2021 - Let's Go!

WiBT kicked off the first of 2021’s monthly events with the knowledgeable Teana Baker from Crypto.com and Blockchain Legal Expert, Kristina Lillieneke, Founder of LLM Blackbird.

It was great to be back after the festive season, and with an increased audience attending, the evening’s event was set to be a good one.

Teana, started the event off and shared with the audience her past experiences with Binance and now Crypto.com – two of the biggest, well-known and well-respected crypto exchanges in the crypto/defi marketplace.

She explained that her main focus is business growth strategy and crypto policy development within regulation. Regulation, similarly, to last year will be a big topic for the industry in 2021.

On the day of the talk President Joe Biden’s was inaugurated, so discussions were had on the USA’s Administration and ongoing policy around Crypto. In Teana’sopinion, it is not clear exactly what the President’s stance will be on crypto and bitcoin but with Coinbase’s ex-chief legal officer, Brian Brooks, positioned as second in command at the U.S.Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), there is hope that this Administration will be a fair and unbiased one to the crypto market. What one resists generally persists! And Crypto and Blockchain are definitely persisting! The Bitcoin bull run since the beginning of the year is proof of this!

 Teana went on to say that the mission of Crypto.com is centred around access for everyone and creating access of cryptocurrency into the lives of many in a frictionless way as possible.

 Defi (decentralised finance) is something she has taken a look at but it is fast pacing and warned “it’s very new and there’s quite a lot of risks,”. This is of course, true with anything unfamiliar but as she continued to say, “there has been very few times in my lifetime, where a completely new industry has emerged.” And it is this that makes the crypto and blockchain space so exciting as well as important.

It is also why being part of a community like Women in Blockchain Talks, is so crucial in developing oneself, personally and professionally.

 The easier it is to learn, connect, create, and collaborate the better, giving a person plenty of opportunities to build their own community. This is evidenced in the busy chat thread during the event; and the virtual networking segments at the beginning and end of each LIVE event via Airmeet’s efficient platform.  

"The Five Camps of Crypto" was a recommended read by Teana, which you can find by clicking here. 

Finally, I do not generally do this but as I am a big fan of Crypto.com, if you wish to find out more about them then please do use my affiliate link by clicking here! Thank you.

The evening’s second speaker, Kristina Lillieneke, is a legal expert in international commercial law and blockchain applications.

Kristina is a "wanted and very much required" professional. Based out in Sweden, where the crypto scene isn’t as vibrant as other countries, and or cities, Kristina works internationally, and of course, virtually. She advises her clients in ensuring that commercial laws are put in place and abided by, keeping up to date with both the law and regulation in and around the blockchain space.

Not truly realising the potential and scope of Blockchain Technology, Kristin took a course at Utrecht University. She says she is now hooked! As are so many of us!

Kristina is super busy but always happy to give back and be active in communities such as WiBT because even though she has not experienced any negatives in her career due to her gender with the Law industry quite balanced in gender representation, she recognises this is not the same for the Tech industry. She went on to explain that there are not many lawyers in the blockchain area, as tech and law are not two fields generally put together. For many in Law, they see the advancement of AI tech, and its ability to “slim down” the role of a lawyer and thus, of course, their fees as a threat. But as we are seeing, the impact of new tech on a myriad of industries, as well as the benefits that come with it, are not slowing down any time soon.

She says, the regulatory framework and the development in both tech and law are rapidly and constantly changing, giving us the potential to create more democratic systems and give everyone the power over their data and fund; it is this that excites her the most about the growing arena. She ends her session with the sage advice of “you do not have to be a tech nerd to understand blockchain. Learn the basics and keep learning.” I couldn’t agree more!

The next Women in Blockchain Talks event is on Wednesday 24th February at 6pm GMT with the wonderful Prof Lisa Short and awesome Helen Disney.

Please register your place here - https://www.airmeet.com/e/2bdfc6f0-58b6-11eb-8af0-e54b13a6e4a9 6pm GMT for Networking with the event kicking off at 6:30pm GMT

To end, Women in Blockchain Talks went live with our Membership site!!! Offering, monthly mini-masterclasses on key Blockchain topics, and career paths. Plus expert tech corners, AMA's, a growing community and other great quality bonuses to get you going in a positive and fun way on your crypto-asset and/or Blockchain journey!

Wanna join us? Then click here for more information!

A special thanks to April 6 for their sponsorship of Women in Blockchain Talks

Until next month, stay safe and bright!!!.