Triton Liquid on Bloomberg TV and at Dubai Fintech Summit

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Anything stated in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Triton may maintain positions in any of the assets or projects discussed on this website.

TL;DR

• Chris Keshian, our Founder and CIO, was invited as a crypto expert by Asharq Bloomberg to comment on the current markets
• Triton Liquid joins Ripple, Chia Network and CoinMENA at the Dubai Fintech Summit to discuss the future of crypto

Asharq Bloomberg Interview Highlights

Asharq Bloomberg, the biggest Arabic news outlet in the Middle East and Africa, invited our Founder and CIO, Chris Keshian, as a cryptocurrency expert to discuss the current markets. Highlights are below and the full interview, dubbed in Arabic, can be found here. 

Market sentiment and appetite for the year

1. Overwhelmingly positive. Macroeconomic factors, interest rates, and liquidity conditions will support price appreciation for risk assets like crypto.
2. ETFs, institutional inflows of $12+ Bn from Fidelity and Blackrock, impact of ETFs still underestimated.
3. BTC Halving on April 20, decreased issuance, which has historically led to price expansion in the subsequent 6 months.

Explanation of crypto price drop in April

1. Structural: High leverage in the system creating a structurally unstable market.
2. Interest rate fear: With a higher CPI print, there was fear of an increasingly hawkish FED and that interest rates would remain higher for longer.
3. Catalyst: Geopolitics. Crypto is traded 24/7 and was heavily affected by the Iran-Israel altercation during a low liquidity weekend.

Bitcoin prices for the year 

1. Estimation is that the price floor will not drop below low $50k region, and that the lows were likely already in. During the summer, market activity is expected to be lower, but all time highs are expected again in the Fall of this year.

Dubai Fintech Summit Panel Highlights

Dubai Fintech Summit, the leading Fintech industry conference in the Middle East invited Triton Liquid to talk about the future of crypto, together with Ripple, Chia Network and CoinMENA. Conversation highlights are below.

What should investors keep top of mind when approaching crypto?

1. There are numerous tailwinds that make the space compelling to invest in now, whether you invest in a crypto VC fund, independent token investments or liquid funds.
2. Regardless of where you invest, a rigorous, repeatable process is paramount for investors to sustain consistent returns.
3. Triton does this by combining qualitative and quantitative processes to form a comprehensive view of the space we invest in.

What are suggested ways for investors to get exposure to crypto?

1. Buy and hold Bitcoin, potentially Solana and Ethereum as well.
2. Invest in a liquid fund - I wouldn’t try to do liquid investing yourself, unless you are full-time, as the space moves fast.
3. Invest in an early stage crypto VC fund.

Why are people struggling to understand the crypto asset class?

1. Technically complex and difficult to understand- a lot of these projects are protocols and require the ability to read and audit code.
2. New paradigm - we can’t necessarily retro fit the value accrual models we use in equities to tokens. There are a lot of different indirect and direct value accrual mechanisms that are fundamentally new.
3. Fast paced - these are all early stage companies that just happen to have a publicly traded asset. Code bases are open source, projects can copy a code base and release a competing company with different economics and outcompete incumbents. 
   1. Volatile - A corollary to point 3 is that these markets trade 24/7. Most people aren’t prepared to see their investments move 40% in a day in either direction. 

How do we educate investors who are looking to break these barriers?

1. Fund managers should aim to make the concepts more accessible, or abstract away the technical complexity. 
2. Encourage diversification and a long-term oriented view; leave short term crypto strategies to professional money managers.
3. Create investment vehicles that provide diversified long term exposure to different verticals in the space. 

What motivated your move to the UAE?

1. Belief that the UAE will be one of three global crypto hubs, alongside Singapore and Hong Kong. 
2. Pragmatic approach to regulating this space. While the US and other regions are taking a more draconian stance toward regulating this space, jurisdictions like the UAE are taking a more open and progressive approach.
3. The commitment of leadership to drive innovation and foster growth, including the ability to actually know and interact with our regulators.

Any advice for entering the region?

1. Be committed to the region.
2. Take the time to understand the culture.
3. Contribute to the ecosystem with education.

We're excited to continue contributing to cryptocurrency education in the Middle East market and worldwide.