Harumi Interviewed on Financial Fox by Stefania
In this episode of Financial Fox, Stefania Barbaglio reconnected with Harumi Urata-Thompson, acting CFO at Celsius Network. Celsius is a blockchain-based all-in-one cryptocurrency banking and lending platform for cryptocurrency users, as retailers and as financial institutions.
In this lively conversation, Harumi navigates through the role of financial institutions and the crypto world by describing the unique offering of the Celsius platform. In recent months, traditional financial institutions have been moving into the crypto space with more enthusiasm.
For example, in December 2020, UK-based Ruffer Investment confirmed it had $744M in Bitcoin. This trend has been growing among firms who view Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as an asset for diversifying their portfolio. This is also an important milestone for cryptocurrency to establish itself as a reliable store of value and potentially to reach mainstream adoption.
Harumi Presents at Hackathon Day 2 at The Blockchain Center
The Blockchain Center hosted Hackathon Day 2 streaming live on YouTube, with a year-end wrap up of 2020’s Blockchain highlights. Harumi Urata-Thompson represented Celsius Network with an overview and update of the cryptocurrency lending platform.
Sitting within the vanguard of innovation in the cryptocurrency landscape, Harumi describes the Celsius Network business model and value proposition as a lending platform in the context of Initial Coin Offerings (ICO’s), cryptocurrency startup companies, and venture capital funding stages.
The online event was hosted by the Blockchain Center.
Harumi Kicks Off Hong Kong Blockchain Week with The Blockchain Center
The Blockchain Center was LIVE from Hong Kong Blockchain Week, launching off with a panel on Central Bank Digital Currency with Harumi Urata-Thompson from Celsius Network and Andrew Durgee from Republic Crypto.
In the webcast, Harumi and Andrew talked about the current cryptocurrency landscape. The lively discussion ranged from talking about the variety of financial and technological features of NFT’s and NFT exchanges to a wide-ranging back-and-forth of crypto “war stories” about the recent past and future trajectory of cryptocurrency businesses. Their segment of the live webcast was followed by presentations of the biggest Non Fungible Token projects: Juergen Hoebarth from Tokenization Limited, Jesse Johnson from Aavegochi, and Devin Finzer from OpenSea.
Andrew Durgee entered crypto in early 2010, pioneering early blockchain technology plays including an industry first multi signature wallet repository. Andrew studied Management Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is a highly skilled executive with over 12 years of experience. Andrew was previously a Partner at a leading blockchain advisory group, TLDR.
The online event was hosted by the Blockchain Center.
Harumi Opens Hong Kong Blockchain Week with Goldfingr Virtual Deal Club
Appearing alongside notable blockchain investors and advocates, Brock Pierce and Nick Spanos, Harumi Urata-Thompson opened up Hong Kong Blockchain Week for Goldfingr Virtual Deal Club.
Brock Pierce, a blockchain billionaire, spoke about “The Future of Blockchain and Crypto during the Global Economic Crisis — A Time for Rebirth”.
Nick Spanos, Founder of the Blockchain Center, talked about “Ushering in the Digital Age: Smart Contracts and Oracles.”
Harumi, speaking as CFO at Celsius Network, addressed “The Crypto Lending Economy”.
Hong Kong Blockchain Weeks Premier Investor Event – Goldfingr Virtual Deal Club XVI, was hosted by Lior Messika, CEO of EdenBlock VC.
Goldfingr is an exclusive global investment club, based on the mastermind principle. Founded in NYC (2014), Goldfingr is the 1st digital members-only club. The Virtual Unconference of Conferences, a Boutique Experiential Summit for Investors, Founder/CEOs & VIPs.
Space and Blockchain, A “Thursdays on the Block” Online Panel
The Blockchain Center hosts a weekly webcast event, “Thursdays on the Block“. The New Space Economy was the centralizing topic de jour for a panel of experts that included Harumi Urata-Thompson, who appeared as CEO and Co-Founder of celestialdata.
This week’s panel discussion, “Space and Blockchain” was held with deeply experienced knowledge experts and entrepreneurs who operate at the intersection of Space (as in Outer Space) and emerging enabling technologies like blockchain.
Appearing on the panel alongside Harumi were Grant Blaisdell and Samuel Reid. Grant Blaisdell is an early innovator in applying blockchain technology to various industries, having co-founded the leading Blockchain Analytics and AML company Confirm and the marketplace for digital Space assets, Copernic Space.
Samuel Reid is a mathematician, business executive, inventor, and STEM polymath, having been the Chief Blockchain Engineer of the world’s first government regulated cryptocurrency exchange, the Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange. He was CEO of Clean Crude Corporation and GeometricLabs Corporation and is also part of the Space Exploration Branch of the Canadian Space Agency as a member of the Signature Technology Consultation Committee.
Engaging in a lively conversation, the panel addressed issues like:
How do you get involved in the New Space Economy?
What can we learn about New Space Economy startup trajectories?
What about the New Space Economy startup ecosystem is different?
When and how do you fundraise in the New Space Economy ecosystem?
The online event was hosted by the Blockchain Center as part of its weekly “Thursdays on the Block” webcast panel discussion.
Blockchain Center Expert Panel Webinar: “Enterprise Blockchain”
Harumi Urata-Thompson’s homebase is New York City, the world’s leading financial center. It was natural for Harumi to reference fintech as examples of enterprise use of blockchain. In a time of COVID-19, people are using virtual means of communication and come from many different homebases. Accordingly, the panel of experts that included Harumi related enterprise blockchain to other areas like medtech. The lively webinar discussion on Enterprise Blockchain focused around addressing questions like:
At what point can we say a certain technology is truly adopted? Is it when most solution providers consider this as part of the product? Or when the majority of end users have switched?
What is the best use case of this technology? Is personal data one of them?
Presenting alongside Harumi Urata-Thompson were respected peers, Manny Alicandro, NYC attorney and former candidate for New York Attorney General and NYC Public Advocate, Brian J. Esposito, Founder & President of Esposito Intellectual Enterprises, a holding company with 20+ years of taking a company’s vision and launching successfully into market, Radhika Iyengar, Founding Partner at StarChain Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture studio focused on the convergence of advanced technologies and enterprise blockchain expert, and Xenia Vyazemskaya, co-founder of It Takes Two content marketing and PR firm for startups in fintech and digital assets.
The webinar was moderated by Peter Borovykh, who made his name in finance and created groundbreaking algorithmic trading strategies that quantifies market sentiment and leverages market participant emotion.
The online event was hosted by the Blockchain Center and Bitcoin Center NYC, with special thanks to Anna Ginzburg, Nick Spanos and Scott Spiegel.