Michael Chobanyan / KUNA.io

Michael Chobanyan is the founder of the first Bitcoin agency in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries. Has more than 7 years of experience in managing Telecommunications / Internet Providers. Professionally studies Blockchain ecosystems since 2011.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chobanian/

• In March, 2014 Mr. Chobanyan founded KUNA Bitcoin Agency and non-government organization Bitcoin Foundation Ukraine (BFU).
• September, 2014 - the first Bitcoin Embassy in the CIS countries was opened and through successful ICO (December, 2015) the first public Ukrainian exchange of crypto assets KUNA.io was launched https://kuna.io/en
• In December, 2017, with community of like-minded professionals, Mr. Chobanyan created and headed the Blockchain Association of Ukraine (ABU) http://bau.ai
• In January, 2018 at the World Economic Forum in Davos he introduced the concept of Blockchain HUB (cross-border network of professional spaces for solving the urgent problems of the Fourth Industrial Revolution). The opening of the flagship Blockchain HUB in Kyiv took place in March, 2018.
• Since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Michael Chobanyan has launched a Crypto Fund for Ukraine to help the Armed Forces which has raised over $100 million of donations. At the request of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Chobanyan helped the Government of Ukraine to create and manage state cryptocurrency wallets for donations in Kuna Exchange.
• In March 2022, Michael Chobanyan spoke at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on how cryptocurrencies help Ukraine during the war with Russia and why Russian oligarchs will not be able to circumvent sanctions with their help.

The podcast was recorded in August 2023 and sound engineered by The Podcast Bar: https://thepodcast.bar/