Tools For The Future #2
Cryptographic identity & Bitcoins built in philosophy.
Coinscrum and Proof of Work Media join forces again and return to 93 Feet East for the second of our Tools for the Future series, focusing on the social rather than the business side of the Blockchain. We’re very pleased to welcome Ian Grigg and Anthony Culligan, two superb crypto-finance thought leaders who will give all attendees plenty of food for thought. Ian Grigg has 25 years of experience as a senior software engineer, is well known in the field of financial cryptography, and is the inventor of the Ricardian Contract, and the Ricardo Transaction Engine. The Ricardo Transaction Engine grew out of Ian’s MBA thesis at the London School of Business in 1995. This transaction and trading system is the engine under the hood of ChamaPesa and the Dinero Social Savings System. Ian is currently CTO at Dinero Limited, developing ChamaPesa – The Social Savings System. Ian’ s blog can be found at financialcryptography.com.Ian will be discussing cryptographic identities.
Anthony is the CEO of Roolo, a new peer to peer bitcoin trading site. After starting his career as a programmer in the 80’s, Anthony deployed his skills in traditional finance as a quantitative fund manager, derivatives trader and an investor in complex hedge funds. He has been a director at Robert Fleming Securities, JP Morgan and Aida Capital and CEO of F&C Partners. Anthony is a keen financial historian and a liberal leaning pontificator on monetary philosophy. Anthony will argue that Bitcoin comes with a built in philosophy which cannot be ignored or overlooked in the process of adoption. In particular, it creates a politically neutral payments system which is resistant to control by any nation and it transfers power back into the hands of individuals. Anthony will propose that in order for Bitcoin to become mainstream, its users and proponents have to be up-front about these characteristics and must win the argument that they are a ‘good thing’. He argues that trying to create Bitcoin companies that are facsimiles of the the old central banking systems is the wrong way to proceed and that the industry needs to embrace and deal with the social reform that comes along with Bitcoin.