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      "body": "*Anand Giridharadas discusses the moral calculus by which we trust the market to save us and challenges the narrative that the wealthy need to do more good as opposed to doing less harm. “You can have your cake and eat it, too” is wishful thinking.*\n\n<center>![Screen Shot 2019-02-05 at 10.19.53 PM.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWsCs9BPp8s8xvsUAEsPDmZfDBzt2CmTGDj7yykPiNrha/Screen%20Shot%202019-02-05%20at%2010.19.53%20PM.png)</center>\n\n***“The winners of our age must be challenged to do more good. But never, ever, tell them to do less harm. Capitalism’s rough edges must be sanded and its surplus fruit shared, but the underlying system must never be questioned.” Anand Giridharadas***\n\nI spent one year living in San Francisco. By the end of it, I emerged with the ability to speak tech startup lingo, I’d attended my fair share of hackathons (“let’s revolutionize the supply chain of tofu!”), I’d invested in cryptocurrencies, and I was well acquainted with the brogrammers and burners who are changing the world one click at a time. I had experienced the life-changing process of Silicon-Valley-ization (if it’s not a word, it should be).\n\nDuring the summer of my freshman year, I interned at a cryptocurrency exchange in Tokyo. At the rooftop parties of blockchain conferences and in the boardrooms of “disruptive” companies, I listened to people distil lofty goals into a single business deal. In South Korea, the level of technological integration I witnessed inculcated a sense of truly “living in the future”. Now I am in Hyderabad, India, for my third semester with Minerva. I am only twenty years old, yet, frankly speaking, I sometimes feel that the experiences I have had surpass what many can only imagine for a lifetime.\nAfter two years of travelling and living in six countries, I’m starting to wonder how I’ll come out of it all. Do I question my frame of reference often enough? What are the gross assumptions I’m beginning to make about the world around me? How can I align my lifestyle with the values I purport to hold?\n\nA few months ago, I listened to a podcast interview between Krista Tippett and Anand Giridharadas. As soon as I’d finished it, I dragged my thumb over the scroller and hit “play” one more time. Then I forwarded the link to just about everyone I know. For one whole hour, I listened to someone who sounded a lot like me — in older, male, more accomplished form — tell people in no uncertain terms that the path we’re on might be horribly, horribly wrong.\n\nhttps://onbeing.org/programs/anand-giridharadas-when-the-market-is-our-only-language-nov2018/\n\n<center>![deflation.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZUv1voWdXixw2cRy63wA1QXVgPAKzs59eHPaq5AYwsEi/deflation.jpg)</center>\n\n***I love this community and I fear for all of us, myself first and foremost, that we may not be as virtuous as we think we are; that history may not be as kind to us as we hope it will, that in the final analysis our role in the inequities of our age may not be remembered well.” Anand Giridharadas***\n\n# The Savior Complex\n\nGiridharadas critiques “enlightened” capitalism. He speaks to the educated, globalized millennials who grew up despising inequality and oppression in all its forms. We’re the ones who have been so brainwashed by the “you will change the world” narrative that we genuinely believe that’s exactly what we’re doing, all the time. What we forget, he argues, is that we’re still operating within the system we’re intent on changing — which means that we’re all complicit in whatever byproducts that system produces. Call it capitalism, privilege, masculinity — it’s the prevailing power dynamic that guides every aspect of our lives. It’s our comfort zone, our home, our nurturing source — and it’s slowly poisoning us.\n\nI thought I had escaped most of these problems when I joined the multicultural, uber-diverse community of my unconventional college. We travel the world and get professional exposure that may be unparalleled by that of any other undergraduate institution. We’re exposed to constant inspiration and stimulation and — like so many young, brilliant minds — we’re refining our lives into a neat little package that says “do good; be great”. It’s an admirable narrative that has become deeply ingrained in our collective identity — but how reflective is it of where we really are on the spectrum of empathy, justice, and action?\n\nI recently wrote an article for my university which discussed issues around economic disparity within our community. I lamented that being nurtured into privilege is almost unavoidable when you live this lifestyle. Yet for many of us, the lifestyle is at odds with where we come from. Identity crisis takes on a whole new meaning when your material surroundings contradict the long-held views you’ve had about how your life ought to look. Furthermore, what you want to believe lies in a constant shadow of doubt when the examples around you of what is “good”, “successful” and desirable not only fall miserably short, but sometimes also appear completely fraudulent.\nHave you hung out with any of the world-changers, lately? In my world-changing college community, we’ve had an explosion of conversations around finances and how our lack of empathy has resulted in gaps and silences that need to be addressed. Far too often in other spaces, I am surrounded by brilliant people whose professed vision is belied by the disappointing carelessness with which they conduct their own lives. What I’ve learned coming from South Africa — where we suffer from a shocking leadership vacuum — is that packaging can be deceiving, and sometimes, I wonder whether the bright millennial agenda isn’t just another deceptive marketing tactic of the 21st century.\n\n# The Numbers Game\n\nDo I sound jaded? In many ways, I am. Giridharadas explains that people nowadays are “agnostic and cynical” about where the locus of power lies. Rapid economic development, globalization and egalitarian-inspired social mobilization have meant that our metrics of value and worth have also shifted. Nowadays, an Ivy League education may be great, but if you’ve sold a million dollar startup by the age of 25, that says a lot more. Titles are pretty much redundant, too (everyone is an “advisor” on LinkedIn), but if your posts can reach thousands of people — that tells me something about your reputation and credibility. These metrics are not always rigourous, but they’re universal. Quantitative measures of worth have decreased ascriptive barriers and opened up “success” to a whole new demographic. Here’s the downside, though: we’re applying these standards beyond external credibility. Increasingly, they’ve become the internal metric by which we evaluate our own lives. “We don’t have a vocabulary for morality, worth or value other than through wealth,” says Giridharadas.\n\n<center>![1462902925910.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcUgMvgE1Bv7tSYxZp4ryVAAhrDaFoQ9NV7GRdSUJ5sY7/1462902925910.png)</center>\n\n<center>*Conscious consumerism — the new “feel good” compromise? Source: Zendesk, 2016*</center>\n\nGiridharadas criticizes the prevalent “do good” agenda. CSR campaigns, “conscious consumerism”, funds, fellowships — they’re all targeted, quantified bandaids that corporates use to make up for the more indirect consequences of operating within a capitalist, unequal system. Just as the corporates do, we as individuals exploit the numbers to feel better about our actions. As a writer, I know I feel better when I see more likes and shares — but that isn’t necessarily indicative of the value, or integrity, of my message.\n\nI see this phenomenon so often in the realm of fintech. Everyone wants to revolutionize the future of finances and use money as a medium to uplift and empower communities. I believe in this, too. However, I also think that changing the front end of economic interactions is vastly insufficient. So what if we all carry crypto wallets instead of hard cash? Inequality persists even under the guise of a much cooler UI. This is the danger for designers and entrepreneurs: changing how something looks, or the words we use to describe it, doesn’t change how it fundamentally operates.\n\n***“Sometimes I wonder whether these various forms of giving back have become to our era what the papal indulgence was in the middle ages, a relatively inexpensive way of getting oneself seemingly in the right side of justice without having to alter the fundamental of a long life.” Anand Giridharadas***\n\n# Hitting Home\n\n“We don’t acknowledge the complexity of our darkness,” says Giridharadas. How painful to discover the truth of this! Just because I travel the world and gain a global perspective on the world’s problems does not lessen the hurt I inflict on my environment.\n\nI am slowly awakening to the risk of too much positivity and self-belief. I find it ironic that my generation suffers a great deal from mental health issues, yet at the same time, at every turn, we’re suffocated with affirmation that we’re the answer to the world’s problems. In the circles that I operate in, the sentiment is almost nauseating. As long as you fit a certain type (young, educated, privileged), you gain an automatic exemption from more rigorous scrutiny. My biggest disappointment with my circumstances is that I don’t get morally challenged nearly enough, and because I am constrained by moving from place to place on a constant basis, I’m never called to any long-term action towards justice.\n\nWe cannot rely on economic language as a useful guide for how we should live together. It will leave us morally bankrupt. Giridharadas points out that “one of the surest ways to allow even well-meaning people to uphold an unjust system is through culture and vocabulary.” The language of money has become the guide we use to shape the kind of world we want to live in. At a macro level, the emphasis on job creation and real growth is shadowed by interest rates, the debt-to-GDP ratio and economic output. At an individual and community level, we measure our state of wellbeing by how much money we have in our bank account and our ability to accumulate — and express — material wealth. Our entire relationship with money is narrow, unhealthy, and fear-based. Perhaps if we shifted our focus from giving more to taking less, we’d relinquish the need to hoard, keep score and check our moral balance.",
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      "body": "Congratulations @rebeccamqamelo! You have received a personal award!\n\n[![](https://steemitimages.com/70x70/http://steemitboard.com/@rebeccamqamelo/birthday1.png)](http://steemitboard.com/@rebeccamqamelo)  1 Year on Steemit\n<sub>_Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor._</sub>\n\n\n**Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:**\n<table><tr><td><a href=\"https://steemit.com/steemfest/@steemitboard/steemfest3-and-steemitboard-meet-the-steemians-contest\"><img src=\"https://steemitimages.com/64x128/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeLukvNFRsa7RURqsFpiLGEZZD49MiU52JtWmjS5S2wtW/image.png\"></a></td><td><a href=\"https://steemit.com/steemfest/@steemitboard/steemfest3-and-steemitboard-meet-the-steemians-contest\">SteemFest3 and SteemitBoard - Meet the Steemians Contest</a></td></tr></table>\n\n> Support [SteemitBoard's project](https://steemit.com/@steemitboard)! **[Vote for its witness](https://v2.steemconnect.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=steemitboard&approve=1)** and **get one more award**!",
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      "body": "Keeping all our coins in our own wallets is the best options for HODL, exchanges is good when it comes into consistent trading.",
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      "body": "I agree",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "But third party service providers need to play their part, specifically crypto exchanges, in ensuring security and usability: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/time-to-face-the-cold-hard-truth-about-crypto-exchanges",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "And now this: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/time-to-face-the-cold-hard-truth-about-crypto-exchanges",
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      "body": "![bitcoin-4.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZ9wnQDRdSh8WBMNT659yc4MWGKparSEtaxFbF4D8szHr/bitcoin-4.png)\n\nOn June 19, 2018, Bithumb, one of Asia’s largest crypto exchanges, lost $30 million worth of cryptocurrency in a system hack. When the announcement broke at 1 AM UTC on June 20, the cryptocurrency market had already taken an immediate hit. The price of Bitcoin fell over $200 dollars within minutes. \n\nBithumb quickly suspended all withdrawals and deposits on their system and moved all assets to cold wallet storage.But the question we should all be asking is, why weren’t the assets in cold storage in the first place?\n\n# What is a hot wallet and what is a cold wallet?\n\nHere’s the simple difference: hot wallets are connected to the internet while cold wallets are not. This means that the security of hot wallets is dependent on the security of third party service providers, such as exchanges. As long as something is connected to the internet, it is vulnerable to attack. This is why most security-conscious exchanges keep only a small portion of users’ money in hot wallets - it wouldn’t be worth the time of a hacker to only gain access to smalls amount of money.\n\nMany major exchanges, however, are still storing users’ assets in hot wallet. Bittrex now holds more than $2.3 billion in its hot wallet. If they were to get hacked, all of their users would lose their money.\n\n# The loss is real\n\nThe cryptocurrency industry already lost $673 million to hacks by the end of the first quarter. One of the biggest heists in history happened to CoinCheck in January, where hackers drained $500 million from their hot wallet, which lacked even multi signatory security, a measure requiring multiple sign-offs before funds can be moved.\n\n# Lesson learned\n\nWhile hot wallets allow quick transaction times for users, they pay the price in risk. Crypto exchanges have the responsibility to protect their user’s assets. How many more hacks will it take before we concede that cold storage is the only way to protect our funds?",
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{
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "![Screen Shot 2018-06-12 at 5.38.34 PM.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmefYnEF3yaWLdgNLtD783gCE9cDrbuQHCSuBVApqhnQCp/Screen%20Shot%202018-06-12%20at%205.38.34%20PM.png)\n\n*It’s time to put crypto currencies in perspective*\n\nGaret Garrett, editor of the New York Tribune, wrote in 1932: “Mass delusions are not rare. They salt the human story.” He had written the book “A Bubble that Broke the World” in response to the 1929 Wall Street crash.\n\nIn 2008, the world reeled at the effects of yet another mass delusion. For years, US banks had been dishing out home loans to eager Americans, bunching them together as mortgage-backed securities, and confidently rating them as “A” investment pools. In reality, they were nothing more than a conglomeration of poor credit ratings, regular defaults, and the fragile hopes of the American dream. The result was the bubble burst of the US housing market – an example of financial hubris that led to the worst global economic recession in history.\n\nIn late 2017, we witnessed our most recent mass illusion: the rise of cryptocurrencies, sweeping in on a tide of acceptance because this time, we were familiar with paradox, and comfortable with the tension between reality and unreality. Illusion doesn’t faze us. The enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2008 paper \"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System\", laid the groundwork for the anarchist’s dream of decentralized economics – no middle man, little to no transfer fees, and the immutable beauty of blockchain technology. \n\nThe messianic nature with which cryptocurrencies have been heralded is quite remarkable. The feverish belief, although waned by 2018’s market volatility, continues to this day. Is this just another illusion about to dissipate into the ether of economic bubbles, politics and stifling regulation? Perhaps it ought to, but in the face of reality, even this fantasy holds a chance.\n\n# Unblocking the chain\n\nFor many people, the illusory nature of cryptocurrencies is deeply suspect. While we might welcome the idea of recording land ownership rights on an immutable record, or validating insurance policy claims in unprecedented time, many cannot accept that their money – their personal store of wealth, their account of debt, and their medium of exchange –  could exist in cyberspace devoid of any middleman whatsoever. At its core, blockchain technology is about creating trust in a trustless system.\n\nThe most vehement critics of the so-called “bitcoin bubble” invariably throw up the same question: “Is any of this actually real?” \n\nIn addition, how long can we realistically sustain a monetary system that runs on a technology that habitually gets hacked, leaves much to be desired in the way of regulation, and is beginning to look more and more centralized by the day?\n\nRight now, cryptocurrencies face three major challenges:\n\n1.\tHow to scale, sustainably. Bitcoin can process an average of only seven transactions per second, compared to Visa’s 2000, with a peak capacity close to 50,000. Despite the improvements, concerns still linger, like the cost of mining Ethereum and Bitcoin, the top two cryptocurrencies at the time of writing. Hawaii is the most expensive US state in which to mine Bitcoin, where it can cost up to $9,483 per coin. If cryptocurrencies are ever going to rival fiat currency in a meaningful way, usability and sustainability will have to be addressed.\n\n2.\tThe threat of centralization. When Satoshi Nakamoto wrote his/her/their/its whitepaper in 2008, the underlying emphasis was on a decentralized monetary system that obviates the need for a middleman. But take a look at the state of cryptocurrencies today, and you will quickly see similarities with traditional monetary systems. The only difference is that banks and governments have now been substituted for exchanges, wallets, and online pump-and-dump-groups.\n\n3.\tThe need for regulation. Like it or not, cryptocurrencies have reached a point where regulation, in some form, is necessary. There have been at least 36 major heists on cryptocurrency exchanges since 2011, many of which later had to shut down. More than 980,000 bitcoins have been stolen, worth about $16 billion today. \n\n![unnamed.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbvSwCLawcmyfC6BtkuUDajwaM6bT2rccFkt3HAsoycFY/unnamed.png)\n*Bitcoin price chart after the Mt. Gox hack*\n\nGovernments are also likely to fret increasingly about lost tax revenues; of Coinbase’s 13.3 million users in 2017, only 802 recorded their crypto earnings to the IRS. \n\nThese concerns, along with the apparently illusory nature of cryptocurrencies, have given rise to much skepticism, with some predicting immanent collapse and a sharp descent into ruin for investors (take a look at Coin Market Cap on most bad days and you may share similar sentiments) The irony is that while critics carp and fret, they still want a piece of the pie. Fund manager Mike Novogratz calls cryptocurrencies “the biggest bubble of our lifetimes”, and yet he is starting a $500 million fund to invest in them. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, calls bitcoin a “fraud”, yet his own bank is considering offering bitcoin futures to clients. This inconsistency reveals something important: where there is money to be made, market forces will create value where it would not otherwise exist. \n\nWelcome to crypto economics. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but a good place to start is to understand the nature of money, and why hashes in cyberspace are no different from the paper in your purse.",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Interesting. On the Block Media just did an interview with a company that uses the BitShares blockchain - I'd be interested to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-messianic-symbol-gets-real-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Awesome! Check out my own take on blockchain in Africa, I'd be interested to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-messianic-symbol-gets-real-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "There are a number of glaring issues that the crypto community is choosing to ignore. I recently wrote an article on the issue of crypto in Africa. Look past the illusion: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-messianic-symbol-gets-real-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Thank you for reading! I'll be posting lots more from On the Block :)",
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      "author": "awahidsteem",
      "body": "Very good writing, with a theme\nfits the placement of verses by stanza.",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Cool video! Funnily enough, despite market volatility, Nigeria has soared to become the third country with the highest​ Bitcoin holdings as %GDP. Check it out: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-messianic-symbol-gets-real-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "body": "![9b7b16ee05a5749f15bb5beadb686ca35f5cb1c8.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXrVUWwvU7SWBJjq1xP5gqDtXqyFnGcj4kJ9L8gVMa5u5/9b7b16ee05a5749f15bb5beadb686ca35f5cb1c8.jpeg)\n\nChris Bates is the Chief Security Officer of Bitland, a company that is putting in the grueling legwork of applying blockchain to real-world problems. His message is clear: you can’t escape the middleman, and you can’t ignore the massive hurdles that still need to be overcome.\n\nA search for blockchain in Africa yields ambiguous results. “Emerging markets” is a term steeped in clashing stereotypes. This is the land of the underserved, the unbanked, and the unlimited opportunities presented by systems that fail. When Zimbabwe’s military seized power last year, the price of Bitcoin on local exchanges soared to 165% of the global price at the time. Kenya hosts a fast-growing crop of crypto miners and according to Citigroup, Nigeria now holds the world’s third largest bitcoin holdings as a percentage of GDP - just behind Russia and New Zealand.\n\nMake no mistake: this is a wave that everyone wants to catch. The question is, can blockchain move beyond its investment potential for the few and dramatically improve the ease of doing business across the continent? Can it truly usher in the freedom it promises for marginalized people?\n\n# Talking and doing\n\nChris Bates approaches the subject with reserve. According to him, discussions on potential use cases of blockchain are still swathed in layers of illusion and misplaced ambition.\n\n“People seem to be more interested in talking about blockchain use cases in emerging markets, than actually implementing them.”\n\nIn Ghana, 71% of land is still unregistered. Bitland was founded by Narigamba Mwinsuubo, who wanted to transform land ownership in his home country where corruption, nepotism and the slow-grinding wheels of bureaucracy have entangled people in land disputes for decades. Bitland’s vision is to record title deeds onto the Bitshares Blockchain – a fully fledged utilities exchange system that supports value tokens (such as BitUSD or BitGold) tied to real-life assets. Bitland’s model relies on key partnerships and a strong community presence to try to move land ownership from the morass of red tape and shady deals in which it is currently mired to a system that is just and open.\n\n# Understanding the market\n\nBates says that creating valuable blockchain implementations involves far more than getting the technology in place. Execution is the tip of the iceberg. First comes  understanding the complexities of the market in which you hope to work, and familiarity with the challenges faced by the people who will ultimately make use of your product.\n\n“We have to sift through a lot of misinformation,” says Bates. “Chain of custody is the only real use case of blockchain technology. It doesn't matter what the ‘property’ is – you could be talking about money, land or information. But you can’t just solve chain of custody by putting a system on the blockchain – you have to trust who’s putting the information there in the first place.”\n\n# Less hype, more listening\n\nBates argues that in many countries, systems already exist that have built the foundations for rethinking financial services. We’re not doing enough to learn from them and improve the existing infrastructure with new technology.\n\nHe points to the example of Mpesa, a mobile money transfer and microfinancing platform that already serves over 30 million users in ten countries and three continents.\n\n“There are many people who say that blockchain will fundamentally change systems and serve those who have traditionally been excluded. We’ve turned Bitcoin into a messianic symbol, as the only mechanism to bring anyone in Africa out of poverty. But this is an argument that has lost touch with people on the ground. Pointing to hypothetical examples is not good enough.”\n\n# An engine of neocolonialism?\n\nChris is firmly skeptical about just how transformative blockchain can be, given our current approach.\n\n“There are a lot of sloppy rushes to attach blockchain to any process without understanding the grand implications of the product, much less the people who are meant to use it. If we want blockchain to be successful all over the world, not just in Silicon Valley, we have to address this.”\n\nChris believes we’re building a machine for an economic bubble –  it may not “burst” in the sense that critics predict, but in emerging markets particularly, it is in danger of becoming insular very quickly,  and of reflecting the hierarchy and centralization that plague traditional systems. In the current environment, where ICOs raise millions of dollars in a matter of seconds, regulation is still muddied waters, and most “users” are pump-and-dumpers or die-hard HODLers, it would appear that we are very far from the disrupted future that crypto-evangelists envision.\n\nCompanies like Bitland are showing that to put this technology in service of marginalized people, you have to address the hurdles of reality on the ground. In many places, basic infrastructure is still an issue. Furthermore, you need to combine strong technology with an even stronger range of soft skills - political, economic, social, and psychological, not to mention a huge amount of stamina and determination.\n\n# There is still a middleman\n\nThe biggest challenge facing Bitland is getting enough people to see the potential in their project and raising funds. This is likely to be the challenge for all entrepreneurs  trying to link traditional, inefficient and often failing systems to a new chain of custody. Inevitably, bridging these two worlds involves making use – if only temporarily – of middlemen. And middlemen involve political affiliations.\n\n“We have to be wary of politics. If we become too close to one government, when the power changes, we get thrown out, too. Good policy can easily be dissolved simply because it is associated with the previous government. This is a problem all over the world – just look at what is happening to Obamacare!”\n\n“Our challenge is to engage academia and government, while remaining in the middle and staying true to our vision. The only reason we’re still around is that we have the support of people who would actually benefit from this project. Community response has been the least of our problems.”\n\n# On being brown in crypto\n\nThe distrust that traditionally greets people of color in all fields is never far from the daily reality faced by startups like Bitland. The blockchain community is still in its infancy, but diversity is an issue that is already glaringly obvious.\n\n“There is so much venture capital floating around crypto. We haven’t gotten any of it because we’re brown. Brown people don’t get business loans, they don’t get venture capital, and they don’t get angel investment. It comes down to how honest people want to be about it –  black people simply don’t get support.”\n\n“Nobody wants to say it because they’re afraid of not getting any money, and nobody wants to hear it because they’ve been not giving money to people who look like us for so long.”\n\n# Warriors for wealth inequality\n\nBitland sees its role as more than blockchain pioneering – it is engaged in a far older battle for land rights, an issue that is at the center of wealth inequality in Africa.\n“You could look at Bitland as a blockchain project, but you’d really be missing the bigger picture. We’re fighting neocolonialism. We’re a Trojan horse for fighting wealth inequality, and the only way to fight wealth inequality is through ownership of property and land. So long as you have foreigners controlling the land and the economies that function on it, you cannot have economic independence.”\n\n__________\n\nRevolutionary systems are only as revolutionary as the people behind them. The market volatility of early 2018 has been a sobering reminder that blockchain is still in its infancy, and the questions we ask now will help shape the attitudes of governments and institutions that remain skeptical.\n\nWill the triad of banks and fintech startups, telecommunications companies, and electricity suppliers collaborate sufficiently to open this market to the masses? What is holding back the establishment of crypto infrastructure in Africa, in the form of exchanges and wallets, that might enable more people to switch over to the technology of the future? \n\nAfrican realities make these questions critical. For the most part, Africans will have to answer them - but we might well disrupt our own confidence just a little, and challenge some of our own cherished assumptions.\n\nVisit: http://www.ontheblock.media\nFacebook: On the Block Media",
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      "body": "![file.png.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNp617cRuFi4V7NuWN2ThTwk1V6oogPvj5wo8VTeFVazr/file.png.jpeg)\n\nAnastasia Green describes herself as a blockchain maker, tech entrepreneur, and chatbot diva. She is the co-founder and CEO of Aura, a decentralized professional network for the blockchain industry. We spoke to her about her personal journey and where she sees the technology evolving in the future.\n\n“In 2011, I had a friend in Ukraine who was working on this weird new thing called Bitcoin—but nobody believed it was something that would work. One day, he gathered us all on a couch in his apartment and explained why this technology was so important.”\n\nSix years later, you can find Anastasia hosting blockchain hackathons and hanging out with DJs who go by the name of “ETH Ledger”. To understand her journey, we go back to the place where it all started: Ukraine.\n\n## Will Kiev become the next Silicon Valley?\n\n“In Ukraine, the average person, if not working in tech, earns about $250 or $300 a month. There are millions of professionals out there who have a hunger to grow, yet there are not enough opportunities for people inside the country. Due to the high level of corruption, there is also a complete lack of transparency and trust in most business sectors. We've grown up knowing that we can’t rely on the system to take care of us. So we do it ourselves. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies represent more than just an opportunity to make\nmoney—it’s a way to finally break the system.”\n\nThe IT sector in Ukraine has grown more than 50 times in the last five years, from 0.06% of\nthe to 3.3% of the GDP. Today, it ranks third in a list of top 50 countries with the highest\nnumber of certified IT professionals, behind the U.S. and India.\n\n“More and more people in the tech industry in my home country now want to be paid in\ncryptocurrencies,” she says.\n\nIn Ukraine, blockchain is far more than an asset with which to speculate —already it is\ntransforming how people transact. From sending remittances to family abroad without the pain of banking fees, to increasing transparency in agricultural land ownership, to the Ukrainian justice ministry now using blockchain to digitally auction seized assets, this technology is changing familiar structures in tangible ways. Ukraine stands a good chance of becoming the ideological center of the blockchain and crypto community.\n\nAnastasia says, “One of the reasons that places like Silicon Valley have been so successful is that, coupled with the booming technical excellence that drives innovation, there is an emphasis on soft skills. People here know how to sell themselves and think outside the box. Public speaking, sociology, psychology, marketing—these are all fields that even people in the tech industry value. In Ukraine, on the other hand, you see the opposite picture. Our education system is still stuck in the past, where kids were churned out with the technical prowess to build rockets. The result is a generation of professionals with fantastic technical skills, but very little ability to sell themselves.”\n\n## On Aura\n\n“This is where Aura comes in. The tech industry all over the world is currently facing a massive shortage of human capital. Sourcing high-quality talent is a challenge, and 48% of US companies now hire remotely, usually on a project-to-project basis. The first hurdle is to find the right talent. The second issue is trust, not to mention the bureaucracy of hiring across borders. Aura streamlines this process and aims to match tech employees with opportunities that will lead to their professional growth.”\n\n## In your line of work, how do you measure impact?\n\n“This is something I really struggle with. How can I create an impact with the work I do, beyond just generating random numbers on a hash?” she laughs. “Blockchain technology creates its own ecosystem. But it also has a lot of emptiness to it. I mean, a lot of it seems like making money for the sake of money.\n\n“Elon Musk sent his first rocket into space with just nine million dollars. Some initial coin\nofferings (ICOs) are raising $200 million in just 60 minutes. We need to stop focusing on the\nmoney and start looking at the technology. What we need now are better-quality startups that\nare actually based on something real, and are solving existing problems. We need sustainable business models, and we need to encourage more social entrepreneurs to use this space so that we’re not just betting on the ability to make money, but also investing in the potential for tangible change.”\n\nAnastasia believes that the biggest adoption of blockchain technology will not be in the\ndeveloped world, but in places where trust in public institutions has long been an issue.\n\n“Imagine if we could put the voting system on the blockchain, ensuring that people’s decisions are not manipulated or fabricated. This technology has the power to transform how we govern. We could even go a step further, and decentralize leadership structures, choosing CEOs and congressmen not because they have been trained to be in positions of power, but because the blockchain backs them up with a record of actual experience in the area they want to lead. Blockchain is more than just a technology - it’s an ideology that is trying to upgrade an outdated way of life.”\n\n## What of regulations?\n\nAnastasia laughs, “I’m saying this as a Ukrainian; regulations are suppressive.”\n\nLast year, China and South Korea banned ICOs. Digital coins and tokens are now subject to\nfederal securities laws in the US, making it more difficult for US companies to hold an ICO. In\nAugust 2017, the cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitfinex announced that it would no longer serve US customers due to the new regulations.\n\nThe discrepancy between exorbitant liquid wealth and actual value is still cause for skepticism\namongst some, who see no long-term sustainability in the industry. The most vehement critics of the “Bitcoin bubble” often go back to the simple question of, “Is any of this actually real?”\n\nAnastasia says, “Perhaps in a couple of years, I will read this article and by then, the crypto hype will be over. But what I think we need to understand is that the dollar is not backed by anything other than the faith of people and institutions all over the world. What pulls the price of cryptocurrencies up and down is not just the trading—it’s the need for the technology and the performance of companies. Unlike fiat trading, which relies largely on economics and monetary policy, cryptocurrencies are driven by the development of new applications, and the rate of innovation in the industry. Even if Bitcoin were to fail, something else would take its place. Blockchain technology isn’t a passing trend, it’s a solution that many people recognize we need. More than that, its possibilities present an ideological shift—a ‘belief upgrade’, if you will.”\n\n## Who inspires you?\n\n“Simon Sinek. He emphasizes happiness in the workplace, and reminds us that impact and\nvalues are the true measures of success. Richard Branson. Who doesn’t love him?” she laughs. “And lastly, the people around me. I have so much respect for people who simply work hard and do what they do best.”\n\n__________\n\nAnastasia is one of those people who seem to have it all put together. Parallel to her tech\ncareer, she is also the CEO and co-founder of Aware Mind Inc., a company that offers personal meditation education. With all of last year’s hype around cryptocurrencies, it’s people like her who remind us that the success of blockchain technology lies not in the price of the next best altcoin, but in tangible impact. For that, we need to evaluate the gap, reorient our motives, and decide what we want out future to look like. Technology exists to improve our lives, not the other way round.\n\n![Screen Shot 2018-02-01 at 5.49.39 PM.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXx7gXgpFEjgTdZg7mXCBrfQEReqxU7CcopiGsqgN3xmw/Screen%20Shot%202018-02-01%20at%205.49.39%20PM.png)\n\nOn the Block is a media platform that tells the stories of movers and shakers in the blockchain space. No hype. No speculation. No evangelizing. We interview people who are directly involved in the industry to hear their insights on the challenges, triumphs and critical questions that are shaping blockchain technology. On the Block was inspired by the gap in media coverage of blockchain - with most platforms either focusing entirely on technical aspects or covering short, on-demand news such as price. For more information​, visit https://www.ontheblock.media.",
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      "body": "I reposted the article but didn't claim that it is my work. I indicated the source and the original link.\nIf you don't like this, I will take a note of your name to know for the future.",
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      "body": "Hi. As the author of this article, I find it highly problematic that you repost and profit off content that is not your own. Unfortunately, this is a downfall of the Steemit platform in general - it does not account for the quality of what is being capitalized. While some of us actually work to earn, there are others who imitate to earn.",
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      "body": "Well, as someone who's from South Africa and lives there, I can say that there has been quite a growing interest from people, and not much comment from the government. There are exchanges like Luno that are growing and giving South Africans access. We have quite a bit of red tape when it comes to moving money out of the country, so that's also what's peaked people's interest in cryptocurrency.",
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      "body": "Seems to be the way for the future, even stumbled upon a notification for a new type of cryptocurrency, check it out https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@faruq98/a-new-cryptocurrency , seems 2018 will be a blast, and i don't want to be left out",
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      "body": "I'd like to see Africa following suit. Check out my latest article on the place of crypto on the African continent, I'd love to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa). I wonder what 2018 has in store...",
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      "body": "I think the biggest problems for millenials in emerging markets is access. You're literally talking about billions of potential investors, whose governments simply aren't aiding the process (no surprise why). Check out a recent article of mine on the place of cryptocurrencies in Africa, I'd love to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa).",
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      "body": "Interesting that so many people are pushing for a return to the gold standard. In emerging markets, people are turning to cryptocurrencies as protection against political and economic instability (I recently wrote an article on this - do check it out: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa). I wonder what 2018 has in store...",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Personally, I'd love to see more exchanges in Africa. I just wrote a post detailing the challenges, particularly with government support, that blockchain technology faces on the continent. I'd love to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa#comments",
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      "body": "Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:\nhttp://cryptotimes.org/cryptocurrency/crypto-currencies-like-bitcoin-set-global-domination/",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Thank you for such an informative article. What most​ people don't get is that belief in fiat money and cryptocurrencies are essentially the same thing. I'm trying to track the advancements of this technology in Africa, and change the narratives around this that exist there. I'd be really interested to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "author": "rebeccamqamelo",
      "body": "Thanks for the post - I'm wondering what you think will be the trajectory in emerging markets like Africa? I've written a post trying to track where the technology is on the continent. I'd be interested to hear what you think: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@rebeccamqamelo/the-crypto-diaries-blockchain-in-africa",
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      "body": "SAN FRANCISCO – The International Monetary Fund recently published a document suggesting that banks around the world seriously consider investing in blockchain and cryptocurrencies as a means of adapting to new consumer and technological demands. In a world where more and more governments and public institutions have proven themselves utterly untrustworthy, blockchain answers a need. It’s no coincidence that cryptocurrencies are thriving in developing countries, where accountability, transparency, and a stable political climate remain wishful thinking.\n\n![usebitcoin-4096x2253.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeLdJCE9Rkv7YNjb5CsuArxBmiFVu2bYT9WCVBj3bU45u/usebitcoin-4096x2253.jpg)\n\nWhen Zimbabwe’s military seized power in November 2017, the demand for Bitcoin surged amid the shortage of hard currency, driving the price to a record high of $16,500 (165% of the global price at the time). In Nigeria, Bitcoin trading spiked by nearly 1 500% this year, and Ghana is seeing a steady increase in its number of blockchain-based startups, such as Bitland, which uses blockchain to bring clarity to ownership rights in a country where 78% of land is unregistered. Kenya’s BitPesa supports African traders that need to pay suppliers abroad. Closer to home, local startups such as the Cape Town-based Wala are positioning themselves as a financial services alternative to African immigrants who want to send remittances back home without the headache of exorbitant cross-border banking fees. (Take it from someone who knows – as a student abroad I’ll jump at any option that saves me R500 in banking fees every time my parents wire me money.) \n\nHow have governments reacted?\n\nPretty much in keeping with their views on personal freedom. China has banned cryptocurrency exchanges, while Russia has been openly talking about the prospect of creating its own state-controlled cryptocurrency. In April 2016, Japan recognised Bitcoin as a legal tender, and the currency is now accepted at over 260 000 stores around the country. Nigeria already has an agency set up to combat crypto scams, with its government strongly behind all initiatives to help leverage the opportunities presented by the technology. The governments of Ukraine, Estonia, Denmark, and countless others are adopting the technology in numerous projects, including land ownership, identification systems, and humanitarian aid.\n\nIn short, everyone seems to be doing their own thing. While some countries are steering clear of the so-called fake money used for shady purchases on the dark web, others see in it the potential to transform financial services and public institutions.\n\nIn South Africa in particular, individuals and business are, as usual, way ahead of our government. Thousands are using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum as a store of wealth against the fluctuating Rand, and companies like Takealot, Bidorbuy and even the Kaizer Chiefs online retail store now accept payments in Bitcoin. Major cryptocurrency exchanges are already targeting Africa as the next big market, hoping to provide cheap and efficient services to a largely under-served population. 2018 will see a massive surge in adoption across the continent.\n\nThe South African government, meanwhile, has mostly turned a blind eye to the opportunities the new technology offers. We’ve been among the slowest of relatively advanced economies to develop judicial and financial frameworks to support it; it was only in February 2017 that the Reserve Bank announced its intentions to develop a national virtual currency. Bankymoon, a local blockchain-based solutions provider, has been selected as the first business to trial the new regulations. Few thinkers in government seem much concerned, however, with exploring the long-term implications of the technology and its applications beyond digital currency.\n\nFor developers and entrepreneurs, blockchain is on the revolutionary scale of the internet. It will change how we store data, exercise leadership, run elections and view trust. It will be central to every transaction that involves a transfer of value. Imagine a voting system powered by the blockchain – the term ‘free and fair elections’ might finally ring true. SASSA could well do with an overhaul of its system – this is the largest national store of biometric data that is currently the victim of legitimized corporate fraud. Immutable records of Minister’s assets, companies’ environmental records, faster insurance claims processing, decentralized Wifi – all are possible when we create an ecosystem in which blockchain technology thrives.\n\nIn the next few years, we will see blockchain disrupt and transform almost every industry we know. It’s not just a technological rise, but an ideological shift – the implications of which we have yet to understand.\n\nWhere is South Africa in the midst of this massive upheaval? \n\nOur government seems to be in the twilight zone. Right now, we need visionary leadership that sees beyond the narrow funnel of political musical chairs to far broader fields. We need to start taking proactive steps to create a regulatory environment that supports the adoption of blockchain technology and digital currencies. This will require immense engagement between the public and private sectors, and a general drive for awareness of the technology. The judiciary, the finance ministry, commercial banks, private businesses and young entrepreneurs and thinkers all need to play a part. Much of the success of the tech industry in places like Silicon Valley and Kiev stems from the vibrant communities and public-private engagement that continually drives innovation.\n\nAll over the world, blockchain is already changing familiar structures in tangible ways. Here is an opportunity for South Africans to decide what we want our future to look like.  How are we going to weave these technological advancements into the drama of daily life? How can it benefit broken communities, speak to the oppressed and impoverished, speed up social services, reduce costs, and hold leaders accountable?\n\nThis is about taking initiative, challenging norms, finding links between seemingly disparate elements of life, and embracing the power of technology to bring about the changes we so desperately need.",
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      "author": "steemitboard",
      "body": "Congratulations @rebeccamqamelo! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :\n\n[![](https://steemitimages.com/70x80/http://steemitboard.com/notifications/voted.png)](http://steemitboard.com/@rebeccamqamelo) Award for the number of upvotes received\n\nClick on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.\nFor more information about SteemitBoard, click [here](https://steemit.com/@steemitboard)\n\nIf you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word `STOP`\n\n> By upvoting this notification, you can help all Steemit users. Learn how [here](https://steemit.com/steemitboard/@steemitboard/http-i-cubeupload-com-7ciqeo-png)!",
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