Former US President, Bill Clinton, charmed onlookers with his recent appearance at a Ripple blockchain event in San Francisco on October 1. Clinton impressed many guests with his presence and undeniable charisma, but also praised the possibilities of blockchain technology while talking as a keynote speaker at the event.
As cryptocurrency adoption moves closer to the mainstream, it is essential that high-standing figures jump on the bandwagon to bestow the virtues of cryptoassets and the advancements of blockchain technologies. While delivering a speech at Ripple’s two-day ‘Swell’ event in the Golden Gate City, the former president waxed lyrical in regards to the industry by saying that the “permutations and possibilities of blockchain technology are staggeringly great.”
Speaking at the blockchain event with his former economic advisor, Gene Sperling, they discussed a broad spectrum of topics from cultural issues and foreign policy to investment opportunities, banking and the growth of crypto and blockchain tech. Clinton pointed out that the international appeal of crypto is a key ingredient to its ongoing success, but could also be its downfall. He stated:
This whole blockchain deal has the potential it does only because it is applicable across national borders [and] income groups… But we could ruin it all by negative identity politics and economic and social policy. You think about that.
Clinton didn’t delve too much into the regulatory issues facing the industry and companies such as Ripple, but he did urge us to move with caution so as not to replicate the internet dot-com bubble of the late 1990s. Clinton mentioned that it is important that they “do not kill the golden goose.”
The overriding feel from Clinton’s speech was that he didn’t overhype the technology and act like a crypto evangelist. He called for calmer heads to prevail and a common-sense approach to ongoing regulation and the undeniable possibilities of crypto tech evolution.
