Events: Focus
Is the blockchain really faster and cheaper?
Background:
For the past year, banks have become really excited about blockchain technologies. The claim is that these technologies will allow banks to create instantaneous exchange over the internet for near free. But is this true? What about alternative methods of exchange, such as a simple mobile text message? That is also real-time and near free. There are other technologies that could be used too, so why is the blockchain’s claims so persuasive to banks when the substance may not hold true?
To debate this major question, industry guru David Birch and bitcoin blockchain afficiando Jon Matonis will discuss the polarising views to somehow see if we can find the truth.
David G.W. Birch is an internationally-recognised thought leader in digital money and digital identity. One of the 2014 “Power 50” in European digital financial services and a NextBank Fintech “titan”, in 2013 he was named one of WIRED magazine’s global top 15 favourite sources of news from the world of business and finance and was ranked the no.1 influencer in European emerging payments by Total Payments magazine.
Jon Matonis is an e-money researcher and crypto economist focused on expanding the circulation of non-political digital currencies. His career has included senior influential posts at Sumitomo Bank, Visa, VeriSign, and Hushmail. He is a former Executive Director and board member of the Bitcoin Foundation.