Harumi Presents on GBA Blockchain Week 2021
Greater Bay Area, the region which was previously referred to as the Pearl River Delta, includes Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in South China’s Guangdong province. GBA Blockchain Week 2021 is where “Speakers and high-profile experts from Asia, Europe, and the US will converge to discuss major opportunities and prospects of DCEP.”
In a panel moderated by Dwight van Diem of BCW Group and appearing with blockchain advocates like Che Cabreros and Micah Kershner of Worldpay, Reed Holmes (Head of Banking & Payments Americas) of Kraken Exchange, Harumi Urata-Thompson had her CIO hat on for Celsius Network. The panel of blockchain and cryptocurrency experts addressed the topic of “Unlocking Retail Growth: Card to Crypto” on Day 2 of a packed week.
Other applications of blockchain technology addressed at GBA Blockchain Week 2021’s Virtual Summit ranged from supply chains, port logistics, trade infrastructure to smart cities development and the enterprise, and of course to finance.
Greater Bay Area Blockchain Week 2021 is described as “the premier virtual event for an international audience passionate about technology, education, and business.” GBA Blockchain Week is hosted by NexChange Group, an innovation and media platform specializing in Blockchain, Fintech, AI, Healthtech, Entertainment and Smart Cities.
Harumi Answers “6 Questions for …”
Interviewed by the editorial staff of CoinTelegraph Magazine for “6 Questions for …”, Harumi Urata-Thompson addressed the current state of blockchain technology, as distinguished from cryptocurrency, among other sundry things.
In an insightful and thought provoking Q&A type interview, Harumi puts a stake in the ground for blockchain tech, laying down the big picture objective with the question:
“Whose problem should we solve that provides us the mass adoption path?”
In this regard, she describes a business use case for a potential road forward:
“How about we solve the problem where the government must send out massive checks like stimulus checks, social benefits, tax credit, so on? I would investigate this kind of solution provider business. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that we have begun to focus on central bank digital currency recently, and a lot of talk in the blockchain fintech [industries] is around this topic.”
Read more about Harumi’s expansive view of the world today, through the lens of blockchain, with optimistic thoughts on the power of technology to solve many real-world problems.
CoinTelegraph Magazine’s “6 Questions” describes its objective: “We ask the builders in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes!”
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.
Harumi on Bitcoin Price Trends as $20K Looms Again
Rachel McIntosh of the Finance Magnates interviewed Harumi Urata-Thompson among other cryptocurrency experts on Bitcoin’s potential to break the $20,000 price threshold. In particular the news analysis focused on what’s different in the environment for bitcoin in 2020 from that of 2017.
Key themes on what’s different include:
This Time, Bitcoin’s Price Rally Is More Stable and Seems to Be Driven by Larger Players
Growing Institutional Interest Is Feeding Bitcoin’s Rally
But, as Harumi described it,
“whenever the market had some peak and came down the way Bitcoin did in 2017, it does create a psychological (and physical, as there will be a lot of sell orders that will be placed around that level) top that will take a bit more than a few buys to breakthrough.”
Read the full article with further details here.
The Block Babes Interview Harumi on Cryptocurrency Lending
The Block Babes host a weekly webcast event, “Today in Tech”. In this episode, Harumi Urata-Thompson was interviewed by the three GenZ blockchain advocates who comprise The Block Babes team. The trio have made it their mission to promote financial education in the area of blockchain technology, decentralized finance and cryptocurrency. Their topic today was about Harumi’s latest endeavors as CFO at Celsius Network.
In the webcast, Harumi talks about:
What is Celsius Network and how does it work?
How does Celsius Network pay interest?
How has Harumi’s career trajectory evolved to get here?
Celsius Network has emerged to become one of the most popular cryptocurrency lending platforms. Against this backdrop, Harumi provides an inside view of crypto lending business models that are driving some of the biggest trends in cryptocurrency today.
Celsius Network enables interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts and low-fee lending that utilizes cryptocurrency as collateral. Companies like these platforms have grown significantly since they allow users to earn a substantial passive income on cryptocurrency digital assets, particularly in comparison to fiat-based savings account interest rates. They often offer higher interest rates on savings accounts and loan rates that are generally lower than traditional alternatives.
The Block Babes video channel on pscp.tv and YouTube were created in efforts to bring awareness about blockchain technology, decentralized finance, and education to the younger generations. They are a self-described group of “GenZ girls that fell in love with blockchain technology and the ability to build and capitalize on it.” The Block Babes believe that financial freedom is so important yet it’s not common knowledge or something you typically learn in schools.
Harumi Talks Centralized Finance in Decentralized Finance
Harumi Urata-Thompson was recently interviewed in a live podcast by Norbert Gehrke of eXponential Finance.
In the podcast, Harumi as Chief Finance Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Celsius Network talks about her current endeavors promoting centralized finance in a decentralized finance world.
eXponential Finance provides advisory and customized research services, primarily focused on – but not limited to – market entry to Japan/Asia, business model validation, innovation and scale-up strategies.
Harumi Talks Cryptocurrency Lending on Crypto Mondays VR with Blockchain UniVRse
Blockchain UniVRse’s Annalese hosts a weekly webcast event, “Crypto Mondays VR”. In this episode, Harumi Urata-Thompson spoke about the current environment of decentralized finance and cryptocurrency, and her latest project as CFO at Celsius Network.
Celsius Network is one of the most popular cryptocurrency lending platforms. From this vantage point, Harumi provides an inside view of crypto lending business models that are driving some of the biggest trends in cryptocurrency today.
Celsius Network enables interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts and low-fee lending that utilizes cryptocurrency as collateral. Companies like these platforms have grown significantly since they allow users to earn a substantial passive income on cryptocurrency digital assets, particularly in comparison to fiat-based savings account interest rates. They often offer higher interest rates on savings accounts and loan rates that are generally lower than traditional alternatives.
In the webcast, Harumi addresses key questions like:
What is Celsius Network and how does it work?
How does Celsius Network pay interest?
What was involved in fundraising $20 million during COVID-19?
Blockchain UniVRse is part of Bits and Tokens, a blockchain media company that focuses on the world of cryptocurrency. Their goal is to educate, inform, and teach the public about how cryptocurrency works and how it can be used in day-to-day life.