A well-known entrepreneur and investor who has made significant contributions to the world of cryptocurrency and also owns Gensis Trading and Grayscale investments is Barry Silbert. He tends also to be the founder and CEO of Foundry and Digital Currency Group, venture capital companies that specializes in funding businesses operating in the blockchain and digital currency sectors. Over the years Silbert has become a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency community and his efforts have helped promote positive changes for BTC. This has made him to be a key figure in the development of a number of advantageous improvements in the sector. Silbert has helped to shape the industry and drive its growth and some of his major contributions that have been invaluable in bringing Bitcoin to where it is today include the following.
One of such major contributions includes founding of the Bitcoin Investment Trust. Its among Silbert’s major contributions to the Bitcoin industry The first publicly listed Bitcoin fund, BIT, was introduced in 2013 enabling investors to obtain exposure to Bitcoin without having to buy and hold the digital currency themselves. Such helped legitimize Bitcoin as an investment and helped pave the way for the development of other Bitcoin investment vehicles.
The other contribution is being a vocal advocate for Bitcoin regulation. There is need for governments to regulate the cryptocurrency industry as a way to protect consumers thereby prevent fraud according to Silbert. Excessive regulation can as well stifle innovation and hinder this industry growth according to Barry. He has therefore engaged with regulators to better grasp the potential advantages of cryptocurrencies. Silbert has also assisted in developing regulations that encourage innovation while safeguarding customer interests
Next is being an advocate for Bitcoin scaling solutions. Segregated Witness (SegWit) a scaling solution that expands the capacity of the Bitcoin network by segregating transaction data from signature data has been adopted with his backing. Such helps boost the capacity of the Bitcoin network. Some of the scalability challenges Bitcoin has encountered has been resolved at the end.
Next is him being a strong proponent of Bitcoin as a store of value. The restricted supply and decentralized features of Bitcoin makes it a compelling alternative to established reserves of value like gold according to Barry. Additionally he has been outspoken in his criticism of flat currencies which he view as intrinsically prone to inflation and manipulable by the government.
The last contribution is being a strong supporter of Bitcoin education and adoption. Silbert has funded numerous initiatives to promote Bitccoin education like Bitcoin Education Project and Bitcoin Investment Trust. He has invested in companies working to make Bitcoin more accessible and user-friendly like Circle and Coinbase.
