With support from the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Rik Willard from Agentic Group and Eli Stern from Ernst & Young came to Switzerland for a U.S – Swiss exchange on block chain in the financial and other sectors. They and other experts spoke on the hype that surrounds the topic of block chain and bitcoin, and gave their perspective on the token economy and on what other exciting applications the future might bring.
Rik has spoken at conferences around the globe regarding the new innovations coming our way. He argues that the discussions we need to have about our value systems with regards to new technologies need to include conversations around reestablishing society trust and business. Rik also emphasizes that block chain technology, or DLT, is not a cure-all, but that it can do a lot of good in targeted ways.
Eli shared the experiences in which his company Ernst & Young has implemented block-chain technology. In his opinion, working with block chain/DLT should focus on the strengths of the technology: Speed and transparency are strengths that only block chain technology can offer.
During the conference, both Rik and Eli stressed the need for a continuing exchange and dialogue between Switzerland and the U.S.
Rik was also the keynote speaker at the PanTalks held at the Impact Hub in Zurich and he also gave a talk at the Innovation Club in Fribourg, Eli had meetings with the Swiss Financial Market Authorities and the Swiss Federal Department of Finance. Both participated in a press round table. If you would like to read more, please check out the following article: Token-Ökonomie und Bitcoin
