Asheesh Birla thinks blockchain technology is poised to dramatically overhaul the global financial sector.
Ripple’s senior vice president of product recently talked with SiriusXM business news host Randi Zuckerberg about his predictions for the space.
“I think that this is going to really start taking off in the next two years, and within anything that is done in the financial space today via Citibank or the HSBCs and the JP Morgans of the world, it’s going to be reinvented using this technology.
And there’s going to be a reshuffling of the world order, meaning maybe some of the largest banks today won’t have that kind of role in the future as this world gets reinvented using technology in the blockchain.”
Birla says Ripple is pushing to be the “blockchain version of Amazon.” The San Francisco startup currently has just over 300 banks and money transfers on its platform, RippleNet, according to the SVP.
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However, Birla says there is work to be done by the US government which needs to establish clear regulations if it wants to take the lead when blockchain-based platforms and services proliferate across the global financial infrastructure.
“Really, for the massive players to start coming in in droves, you need clear regulations, and I think the UK has done great in terms of a digital asset framework. I think that Singapore is really close. Asia in general is leading the pack, which is really different than the internet, when the US led the pack.
I think the US will find its way, but it’s taking a long time in terms of the US paving the way with clear regulations for institutions to use digital assets.
And until you have that you’re not going to see some of the bigger players come in and transform the space.”
