to join the central bank digital currency (CBDC) race by exploring its retail version, the Philippines took a different path and opted for the wholesale model.
Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage on the sidelines of the Philippine Blockchain Week, Simit Naik said nChain could be instrumental in supporting the Philippine government’s wholesale CBDC project.
Naik is the Director of the Commercial and Strategy team at nChain, the company that prides itself as the global leader in blockchain research and development. nChain stood out during the Philippine Blockchain Week as it was among the few institutions that shed light on how the Southeast Asian country could leverage blockchain to build enterprise applications for governments.... Read More -
Muhammad Mughal on CoinGeek Backstage: Bringing Islamic banking to the blockchain
With over $3 trillion, Islamic finance has become a significant player in the global economy. Muhammad Zubair Mughal is right at the heart of it, and speaking to CoinGeek Backstage, he revealed just how advanced the sector is and how it’s weaving its way into the blockchain and digital asset world.
Mughal is the CEO of the AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics, an institution focused on Sharia-compliant finance. The Centre provides advisory services to hundreds of clients from over 50 countries.
Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage, Mughal revealed that Islam has nothing against digital currencies as a whole.
“In Islam, we do not have any prohibition on utilizing of technology. The issue is the speculation, the interest-based investment and some gambling. These are some major elements which we need to consider while we’re talking about Islamic cryptocurrencies,” Mughal noted.... Read More -
Impero Group’s Emmanuel Samson talks to CoinGeek Backstage on making Bataan the Philippines’ blockchain hub
The Philippines is emerging as a global leader in blockchain adoption. Within the Southeast Asian country, the province of Bataan is quickly establishing itself as a digital and blockchain hub and is poised to lead the Philippines in blockchain-powered digitalization, according to Emmanuel Samson of the Impero Group.
Being a special economic zone, Bataan has been moving towards digitalizing its economy in recent years. Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage, Samson noted that this shift is being led by the region’s leadership which has been very open to learning about emerging technologies and working with the private sector to grow these technologies.
Bataan’s leadership is welcoming new companies, telling them, “we want to work with you. We don’t know everything, but when you join our community, we can build around it,” Samson told CoinGeek’s Claire Celdran on the sidelines of the Global Blockchain Summit in the City of Balanga.... Read More -
Jonathan Dayao on CoinGeek Backstage: We have to equip young minds with skills for emerging technology
The world is increasingly going digital, Jonathan Dayao believes we need to have a shift in our education systems to better prepare young students with relevant skills. Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage, the Vice President at Mapua Malayan Digital College stated that the Philippines needs more courses that cater to emerging technologies like blockchain.
Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage host Claire Celdran at the inaugural Blockchain Social Manila, Dayao stated that the time has come for Filipino institutions to change their curricula to match the digital age.
“We are creating curricula that will enable our students to be useful in [emerging] industries straight away. So, we think about certain technology that will be useful in any industry and then we gear curricula in a way that will allow our students to hit the ground running,” he said.... Read More -
Bitcoin SV is here for utility, not speculation: Brendan Lee on CoinGeek Backstage
The Philippines was recently ranked second globally for digital asset adoption, but Bitcoin has primarily been a speculative asset for most Filipinos. At the inaugural Blockchain Social Manila, Brendan Lee took to the stage to talk about Bitcoin utility beyond the hype, and as he told CoinGeek Backstage, the Southeast Asian country could greatly benefit from adopting blockchain technology.
The founder of Elas was one of the speakers at the meetup, bringing together Bitcoin enthusiasts, regulators, developers, and innovators. Speaking to CoinGeek Backstage host Claire Celdran, he made it clear that the BSV ecosystem wasn’t about hyping tokens and speculation—it’s all about utility.
“Typically, when people come to these blockchain events, there’s [always] someone there to sell them a token, and tell them what to buy and how to trade. One of the first things I’ve been telling everyone is ‘that’s exactly what we’re not here to do,’” Lee said.
“We’re not here for speculation—we’re here for utility, we’re here for the future,” he noted.
The Philippines has recently seen a surge in blockchain adoption, with Chainalysis ranking it second for overall adoption and fourth for centralized value received. Filipinos have also become global leaders in play-to-earn gaming, NFTs, and the metaverse.... Read More -
10% of global economy will be on the blockchain by 2027; we’re betting on it: Ketan Makwana on CoinGeek Backstage
In recent years, blockchain technology has attracted billions of dollars in investment as it breaks into every other industry. As Ketan Makwana revealed, investment in blockchain will only rise, and with 10% of the global economy predicted to be on the blockchain in five years, his venture capital firm is betting on Bitcoin SV (BSV).
Makwana is the co-chair and founder of Seventy7 Ventures, a venture and capital solutions partner that invests in the creative industry, including fashion, music, media, and culture. The company is now seeking to transition its portfolio companies to Web3, Makwana told CoinGeek Backstage host Becky Liggero.
For him, deciding which company to invest in is a simple process focusing on product, people, and profits. The VC veteran advised blockchain innovators to stop focusing on the complexities that make your idea unique but instead focus on how simple your solution is and whether it solves a problem.
Makwana believes that the future will be on the blockchain. Already, experts estimate that the technology will anchor 10% of the $103 trillion global economy in five years. While financial services have taken the lead, other industries, such as the public sector, sports, media, telecommunications, and manufacturing, are already integrating the technology into their operations.... Read More -
CoinGeek Backstage with Jack Pitts: SLictionary could only work on BSV
SLictionary is about as unique a Bitcoin application as you’re likely to find, leveraging Bitcoin SV to create a monetary incentive for word definitions. The platform has focused exclusively on the English language since it was founded. In early 2022, it delved into Arabic language, and as founder John “Jack” Pitts told CoinGeek Backstage, only BSV, with its very low fees, could power an application like SLictionary.
Jack was in Dubai for the BSV Global Blockchain Convention, where CoinGeek Backstage Jon Southurst caught up with him to discuss SLictionary, Bitcoin, and more. With the event being in Dubai, it was a great opportunity for Pitts to announce that the second language his platform would support is Arabic.... Read More -
IoT Forum’s Srdan Krco talks transforming the food supply chain with blockchain and IoT
Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, the world has recognized just how critical efficient supply chains are, and a lot of effort and resources are going into this industry. Srdan Krco is one of those charged with improving food supply chains across Europe, and as the IoT Forum veteran told CoinGeek Backstage, blockchain could transform supply chains globally by introducing the long-needed data verifiability and immutability.
Srdan is the founder of DunavNET, a Dublin-based tech company offering turnkey IoT and AI solutions. He’s also a board member and vice president at the IoT Forum, an international body that fosters the growth of IoT and global cooperation in the sector.
CoinGeek’s Becky Liggero caught up with Srdan at the IoT Week in Dublin, an event he has been organizing for over a decade. IoT Week allows IoT professionals and enthusiasts to converge, network, and discuss the latest developments in the space, he stated.
Through his company DunavNET, Srdan is a member of Demeter, a program by the EU that aims at leading the digital transformation of the region’s agri-food sector. While it has several mandates, increasing the efficiency of the food supply chain is high on its agenda. The project has been focusing on collecting massive amounts of data through IoT devices and then using this data to pinpoint farmers’ challenges and solve them.
As Srdan revealed, blockchain is one of the technologies the program has been exploring. Together with other partners, it’s building a ‘distributed knowledge graph’ on a blockchain network on which stakeholders can access all manner of data regarding the European food supply chain.... Read More
