Changelly’s Interview with CEO Ginco Inc: the Wallet, the Industry, the Future

At Changelly we do our best to remain the leading position in crypto space. Thus, when making new partnerships, its crucial for us to get to know our new partner’s product and the team behind it. This time we would like to introduce you to our new partner — multi-currency Ginco Wallet, the crypto-wallet of the new generation. With Changelly’s API on board Ginco users now can:

• Implement cross-chain exchanges among six blockchains and 15 cryptocurrencies supported within Ginco Wallet interface
• Make safe and secure exchange transactions directly from a smartphone without exposing the private key to anyone.

We also do believe that no one can represent the product better than its founder. For this reason, we asked Muuto Morikawa, CEO of Ginco Inc., to answer a few questions about Ginco wallet and the team behind it and to share his opinion on the nowadays market regulations situation.

The Product

Hello, Muuto, and thank you for doing an interview with Changelly, we truly appreciate that! First of all, could you tell us more about your project?

Ginco is a decentralized crypto wallet. Each of our users has full control over their private keys which are securely stored inside their smartphones. Our simple and clean design makes it easy for anyone to use our app, including those looking to get into crypto for the first time. We currently support multiple blockchains including Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, BitcoinCash, and more.

The website says Ginco is a crypto wallet of the next generation. What defines it as a next gen product?

Ginco has created a next-generational crypto wallet through our novel approach to human-centric design. By focusing on addressing the common failures in preexisting wallets we’ve created a wallet accessible to both crypto enthusiasts and new entrants.

One of the most common mistakes we found among existing wallets was the use of esoteric nomenclature primarily known by those already familiar with the industry. This creates a particularly unwelcoming environment for new adopters. Additionally, UX and UI is often developed as a secondary if not territory afterthought. It too, relying too heavily on users to have a preexisting knowledge of cryptos and blockchain.
A tragic consequence of these failures in design is the mismanagement of funds, by mistaking crypto addresses, sometimes leading to digital asset loss. By focusing on a human-centric design we reinvented the way a crypto wallet function. Alleviating human error caused by convoluted systems.

Our next-generation wallet is based on the philosophy that the world of blockchain and crypto should be accessible to everyone. Through this approach, we’ve created a simple, user-friendly design which allows for a wide adoption of blockchains while granting users the ability to access additional blockchain services in the future.

Our human-centric design approach is best visualized through Ginco’s “Sharecard” function. Our unique interface allows users to easily navigate through various blockchains without the fear mistaking send and receive addresses. Colorful cards and emojis allow users to visibly verify for whom and which coin they are interacting with. At the same time, by reducing the display to one card at a time, we reduce information-overload, mitigating confusion and human error. Users can also post Sharecards safely on their social media pages such as Twitter and Facebook, so that they can receive cryptocurrency.

What inspired you to launch the project?

In 2017, I witnessed a lot of traffic within the cryptocurrency market. When I looked at the current crypto-management solutions available in Japan, I discovered only centralized solutions existed.
There are a lot of concerns regarding the security of centralized exchanges. In fact, historic hacking attacks have occurred multiple times in Japan, two of which being the Mt.Gox and Coincheck hacking incidents. I believe blockchain is a technology which truly empowers individuals. In order to realize this potential, I sought to provide a service that allows users to have full control over their private keys. That is why I started Ginco.

Can you share with Changelly some insights on Ginco Wallet further development?

Most recently, we have added a stablecoin married to the price of the U.S. dollar called “TrueUSD (TUSD)” to our wallet. In the future, we will continue to improve our wallet in terms of safety and usability, while maintaining our accessibility to future blockchain technologies. We look forward to launching the Android version of our wallet within the coming months.

Can you fantasize a little about how the crypto wallet of the future should look like? Which innovative features should it include?

Today, I see a lot of people use crypto wallets primarily as a place to receive a certain reward (some cryptocurrency) by following particular set of rules designed in the blockchain, by activating a send and receive function.

In the future, new technologies such as VR or AR can make the connection between the physical world and the digital world more seamless. This can make future payments much smoother than ever before. For example, one day we might be able to send someone money by making a simple gesture.

Short-term, however, while interfaces are being developed, the fundamental aspects of our payment systems will most likely remain managed by the financial sector. However, this financial sector will be updated with blockchain technologies. In this sense, new payment experiences will become available, and wallets will evolve synchronously, providing new sets of values and experiences.

Market Regulations

Japan is known as a country with strict crypto regulations. Do you consider that a stimulating or a limiting factor of the crypto industry development?

I believe both to be true for this question. From a market-side perspective, without the regulation the market cannot make any significant growth because traditional wealthy investors tend not to enter into a market without regulatory protections.

On the other side of the coin, from a tech-side perspective, the strict regulation will hinder further developments of blockchain technology. Particularly with Japanese law, it is extremely difficult to modify a law once it has been established. Furthermore, newly established laws often penalize businesses which are not compliant within the law, thus a legal company has no choice but to follow regulations. Unfortunately, these regulations can be quite prolific so that the mere threat of government intervention is enough to prevent a company from innovating.

Either way, I believe regulations are necessary for the blockchain industry to grow, so it is imperative that we keep an eye on them to see where the industry goes in the future.

What are your thoughts on different governments regulations of the crypto market?

I believe that blockchain and cryptocurrency are the technologies of a more global future. If various government regulations hinder the benefits of the blockchain, this will be a devastatingly wasted opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how blockchain technology will be adopted in the future. Whether it is going to comply with regulations, or whether the technology will spawn a totally new set of values, communities, and economics.

Should crypto entities work closely with governments to make crypto more trustable and accessible?

As a Japanese company, we believe it is very important to work closely with the government and regulatory authorities. In the Japanese business environment, a company’s legality is one of the most critical qualities needed to gain trust by the economic community. Therefore, it is paramount to be working closely with the government to legitimize our business entity as one which has been approved by the authorities and the government.

Conversely, I also believe that listening too closely to the opinions of authorities can narrow the future potential of your business. If you feel it is difficult to expand your business in the country you are based in, I think you should be flexible so that you can search for other opportunities overseas.

Do you see any alternative ways to provide crypto mass adoption?

We have witnessed the Airdrop as a popular method to foster mass adoption of crypto projects. In most cases, however, this lacks sustainability as it does not incentivize nor explain to the recipient, how to use the newly acquired tokens. I think it is very difficult for people to accept new ideas. Therefore, modifying already existing ideas and concepts could be a potentially favorable way to increase mass adoption of cryptos.

Speaking specifically to Japan, we see a lot of people who are very familiar with using point-based services and loyalty programs. Many people have loyalty cards or club cards for both online and offline shops. It might be a good strategy to design a similar model for cryptos to prompt greater adoption.

The Ginco Team

Tell us more about your spending spare time as a team? Do you prefer going to a bar or maybe doing some sports together?

Not many of our members are crazy about sports, but somehow there are a lot of people here who love playing board games at Ginco (One of our members actually won a trophy for a board game competition held here in Tokyo!). It is not uncommon for people to show up at the office to play these games over the weekend. We also gather to host company parties a few times a year. Just recently, we held a big party because we won the grand prize at the pitch contest in TechInAsia Tokyo 2018!

Do you believe such kind of activities help to build team spirit and motivate the team for productive work?

Yes! The Ginco team has now grown to 30 people. Each of our members come from diverse backgrounds. However, when the company continues to grow, it becomes more challenging to understand and relate to each other. We believe that these team building activities help us stay relaxed while enabling us to learn more about each other. Both of which have positive effects on our performance!

That’s it for today, though there’re many more interviews with prominent crypto enthusiasts to come! Stay tuned for the hottest crypto news with our social media:

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Nice swaps, #Changellions!