Meetup #2: Financial applications

We are now one short week from the next Blockchain Vlaanderen meetup. With over a 100 participants and a strong spreker lineup it will prove to be an interesting one! KBC has been so generous to provide us with the big auditorium in the “Boerentoren” in the city center of Antwerp so there is more then enough room to fit in some more Blockchain enthousiasts. The KBC Boerentoren is located at the Schoenmarkt 35, 2000 Antwerpen (https://www.google.be/maps/search/KBC+Boerentoren,+Schoenmarkt+35,+2000+Antwerp/@51.2185798,4.4018748,17z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=en). Right next to the tower itself is a public parking structure with ample space. Please allow for some time to register at the building entrance and don’t forget to register at https://www.meetup.com/blockchain-vlaanderen/events/229283610/ so all arrangements can be made.

I also have some exiting news in regards to the speaker lineup. Since over half of the participants are first timers to this meetup group Roderik van der Veer will kick off the meetup with an introduction to Blockchain, both a high level overview of the concept, some basic terminology and how a Blockchain does what it does.

After this short intro, David Leben will continue with a talk regarding the current landscape in cryptocurrencies en Blockchain technologies. He will discuss other cryptocurrencies that exist besides Bitcoin, and what are their major differences / advantages? Examples of other coins are Litecoin, Ether (Ethereum), XRP (Ripple), Monero, eMunie,… He will also cover the alternativeBlockchain technologies, like MultiChain, Ethereum, Hyperledger and Rootstock, and what are companies like IBM, Microsoft and J.P.Morgan doing with them.

To stretch up our mind even further, Erik Van Himbergen will add next generation Blockchain platforms into the mix. Newly developed and open source crypto 2.0 platform that utilise different mining algorithms (Nxt with POS, NEM with POI) that require significantly less electricity to maintain the network.

After the break Matthew Van Niekerk and Koen Vingerhoets will talk us through the rise of Blockchain in financial institutions and will enlighten us with the different business opportunities for Blockchain in those financial institutions. Followed by some networking and talking over what we learned over a drink with fellow Blockchain fans. I guarantee you will go home brimming with new of ideas :)

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See you there!