Written by by Gérard Al-Fil, Dubai

Mr. Youssefi, who is the Hashgraph Association?

The Hashgraph Association (THA) is a nonprofit organization accelerating the broad adoption of the Hedera network globally. It is based out of Kanton Schwyz, Switzerland, established back in 2021 with the mission to proactively empower Hedera Hashgraph community, drive the broad adoption of Hedera at a global scale, support Hedera-powered projects and last but not least to confirm the commitment of Hedera towards enabling the build-up of a vibrant ecosystem for Web3 transformations around the globe while leveraging Hedera Hashgraph Capabilities. 

Hedera is a widely supported DLT network. The Hedera Governing Council consists of up to 39 Fortune 500 organizations like Standard Bank, Google, Shinhan Bank, Deutsche Telekom, Nomura Bank, IBM, Boeing, and others. These organizations are part of the council as they share the same vision towards decentralized applications, Web3 solutions as well as the mission to enable tech-driven business transformations around the world. 

At The Hashgraph Association we support this through our highly effective enablement and empowerment programs which spread across professional trainings and certification programs up to innovation and venture building ones. We cover various industries, financial services, healthcare, energy, Real Estate, Sustainbiltiy, and more. By developing the organizational competencies and engagement strategies we ensure the success of innovative solutions. 

Which are your objectives?

Our ultimate goal is to grow the Hedera ecosystem and empower its community, drive the adoption of Hedera-powered solutions and leverage synergies with other emerging technologies such as AI, IOT, Quantum Computing, etc. In a summary our strategic goals can be summarized as follows:

• Education: Equipping Hedera Hashgraph Community with the functional and technical know-how to design, develop and deploy innovative applications and viable decentralized solutions.

• Funding: Deploying resources to achieve long-term success and sustain transformational impact within Hedera Ecosystem.

• Acceleration: Launching enablement and empowerment programs i.e., the Venture Builder Programs

• Scaling: Partnering with established and Trusted Ecosystem Partners in strategic regions.

• Crosspollination: Fostering business growth and promoting collaboration within Hedera Ecosystem.

In this context, at THA, we take a pragmatic approach that combines left-brain technology skills with right-brain innovative thinking – basically merging business acumen with technology expertise to accelerate the transition from an innovative business idea to a successfully deployed Hedera-enabled Web3 solution. Therefore, we have structured our programs around five core building blocks to drive the technology innovation, Web3 adoption and ensure the successful deployment of impactful Hedera projects. The key building blocks are centered around Education, Innovation, Incubation, Acceleration, Transformation. 

«The Swiss Ecosystem has always been home to many large projects that drive technology innovation.»

By doing this once again we are enabling and empowering pioneers, entrepreneurs and innovators to build digital solutions that add value to the Web3 economy and society globally. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of these solutions are our own Hedera Governing Council member companies. They are always open to partnering with startups that can offer these solutions that can be deployed effectively and securely within their organizations.

How do we do this? By regularly organizing events such as the Innovation Demo Days and the Web3 Forum, where entrepreneurs, start-ups and large companies including the aforementioned Council members' conglomerates meet to explore business opportunities and leverage synergies across these organizations to collaborate on Web3 use cases and innovation projects.

Who finances the organisation?

Hedera Hashgraph is the primary contributor and grantmaker to THA for Web3 Innovation. However, The Association members, its ecosystem strategic partners, its affiliated Web3 Innovation Funds and others also contribute significantly and provide funding for our enablement programs and empowerment initiatives across the world.

Why Switzerland?

Switzerland is not only one of the strongest financial centers globally, with excellent banking institutions but it was also one of the first countries to extend its support towards digital currencies, and blockchain with its DLT Act.

Its heritage of decentralization and technological prowess provides the best launch pad for Web3 and innovations projects. The Swiss Ecosystem has always been home to many large projects that drive technology innovation.  It houses blockchain and crypto unicorns and hosts over 2300 blockchain and Web3 companies. Ethereum and Solana, took their first steps out of Switzerland. 

Adding to that is its world class talent. 

You attended the web3 summit Token 2049 in Dubai in spring this year. Has the congress met your expectations?

I attended TOKEN 2049 in Dubai for the first time, however I visit UAE often given that we have a team on the ground and an office in Abu Dhabi. For THA, the UAE has also like Switzerland established itself as the capital of Web3 in the GCC region.  

It was one of the first to launch a UAE Blockchain strategy to put 50% of governmental services on the Blockchain and it was the first to come out with a virtual assets regulation. 

How can THA help employees stay qualified so that nobody is left behind, especially in the financial sector?

If you exclude the countries with the established Web3 regulation, such as Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Liechtenstein and Singapore, there are big differences between the individual countries. We believe that education is the key.

«The Web3 age will change economies and societies in their totality.»

 THA offers a wide range of education and training programs, including executive workshops, webinars, seminars, certifications and bootcamps for developers and business trainings for Web3 entrepreneurs and even for corporate employees.  

If a bank employee express worries that Web3 will delete his or her job, how would you respond?

I would simply say you never lose anything it just changes into a new form. And while an employee might be worried about losing their job at the bank, in the age of Web3, what they should be worrying about is if there will be a bank to work for? 

The Web3 age with decentralized networks, AI, digital assets an crypto currencies, and IoT as well as metaverse applications will change economies and societies in their totality. What we once used as banks, could now be something else altogether. Who needs to go to a bank when they can carry out all their transactions instantly on their phones in a secure, and transparent way? 

That is why we all need to be prepared, educated and ready for the day when the world will sit on a digital axis where you are the center of a connected system where all systems work together, we call it the polyglot system. AI, robotics, and blockchain will all come into play. 

«The opportunities are endless for humans to create»

To make it simpler in Web1.0 you as a person did not contribute to the internet, you just read information about it. In Web2.0 you were now able to read and write onto the internet, interact, today in Web3.0 you read, write and own some form of the internet, an all-inclusive internet.

At that point the opportunities are endless for humans to create, innovate and imagine, a digitally empowered human! 

Are you trading cryptocurrencies yourself?

Yes, I started very early, in 2016. My first crypto investment was in Bitcoin, and later mainly in HBAR.