THREE QUESTIONS TO ADRIEN HUBERT, CO-FOUNDER OF SMARTCHAIN

They are our clients, our friends, good contacts or just people we met in the crypto community. They have a new vision, they are running great projects, they are developing new services or they just want to share their story. Havas Blockchain is interviewing key people of the blockchain ecosystem.

We are today with Adrien Hubert, co-founder of Smartchain:

First of all, could you tell us about you and your background?

Of course. My name is Adrien HUBERT I am the COO and Founder of SmartChain. I’ve been starting to interest myself in the blockchain technology while I was working for the Caisse des Dépôts, then I’ve been leading some blockchain project for Natixis, before to work for the joint venture of Santander and PSA Bank on some innovation projects as well.

Two years ago, Jérémy Martin and I created a startup that is helping at a time individual to create their own tailor-made portfolio of investment in cryptocurrencies. My knowledge of financial markets and risk evaluation combined with the talents of Jérémy on research and mathematics allows us to respond efficiently to the needs of our customers.

Last year, we’ve been helping the French sculptor and artist Richard TEXIER on his project of a virtual extension of his book “Le manifeste de l’élastogenèse”: Elastochain. This is basically the first french artwork backed by the blockchain. The whole text is engraved forever on the blockchain.

Approximately at the same moment, we’ve been creating SmartChain to respond to a strong demand from the public and private sectors to be advised on how to apprehend the blockchain revolution and several companies began consulting us about the blockchain technology.

SmartChain is basically a French center of research and innovation that accompanies blockchain’ projects at 360°. From the beginning till the end, we are helping companies to frame their projects and their needs and then we manage the relationship between the different actors to ensure the success of the project.

What is your involvement in the “CryptoEveryWhere“ initiative?

SmartChain advises the selection of the different partners of the project, participated in its development and supervised the crypto part of the project from the legal field to the practical and technical issues.

We worked with a range of partners including Fidal on the legal part of the project, Havas Blockchain for the global communication, Ekino and OCTO Technology made the mobile app and the technical aspect, and finally, Deskoin and Savitar took the responsibility of the instant currency exchange. SmartChain brings to this project its vision and the strategy to carry it out.

When we started to discuss this project with Global P.O.S., we anticipated the huge impact it could have on the French blockchain ecosystem (and the reaction of this last after the announcement at the Paris Retail Week prove we were right).

Moreover, we had the idea of distributing 10 000 chocolate bitcoins all over France (Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse, Metz, Marseille…) as a communication campaign. Indeed, airdrops are a key point of the crypto economy and at the same time it was a wink to the airdrop of money from the airship in the show Casa de Papel. We were willing to offer joy and fun with that distribution and the amount of smiles we get during that operation is for us a success.

How do you see the widespread acceptance of crypto-currencies coming in the coming years?

We are currently moving forward to a world where the technology will allow a large acceptance of cryptocurrencies. Sending money will become easier than ever, reducing costs and delays. Thanks to the technology users will enjoy an easy solution of payment.

Furthermore, regarding the state of the worldwide finance and the coming great crisis, Bitcoin will possibly become a real reserve of value and another cryptocurrency could overpass it as scalable money, becoming a more efficient solution of payment. I mean, we are probably at the dawn of a tipping point between the traditional economy and the disruptive economy where the consumers are the owners of their funds, responsible for it.

No matter what will happen in the coming years, SmartChain will continue to work with different forces and actors of the sector that are willing to develop it.