LitePay CEO Says We Might Be Thinking About Crypto All Wrong
Crypto enthusiasts, beware!
The digital assets shouldn’t be used as a “get rich quick” scheme, according to LitePay CEO Kenneth Asare. They’re also not meant to replace traditional currencies or investments like stocks.
What blockchain technology is, though, is the “internet of money”. Asare compares it to the 1990s, when internet systems were being built.
“This is the very beginning of a new way of sharing and transferring value,” he told Cheddar Tuesday. “This is the first part of a very long road that goes from 300 million people being able to be banked to everybody with a cell phone being able to be banked, which is literally 5 billion people today.”
Asare’s comments come days before cryptocurrency Litecoin is set to roll out its payment processor LitePay to 41 countries. The service target individuals who are “unbanked” but who have access to a cellular device. The new system can ease volatility in the market by automatically converting crypto into local fiat currency.
But Asare points out that current volatility shouldn’t make players in the market nervous, since cryptocurrency, like the internet two decades ago, is still in its early stages and may need some time to iron out fluctuations.
“This would be like in 1990 talking about how the early internet companies were or were not working,” he said. “They were onto something, and now we can look back and see that we have all of these products that have been built on top of it.”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-internet-of-money-and-future-of-crypto-commerce).
Sony is leveling up its subscription service, PlayStation Plus this week, a combination of its earlier options into a tiered plan offering options to play streaming and mostly older titles instead of day-and-date new games like those offered by rival Microsoft on its Gamepass service. Colette Bennett, a senior reporter at TheStreet and the host of the podcast "Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat," joined Cheddar News to talk about the backlash from gamers. I would say maybe like it's like a six. I'm happy to see older, stony games and have access to them, but I really would have preferred to be able to stream brand-new games. "Gamers are pretty upset that Sony is kind of repackaging the stuff that's been around more or less for years and trying to make it look new," she said. "You know, the Netflix subscription-like model is so appealing."
The most popular and most valuable cryptocurrency is also the least eco-friendly - data shows that Bitcoin mining generates the same amount of carbon emissions as the entire country of Thailand. According to nonprofit Fair Planet, 96 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions come from Bitcoin mining every year. Now, a consortium of climate activist groups is calling on the Bitcoin industry to cut its energy use by making changes to its software code. Michael Brune, former executive director of the Sierra Club, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A cannabis software startup is offering a first-of-its-kind perk for its employees - reimbursements for legal cannabis purchases. Jointly Better bills itself as an experience-based cannabis wellness tracker and product platform. In an attempt to attract top talent, the company will reimburse up to $150 a month for its workers' lawful cannabis purchases. David Kooi, co-founder and CEO of Jointly, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Mar 31, 2022, with updates on Biden's push for more COVID funding, a wave of storms hammering the South, Etsy sellers going on strike, and more.