MARRYING FIAT & CRYPTOS

THE GLOBIANCE PLATFORM COVERS EXCHANGES AND TRADING OF CRYPTO AND FIAT CURRENCIES, PAYMENT SOLUTIONS AND WORLDWIDE MONEY TRANSFERS. THE BLOCK MET UP WITH CEO, OLIVER MARCO LA ROSA AND COFOUNDER, IRINA MUDREAC, FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ABOUT CREATING SYNERGY BETWEEN FIAT AND CRYPTO.

IN SUCH A CROWDED MARKET, HOW IS GLOBIANCE STANDING OUT IN THE CRYPTO ECOSYSTEM? IS THERE ROOM FOR ANOTHER CRYPTO EXCHANGE?

Globiance will provide cryptocurrency exchange and financial services through one comprehensive platform. Being one of the first exchanges in Malta to operate under the transitory period has allowed us to be able to trade both fiat and cryptocurrencies. In cooperation with a banking partner we enhance our offer by providing individual IBAN accounts - combined with virtual as well as physical cards that can be used worldwide.

It is my opinion that there is still no perfect platform to suit everyone and I believe we are still quite far away from reaching mass adoption. In that respect, until mass adoption is reached and we have created enough capacity for everyone to trade, there is still ample space for a great many more providers to enter the sphere.

YOUR PLATFORM LAUNCHES IN APRIL, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS.

Our team is working extremely hard to integrate all additional services in time for the updated platform launch in April. We will present the new platform with integrated banking services at the upcoming summit, so until then, it’s full steam ahead.

In terms of our server infrastructure we fully trust our global hybrid hosting provider Leaseweb, which has one of the largest state-of-the-art networks in the world. It incorporates 43 points of presence and 29 Internet Exchanges across the globe, making sure that our users will have worldwide fast and secure access to our platform.

WHAT MAKES GLOBIANCE A CUT ABOVE THE REST?

Firstly, we work on the highest KYC level, offering the kind of quality that customers have become used to when opening bank accounts remotely.

Apart from banking services, we provide payment services for sectors that are considered high risk by traditional banks, such as the gambling and tourism industries, offering lower fees and higher security. We connect to our partner’s exchanges in order to have enough liquidity from the start. We also offer a platform that rewards investors and traders via cashback, rebates and discounts.

WHAT MAKES MALTA SO ATTRACTIVE TO THE WORLD BLOCKCHAIN SPHERE?

The digital revolution is currently under way with the global adoption of DLT; Malta has edged its way to the forefront of the digital revolution, by being one of the first to regulate the industry.

As opposed to most countries that have either severely restricted the use of crypto currencies or qualified them as illegal, Malta has created a full legal framework regulating the whole DLT economy. This will give legal certainty for businesses and individuals to operate, leaving no grey areas.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THE CRYPTOCURRENCY SECTOR TO BECOME ACCEPTED INTO THE MAINSTREAM BY TRADITIONAL INVESTORS?

As with everything new, it’s a slow process, less than 0.5% of the world’s population has bought or sold cryptocurrencies, however we can expect things to take off as regulation eases concern about the risks and eradicates doubts of instability.

To help mass adoption, Globiance will also sponsor recurring crypto events at The Network, Paceville. It’s the first cryptofriendly bar in Malta; it accepts crypto payments and also has a really good kitchen.

This is what gives companies like Globiance such potential for scalability and sustainability – the sky’s the limit when it comes to future opportunities.

WHICH MARKETS ARE YOU LOOKING TO MAKE HEADWAY IN RIGHT NOW?

Starting from Europe, our goal is to connect to new clients in Africa, Asia and South America. One of our partner projects, Bitfxt, a Nigerian exchange, works closely with us to improve financial inclusion for the African Continent.

The cost of sending and receiving money in the region is extremely high. According to the World Bank, sub-Saharan Africa averages 9.4 percent money transfer costs, the highest in the world.

Cryptocurrencies are therefore imperative to enable the continent to create a fully-fledged financial ecosystem from scratch - one that is devoid of the financial troubles of the developed world and that is native to the African continent.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO IMPLEMENT YOUR BANKING SERVICES?

We are stronger united - we have decided to partner up with ConnectPay from Lithuania as our exclusive banking partner. Effective immediately, we will offer individual and corporate bank accounts together via both Globiance and ConnectPay platforms.

In a time where the Crypto and Gaming industry needs strong and reliable banking, and through our partnership with ConnectPay, we are here to bank everyone. We are representing ConnectPay and will help every Crypto or Gaming company, as well as other exchanges to get banked too.

WHERE WILL CRYPTOCURRENCIES BE IN 10 YEARS TIME?

In 10 years time nobody will be speaking about cryptocurrencies anymore. As early adopters fade into the background and the novelty wears off, digital currencies will slip into the mundane and become an everyday part of our conversations. Paying with a mobile app or through a wearable device, will be just “paying” and not “paying with cryptocurrency”. Nobody today talks about paying with paper money any more. One day our vocabulary will reflect this for digital currencies too ... and THIS is when we can truly say that we have reached mass adoption.

WHAT ARE THE FIRST PROJECTS YOU PLAN TO LIST ON YOUR PLATFORM?

We have 5 exciting new projects, which we plan to list soon after our platform launch:

1. AQER – A.I. Quotation for Entertainment Rights is the first habitat of a larger ecosystem involving all the influencers and content creators around the world. It is a market place for vloggers and brands, as well as a set of blockchain and A.I. tools enabling content creators and content seekers to find each other and to work in a trustless and transparent way.

WHERE DOES THE FUTURE FOR ICOS LIE?

There will still be ICOs in the future, but there will be less of them and they will focus on better quality projects. Unfortunately there was a recent mass of ICO projects where investors got carried away with the thrill of fundraising without having anyone to steer the blockchain ship. I don’t think it is wrong to want to clean up the market, especially where pure scam projects are concerned.

We are clearly seeing a big interest in STOs right now, especially because investors want to invest in something with a tangible value after having seen many hyped-up ICO bubbles burst. Companies see STOs as the new method to attract investments to the company. IPOs and traditional markets still scare many investors - by wrapping up the investment opportunities in an STO, companies hope to become more accessible and to make it easier to trade.

2. AHA Health - AHA Health is building a Universal health data exchange where an aggregated AHA Health Record (AHR) can be owned and shared by every patient in this world. AHR can be accessed by Doctors anywhere and anytime to provide the right care at the right time.

3. Evedo - Evedo is a blockchain-based platform, consisting of B2B & B2C marketplaces. It unifies all businesses and participants involved in organising events.

4. BITFXT Nigeria’s No.1 Exchange - Blockchain to the People!

Bitfxt exchange is one of the fastest growing exchanges in Africa that supports spot trading with very low fees. Bitfxt offers a smart, easy-to-use, reliable and secure trading experience to users worldwide.

5. TREON is transforming the $5 trillion utilities market with blockchain. Their blockchain service is designed to bring savings, transparency and ease of payment to over 1.6 billion households worldwide.