What are you responsible for at Minima?
Glenn: “I am the commercial director. At the moment we’re working on various tasks. First and foremost on bringing the Minima coin to fruition in terms of exchange listings. So I work on finding the appropriate exchanges that’ll cater to all kinds of clients (retail and institutional) in addition those that cater to our ever growing community globally.
On the other side, it’s ensuring that everything Minima does is complying with regulations and investigating, future proofing the business. Currently, this is done through the Swiss regulator FINMA, but we’re also looking over the pond to US regulations; and generally keep an eye on the worldwide regulatory landscape going forward.
Another one of our tasks is establishing banking relationships which is quite challenging as all crypto businesses will know because many established banks still steer clear of crypto ventures. Fortunately, there are challenger banks with different views which we’re in talks with and they adapt a lot more to this new industry.“
Which part do you enjoy most?
Glenn: “To be honest, I quite enjoy the legal and regulatory aspects of it. The reason for that is that it’s an ever-evolving space. It’s unlike in the traditional space where there is black and white. In crypto, there are still a lot of grey areas and it’s still being molded. So we have to deal with things now, but also always keep in mind the ‘what might bes’. Which I find very exciting.
I draw a lot of experience from the traditional side because that works at the moment. But you never know with things like DeFi.
Another part I quite enjoy is thinking about the new structure for Minima after the mainnet launch. There is no manual for how to handle these things which makes it very exciting for me.“. There is as such no manual or guide in which to study past instances on how it was done, my main concern which I always use as a guide is ‘the practicality has to adapt to our ideology’. The ideology is a truly decentralized entity and protocol and not just on paper.
You joined fairly recently. What was your first impression when learning about Minima?
Glenn: “When I was first told my first reaction was ‘what? That can’t be’. I’d heard of cell phones running wallets but those were just wallets. So I was surprised, and it took some time for me to really be convinced that someone could pull it off. Since it was something I hadn’t heard of before.”
What did you do before joining?
Glenn: “In my last venture, I was the co-founder of a regulated derivatives brokerage in Europe. And part of that was offering a product that no one else previously offered. That took 3, 4 years of planning to launch. So I was always looking for something new where people told me that ‘ no you can’t do that, that’s impossible. In a way, I think for me it was a natural progression from my previous venture to Minima where you do run into a lot of non-belief. And I love re-defining products and dealing with rejection. And even more, turning initial rejection into a yes.”
Do you have any advice for other seasoned professionals from other industries such as finance that are looking to change to work in Web3/Defi?
Glenn: “With a traditional position, a traditional career you are very much defined in those pigeonholes. You have a set task, a set goal, and certain boundaries. And you are only allowed to operate in those parameters be that set by your line manager, your company, or ultimately the regulator. So when you make that leap from the traditional industry into the wonderful world of crypto and Web3 it can be frightening because there is no definition and no barriers. But on the pro side of it, it can be very releasing: the freedom and independence that comes with it. Your thought process is no longer constrained. So if you can dream it, you can create it.”
Do you trade crypto and try DeFi protocols?
Glenn:” I don’t trade. I acquire and I hold. This isn’t of course financial advice and so forth, but I have some Bitcoin, I have some Algo, Tezos, Concordium, and of course Minima. I haven’t really tried much DeFi because I have other priorities. I do believe in self-sovereignty and it was very entrenched in me at Kraken, that when it’s not your coins it’s not your crypto. I hold all my coins in my LedgerX.”
Considering you’ve been in TradFi for a long time, which areas do you think crypto/blockchain is really improving?
Glenn: “I think it’s acceptance. It’s a really slow process and I wish it’d be faster, but then I think back to the early 90s when traditional markets opened up to the public. That has taken 15–20 years. So where crypto is now, we’re still early on. And whereas derivatives markets in the traditional world started out with institutions, crypto started off with zero institutions and was driven by individuals. I do hope that while still misunderstood and hard to get into, with Minima we can help increase adoption and close gaps. ”
How would you describe Minima with just three words and why?
Glenn: “Freedom. Independence. Evolution. With Minima you aren’t tied, there are no limits. Crypto was always supposed to be for the general public. It was supposed to help and elevate, but that hasn’t really happened. Minima has the chance to be different, and re-define what crypto does by truly giving back power to the general public.
I think crypto so far has mirrored what it set out to take down, which is disappointing. But with Minima we can change that and help people be free and independent. ”
If you could build anything on Minima what would it be?
Glenn: “ So a sensible choice would be a launchpad that doesn’t rip everyone off. That brings decent projects to market without taking a chunk and I believe there is room for that. Going a bit crazier, I’d like to have something that manages flows be that in people, instruments, or traffic. Helping people, machines to get better from point A to B. But more practically, an app that finds me a parking spot real quick would be useful. ”
There is always a lot happening in crypto. How do you stay on top of things, any publications, podcasts you can recommend?
Glenn: “There are no podcasts I can recommend. I still look at traditional publications like FX street, finance magnates, and the like. I stay clear of the shills on Twitter. The most information I get is from ex-colleagues at Kraken, and now coworkers at Minima. I also learn a lot from conversations with other people that are heavily involved in the industry and maintain objective standpoints.”
Any favorite quotes or thoughts?
Don’t be afraid of failure, in order to succeed you need to fail…..many times.
Which gif, emoji or sticker do you use most frequently?
Glenn: “This one I use quite frequently.”
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You can follow and connect with Glenn on LinkedIn.