Episode 3: Around the Block with Prof. Kani Chen. Blockchain Technology and its use cases.
03/04/2022
Thank you for tuning into another recap from Around the Block. In episode 3, host Dave Uhryniak, Director of Blockchain Strategy at TRON, had a discussion with Professor Kani Chen, Director of Crypto Fintech Lab at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, about blockchain technology, use cases, and growth potential.
Professor Chen is also the Program Director of MSc in Financial Mathematics and Co-Director of Risk Management and Business Intelligence. He is a renowned expert in statistics who has dual appointments from the Math and the Industrial Engineering Departments.
In this episode streamed on March 4, 2022, Dave began the conversation by asking Professor Chen about his work in artificial intelligence and if he sees an intersection between AI and blockchain, and what are some of the potential applications. Professor Chen explained how he focuses on the financial applications of AI projects, and he and his team try to produce synthetic data that can be used for the industry.
Professor Chen then talked about the crypto lab with more than 30 students. He said they want to build their lab as the west point of financial technology in the Bay Area around China.
Dave then changed the topic to ask Professor Chen about his project Degis, an insurance protocol that ensures people’s crypto assets. He explained it’s like private government insurance for bank accounts. Dave agreed it’s an important application as crypto evolves and people begin to use their crypto wallets. They’re going to need to ensure their wallet is protected.
Professor Chen said they have some characteristics built into their program to protect, earn, and play, as that is the one element that attracts users. He hopes to build toward a protection aggregator in the future.
They also talked about Professor Chen’s other project, KYC plus, which is a hot topic currently within the crypto world. Especially as regulators try to figure out how to regulate the crypto space, KYC will be very critical. Professor Chen said this is not only about identity but your financial preference and goals.
The two then discussed the TRON Grand Hackathon 2022 and Professor Chen gave his thoughts on it.
“I think this is a very good way to find projects, but more importantly, it’s a great way to find talents,” Professor Chen said. “Find people with passion and the ability to build in crypto or financial technology projects. It’s also nice to build a community.”
They ended their discussion by saying TRON is one of the most inclusive platforms because of its low cost. Professor Chen noted he likes TRON’s slogan to decentralize the web because that’s what Web 3.0 is all about.
Thank you for reading this short recap of another great episode of Around the Block. We look forward to bringing you another episode soon with our team, engaging experts, and conversations.