Banks call them “fraudulent tools”, no matter how their former headquarters, China, declared war on them, no matter how much Elon Musk devalued them … Cryptocurrencies continue to be the future of the global financial game, in which key Greek players have a key role
“Good night Kemal, this world will never change,” wrote Nikos Gatsos. But the world is changing at breakneck speed, so money could not be an exception to this cataclysmic change. Tons of ink have been spilled on cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin first and foremost, but that does not mean that there is a broad understanding of what exactly this digital, intangible currency is and how it works.
Digital cryptocurrencies have similar properties to traditional ones, but differ significantly because they belong to the naughty and often cloudy environment of extra-banking payment systems. As such, they are treated at least with suspicion and even hostility by the G7, but also by the Central Banks around the world.
Indicative is the intervention of Bank for International Settlements, which is considered the “Holy Grail” of the international banking system. This, in turn, characterizes cryptocurrencies as “fraudulent tools”. At the same time, China, which was considered the seat of cryptocurrencies, declared war on them. The country’s central bank said it had advised banks and payment companies to step up their efforts to crack down on cryptocurrency transactions. This is the latest move by Chinese authorities to limit their use and another battle in the war between Central Banks and an independent cryptocurrency network. The example of China is followed by other countries, such as Britain, which announced that it is banning the cryptocurrency exchange company Binance from operating inside it without the written consent of the traders.
The ambivalence of Elon Musk and his company Tesla, which announced that it will no longer trade cryptocurrencies, dropped their value by 6%. None of this, however, discourages the passion of the armies of their sworn admirers. In some of them, after all, they have made extremely large profits. What if, according to many, they endanger the security and cohesion of the traditional international monetary and banking system? What if some liken them to shady investments that promise quick getaways and those that deal with them as a “budding Internet”? Despite their ever-expanding acceptance, few can navigate the relatively uncharted realm of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. That is, those who understand the combination of technology and finance, the framework of operation and supervision and their huge fluctuations, but also the recognition of their benefit. Some Greeks have a prominent position among them!
Alexandra Prodromos
Women Tech Founders
Alexandra Prodromos is one of them. Lexi -for her friends- is of Greek origin, born in the USA. She always had an artistic nature and went to college on a scholarship to become a soprano singer. But her dream was to become a lawyer, which did not happen.
After completing his first degree in Political Science at Pepperdine University and preparing to pursue a law degree, he read an article on the technology behind cryptocurrencies, known as blockchain. So, immediately after her graduation, in April 2016, during Orthodox Easter, she announced to her family her decision to penetrate the sanctuaries of cryptocurrencies.
He traveled to New York to attend a major blockchain conference. And so he decided to tackle the object in Illinois where he lived. He thought that in the Midwestern State there are world-class financial institutions, universities and a growing startup community.
He contacted a number of key players and met with then-Chief Technology Officer Mike Wons and Innovation and Technology Strategic Planning Chief Marian Cook. It was to her that she presented a document, in which she explained all the opportunities that blockchain technology has for the state.
This meeting led to the formation of a working group that included several government agencies, as well as external organizations, which eventually led to the “Illinois Blockchain” initiative. Lexi has continued to study cryptocurrencies and software that encrypts transaction data to control and store their holders.
Her associates describe her as committed to technology and especially to the cryptocurrency community. At another blockchain conference in Chicago, Lexi met with Matt Rosak, who is considered the “spiritual father” of cryptocurrencies in Chicago. He hired her shortly after they met as the Business Development Director of Bloq, a company he had founded. This is a non-profit initiative dedicated to blockchain advocacy and educating the tech community in this area. The company is not only concerned with cryptocurrencies, but also the technology behind them. Also, with its use in various industries, such as healthcare, music and the supply chain.
The role of Alexandra Prodromos was recognized when she won the Women Tech Founders Award. Apart from cryptocurrencies, she is an excellent tennis player, dancer, but nothing compares to her passion for technology. That is why he returned to university. This time to study Computer Science. Somehow Lexi, despite her young age, emerged as a kind of cryptocurrency guru. The major financial media ask for its own comment regarding their course and future. Many times it has defended their viability, even when their value was declining.
Despite the instability, the Greek-American expert believes that cryptocurrencies came to stay and become the future of funding. He argues that price volatility has been part of their nature since the beginning of their creation. Even the ban on bitcoin by organizations and governments does not deter Prodromos, who states that cryptocurrencies remain available to the world, which continues to sell and buy them with passion.
It recognizes the problems with Bitcoin and others, but believes it’s the same kind of problem that every emerging technology faces. As he says, “there will always be such a conflict between government, business and innovators.”
Andreas Antonopoulos
The author of the “Bible”
Greek-British Andreas Antonopoulos has also linked his name to cryptocurrencies. He even recorded his knowledge in the book “Mastering Bitcoin”. Although he is considered one of the most expert, with hundreds of articles, TV and internet interventions on the subject, he has admitted that he is still “in the process of searching and discovering what Bitcoin really is.” Antonopoulos, in addition to being the author of the book considered “The Bible of Cryptocurrencies”, is a businessman and professor of Digital Coins. He studied Computer Science (specializing in Data Communication and Distributed Systems) at University College London (UCL). He describes himself as an “eternal traveler”. His life is dedicated to cryptocurrencies, as he has no basis. He travels constantly from seminar to seminar, from speech to speech, informing pupils, students, officials, economists and the general public about the philosophy and operation of digital currencies. He has always been a fan of technology. Long before the creation of Bitcoin, he watched the marriage of the economy with technology and politics. He says he is in favor of freeing the economy from state control and bureaucracy. Four years after Bitcoin was founded, he read the White Paper by its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, which explained exactly what Bitcoin is and how it works. That’s it! He quit everything on the same day, including his job as a financial advisor. Since then he has spent some time studying the subject.
In an interview he has described that in those months he had lost many kilos, as he did not eat out of enthusiasm. Soon his profession became the cryptocurrency itself. He wrote code, created businesses based on it, wrote his book and spread the value of this technology to the rest of the world. He has made numerous appearances in Parliaments, including those in Canada and Australia, and has been featured in some of the most popular TV shows. It now fills halls with tens of thousands of people in the audience eager to hear it, as it is considered almost a star in the cryptocurrency community. His name, in fact, was used in cyber scams that promoted “profitable investments”.
Dean Karakitsos
The originator of Blockchain Science
Greek-American Dean Karakitsos is one of the most well-known and prominent Bitcoin experts in the world. Carries over two decades of experience in designing and launching innovative products that change the industry. He is also the founder and driving force behind Blockchain Science, one of the leading New York-based data and analytics companies specializing in blockchain, the technology on which cryptocurrencies are based.
He enjoys the reputation of being a visionary innovator and his greatest passion lies in the development of technology and the dynamic management of businesses. He describes himself as a tech entrepreneur. He founded his first company in the late 1990s in Athens. Origin was the largest market data provider in Greece, transmitting real-time market data to banks, investors and financial institutions. He moved from Athens to New York and soon set up his new company there, which creates tools for solving blockchain data problems. Today it supports more than 30 cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, Binance Smart Chain, Cello, Algorand and others. Its customers are banks, companies and government agencies. His company emerged in the top five of its kind. Few people know about this community, promoting transparency, which is vital to the digital asset ecosystem and the democratization of the sector.
These Greeks have distinguished themselves in the specialized and closed community that is at the forefront of the news. Interest in cryptocurrencies and their progress is mounting, as governments such as El Salvador have announced that they recognize them as a legal tender. Other countries have declared war on them. In any case, cryptocurrencies do not seem to be receding, with their ardent supporters swearing that they are an integral part of the future.
