On January 24, 2019, the World Economic Forum announced it has chosen BitPesa Founder Elizabeth Rossiello to become a member of the Global Blockchain Council.

World Economic Forum Targeting the Best

According to Business Wire, Rossiello, CEO and founder of BitPesa, was invited to take part in the Global Council on Blockchain. The invitation came from the World Economic Forum, who after a close selection decided for Rossiello to become one of two co-chairs of the Global Blockchain Council.

With this move, the World Economic Forum hopes to get advice from the best within the industry. The head of Blockchain at the World Economic Forum, Sheila Warren, stated:

“We chose Elizabeth as one of the co-chairs for this committee, not only for her diverse background in this space, from technical expertise as well as regulatory, but also for her ability to bring together members of this often fragmented ecosystem. We are very excited for the cross-pollination and results such a meticulously selected council will bring.”

BitPesa

BitPesa is a digital exchange platform that leverages blockchain settlements and provides financial solutions at low costs and increased speeds. BitPesa is a market-maker in every major African currency and opens channels for business payments and trade between frontier markets and the rest of the world.

Founded in 2013, BitPesa was the first blockchain company to be licensed by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and follows stringent KYC practices. BitPesa services frontier market businesses and multinationals paying suppliers as far as China and UAE, as well as cryptocurrency traders.

The company’s API enables international remittance companies to send white-label payments to dozens of bank networks and mobile money operators across Africa.

Global Council on Blockchain

The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) consists in a clash of innovative organizations and founding thought-leaders from over 40 countries and aims to advance understanding of blockchain technology among global regulators and business leaders.

As stated on its official webpage, “The GBBC is a Swiss-based non-profit, which launched formally during the 2017 Annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The organization is dedicated to facilitating the adoption of blockchain technology.”

To do this the non-profit engaging regulators, business leaders, and global changemakers to educate on what the technology has to offer.

In 2017, the WEF created the Global Blockchain Council. The goal was to start shaping the international technology policy and corporate governance agenda by providing a unique place in the international system where policy dialogue could take place on an ongoing basis. The council would also be an advisory platform supporting the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network (C4IR).

The council is comprised of 30 members including chief executive officers, ministers, and heads of regulatory agencies as well as leading technical and civil society experts. Elizabeth Rossiello becomes the latest member to integrate the council. Rossiello commented:

“2019 will be a critical year for the blockchain industry, so I am very excited to be selected to co-chair this council.”

Annual Meeting 2019

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2019 will be held in San Francisco this May and Rossiello is already scheduled to prepare the council’s first agenda and main priorities.

After the initial meeting of the leaders of the Council at Davos, Rossiello will have the first council presentation on her hands, and with her, the World Economic Forum can now tap into the resources and expertise of the blockchain technology.