Minister Albert Isola represented Gibraltar as a Leading Blockchain Hub at #Switch conference

The Minister for Commerce, Albert Isola, has returned from his visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he spoke at the #Switch conference.

At the conference, Mr Isola provided insight into Gibraltar’s stance on the evolving Initial Coin Offering (ICO) landscape and the future of block-chain.

“Our delegation’s recent visit to Lithuania was a pointed success, offering a valuable opportunity to showcase Gibraltar as a leader in the global block-chain sector. It was an honour to represent Gibraltar at the #Switch conference alongside talented industry experts and to meet a wide range of leading visionaries, all of whom agree that the future of fintech relies on collaboration, a value that the event espoused,” said Mr Isola.

“Building relationships with other nations involved in blockchain technology, so that we might better learn from one another, is imperative if Gibraltar as a jurisdiction is to continue to make its mark on the industry,” he added.

While in Lithuania, Mr Isola visited the Blockchain Centre Vilnius, where he met with its CEO, Egle Nemeikstyte, along with representatives from several Vilnius-based blockchain and cryptocurrency firms.

Mr Isola went on to hold private meetings with key stakeholders such as Marius Jurgilas, a Board Member of the Bank of Lithuania; Antanas Guoga, MEP for Lithuania. As well as a number of high profile government ministers, including Vilius Šapoka, Minister of Finance; Elijus Civilis, Vice Minister, Ministry of Economy and Chief Digital Officer; and Paulius Martinkus, Vice Minister, Ministry for Transport and Communication.

The 2018 #Switch conference, which took place last Thursday, featured entrepreneurs and leaders from digital business companies, along with representatives from world governments, public institutions, and the European Union.

Mr Isola took part in a panel alongside experts such as Marius Skuodis from the Ministry of Economy and also had the opportunity to address the #Switch VIP reception of industry leaders.

He was joined at the conference by 12,000 children from across Lithuania who were invited to attend so they could learn more about how the industry might shape their future and how they can be a part of it.

“As the first jurisdiction globally to introduce legislation around Distributed Ledger Technology, I’m always proud to lead a delegation flying the flag for Gibraltar abroad,” said Mr Isola.

“It is clear to me that Gibraltar is playing a leading role in shaping the industry as whole, while attracting significant inward investment thanks to our commitment to creating a sustainable and se-cure regulatory framework for block-chain.”

Accompanying Mr Isola on the visit were Paul Astengo, Senior Executive with Gibraltar Finance, who leads on innovation initiatives and co-chairs the DLT Working Group; Vikram Nagrani of Hassans International Law Firm; Marc Ellul of Ellul and Co, and Ian Le Breton of Sovereign Group.