We asked builders in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their opinions on the industry ... and added some random comments to keep you on your toes!
This week, our 6 questions go to Yoni Assia, Co-Founder and CEO of eToro.
Yoni Assia is co-founder and CEO of eToro, the social investment network with more than 23 million registered users from more than 100 countries. Yoni is widely recognized as a cryptocurrency pioneer, having co-wrote the Colored Coins white paper with Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin in 2013. In 2018, Yoni founded GoodDollar, a non-profit initiative created to develop a framework. sustainable and scalable to provide a digital and universal environment. basic income for the world through new crypto asset technologies. He has long been an advocate for different approaches to the distribution of wealth and capital, initially introducing the GoodDollar concept in a whitepaper called The Visible Hand in 2008. Yoni has a bachelor's degree in management and computer science, and a master's degree in computer science from the Reichman. University (IDC Herzliya), Israel.
1 - What kind of consolidation do you expect to see in the crypto industry in 2021?
We are almost at the end of 2021 and what a year it has been for cryptocurrencies, with many currencies reaching new ATH, the launching a Bitcoin ETF in the United States and the growing demand for crypto by retail and institutional investors. We have seen more and more traditional companies adopt cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology that underpins them, and this will only continue.
This year has been about continued growth and integration of cryptocurrencies, but as the industry matures, we will see a consolidation. Ultimately, I am hugely optimistic about the prospects for crypto - blockchain technology will revolutionize finance.
2 - Which is dumber: $ 500k Bitcoin or $ 0 Bitcoin? Why?
$ 0 Bitcoin (BTC), easily. I bought my first Bitcoin in 2010, and 11 years later I am still investing in Bitcoin and running a company that makes it easy for others to do so too. Cryptocurrencies are still a fledgling asset class and Bitcoin, the first and largest crypto, is only 12 years old. It may take some time to hit $ 500,000, but the future is bright for BTC and cryptocurrencies in general.
3 - What people do you find the most inspiring, interesting and fun in this space?
I must mention my eToro team. I am fortunate to work with some of the smartest, most dedicated and inspiring people in the industry.
Looking beyond eToro, I recently attended the Milken Institute Global Conference. The event brought together many of the world's brightest and most influential minds to discuss the most pressing challenges we face globally. Entitled "Charting a new course", the conference focused on how recent disruptions can be "reframed" for a "prosperous future." I left feeling deeply inspired and even more determined to move forward with GoodDollar, a digital blockchain project that aims to make universal income a reality on a global scale. The income gap is a crisis of global proportions, and GoodDollar's goal is to bring the next 100 million people into the digital economy.
4 - What is the most interesting place you have visited?
In 2020, I was lucky enough to have dinner with Warren Buffett in Omaha, Nebraska. It was an honor meeting one of my heroes and a life-changing moment. The two key takeaways for me were:
- Investing can be simple when you invest in businesses that you understand and believe in. If you follow the rules of value investing over a long period of time, you can be successful as an investor.
- The most important investment you can make is in yourself.
5 - What are the two superpowers that you would most like to have and how would you combine them for better ... or for worse?
I'm going to cheat and name three. I've always said that I wish I could teleport, heal, and have the ability to shake someone's hand and know everything they know. I mean use the power forever.
6 - Choose the most memorable moment from your favorite movie.
For me, it would be the scene of Matrix (1999), directed by the Wachowskis, when the main character, Neo, has to choose between a red pill and a blue pill.
