Last month, luxury hospitality icon, George Residence, announced that it would be the first hotel in Nigeria to accept Bitcoin. Most reviews of this announcement came using the lens of brand awareness, both for the property, as well as cryptocurrency. But, Richard Gardner, today, offered a different take on what’s unfolding in Nigeria.
“When we see news like this, it’s easy to trumpet the mainstream appeal of Bitcoin, and, over the past six months, there certainly has been a huge increase in familiarity with the alternative to fiat currency. Between business icons like Mark Cuban and Elon Musk openly supporting the growth of cryptocurrencies, it is easy to read news like this as just one in a line of businesses moving to accept a form of payment that’s becoming more and more popular. But, there’s something else at play here,” noted Richard Gardner, CEO of Modulus, a US-based developer of ultra-high-performance trading and surveillance technology that powers global equities, derivatives, and digital asset exchanges.
In his announcement, George Residence CEO Yanju George said that, not only was he accepting Bitcoin, but that he planned to make Bitcoin the company’s primary reserve asset, noting that “[w]e have allocated around 50% of our cash reserves to Bitcoin… We hope to increase that as time goes on. Bitcoin is the currency of the future and it is only right that we are strongly positioned so we do not get left behind.”
“I think if you look at the policy behind the move, you’ve got to see this as a hedge against inflation. The Naira has had significant struggles. We’ve seen a surge in Bitcoin in 2021, but, at the end of the day, the surge means different things in different places. In the United States, folks may be looking at Bitcoin as an investment opportunity, but in places like Nigeria, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies offer more than that. They are really a way to make sure that the assets you have today aren’t devalued over the next six months. Unchecked inflation is not just an economic problem; it’s a problem that deeply affects the citizenry when the fiat currency they rely on to purchase food and energy and life essentials is worth a fraction of what it was last year. In places with rampant inflation, Bitcoin is being considered by the populace as a potential solution to a number of institutional problems,” explained Gardner.
Modulus is known throughout the financial technology segment as a leader in the development of ultra-high frequency trading systems and blockchain technologies. Over the past twenty years, the company has built technology for the world’s most notable exchanges, with a client list which includes NASDAQ, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Barclays, Siemens, Shell, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Cornell University, and the University of Chicago.
“As Nigeria looks towards the future, there is a lot of work to be done, to be sure. But, there is much to be optimistic about, as well. The fact that the citizenry is so engaged in cryptocurrencies means that, if the country can put the pieces together and get a handle on infrastructure-based issues, not the least of which is inflation, then it can begin to look at how it can invite innovation and enhance technology’s role as a tool in its economic engine. The interest is already there,” noted Gardner.