The establishment of the Blockchain Chamber of Commerce and New Technologies has been discussed in our country for several months. Finally, the idea is being put into practice. On this occasion, we have decided to talk to the people responsible for this Chamber: Robert Wojciechowski, Piotr Bień, Filip Pawczyński (Polish Bitcoin Association) and Jakub Mościcki (Trading Jam Session).


Where did the idea for the creation of the Chamber come from?

Robert Wojciechowski: The idea of the Chamber came from the environment of Blockchain and digital currencies. Not only recently, but over 2 years ago, also within the framework of cooperation between the environment and the Ministry of Digitization. However, it was only after successive changes of the government bias to negative and announcements of more negative restrictions that the existing environment, as well as the newly established entities, merged quite quickly and the founding committee of the Chamber was established.

What are your main goals?

Robert Wojciechowski: The overarching idea in creating the Chamber is to integrate the environment of digital currencies, Blockchain and new technologies. On the one hand, market participants expect legal regulations that will normalize the fiscal situation. On the other hand, they are aware that together with the regulator they must continue in an appropriate form the challenge of market education that has already been taken up. All together, we work together to legislate better, to avoid and to stigmatise those who operate or want to operate in a market that does not comply with its generally accepted standards. The Chamber is an emanation of these intentions and goals and will be a more appropriate form of partner for the government in its efforts to implement new technologies in Poland.

More specifically:

The Chamber is to be an independent advisory body with the power to propose provisions of law, which will be a merger and complement of the existing organizations already operating in Poland,
– will integrate the digital currency, Blockchain and other new high-tech environments,
– support the regulator in the subject of new technologies,
– promote access to new technologies,
– seek to stabilise the legal and fiscal situation on the market of new technologies,
– be an arbitration court for the industry,
– be the voice of the innovative industry,
– implement and develop further existing standards of business ethics for digital currencies,   distributed register systems and other new technologies,
– help to identify more quickly and identify those whose actions point to the possibility of fraud.

You have collected 150 declarations from the founding companies. Can you give any specific names?

Jakub Mościcki: We cannot give company names yet, but there are many entities from the Blockchain market and digital currencies operating on the Polish market. In terms of number, we are, of course, verifying all applications in formal and legal terms, and the final number of founding members of the Chamber will appear once they have been accepted by the KRS – National Register Court. Of course, the number of members will continue to grow after registration.

From which market do you currently have the largest number of companies that want to be members of the Chamber? Is Blockchain dominant? Have any banks been interested in cooperating with you?

Piotr Bień: Quite naturally, in connection with the idea itself originating from the Blockchain environment and digital currencies, the majority, I think about 80%, are the companies representing this environment. There is a group of companies loosely associated with Blockchain and strongly operating in new technologies, both IT and AI. A few entities are law and tax offices that support our activities and see the future in the development of these technologies. We also have regulated financial institutions on board, and we think that this is a forerunner of what will happen every now and then, namely the change in the financial sector’s awareness and attitude towards digital currencies.

That is it! The name of the House includes the word Blockchain, but also ‘new technologies’…

Piotr Bień: Many of the entities operating in new technologies and AI are start-ups. They are looking for support and financial resources. They very often have advanced projects and lack only funds to complete. The ICO is the best option for them. Firstly, it gives independence, because they do not have to give up control over business. Secondly, they go to investors who are open to the technological revolution. This is a synergy that offers many opportunities. However, it needs adequate regulation to provide the legal and fiscal certainty and stability necessary for fast-growing technology businesses.

Is it already clear who will lead the Chamber?

Piotr Bień: We have a Founding Committee composed of many members, consisting of people with many years of experience in the industry as well as new ones, who are dynamically working towards the development of this market. In the process of registration these persons will be the members of the Management Board of the Chamber. After the formal registration of the Chamber, a General Assembly will be convened to constitute the Chamber and, in addition to the adoption of regulations describing the rules of operation, the final Board of the Chamber will be appointed.

The “educational” actions of the NBP and the Polish Financial Supervision Authority are mainly scaremongering Poles with cryptocurrencies. Does IGBiNT also plan actions aimed at educating our citizens in this area?

Jakub Mościcki: These actions have nothing to do with education. They are actions aimed at scaremongering the public. Unfortunately, they contain many untrue contents which are easy to attribute to other activities of institutions certified by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and the Polish National Bank. Of course, we have been talking about this as a whole, and we have been stigmatising it for years, and now also in discussions with the KNF in the working groups. This is having a slow effect.

Piotr Bień: As far as our plans are concerned, this is one of the fundamental objectives of IGBINT. Through education and awareness-raising we want to achieve a rational approach to Blockchain, digital currencies and ICO. We will educate and support both the state authorities established to regulate the market and the citizens themselves in further learning. It is about continuing to work out together the best procedures to support the development of Blockchain technology in Poland, so that it brings measurable benefits to our country, and about breaking the veil of ignorance in the average Pole terrible vision of something that is bad.

The “educational” actions of the NBP and the Polish Financial Supervision Authority are mainly scaremongering Poles with cryptocurrencies. Does IGBiNT also plan actions aimed at educating our citizens in this area?

Jakub Mościcki: These actions have nothing to do with education. They are actions aimed at scaremongering the public. Unfortunately, they contain many untrue contents which are easy to attribute to other activities of institutions certified by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and the Polish National Bank. Of course, we have been talking about this as a whole, and we have been stigmatising it for years, and now also in discussions with the KNF in the working groups. This is having a slow effect.

Piotr Bień: As far as our plans are concerned, this is one of the fundamental objectives of IGBINT. Through education and awareness-raising we want to achieve a rational approach to Blockchain, digital currencies and ICO. We will educate and support both the state authorities established to regulate the market and the citizens themselves in further learning. It is about continuing to work out together the best procedures to support the development of Blockchain technology in Poland, so that it brings measurable benefits to our country, and about breaking the veil of ignorance in the average Pole terrible vision of something that is bad.

How do you judge the actions of the Polish government in the field of cryptocurrencies and Blockchain technology in general?

Filip Pawczyński: Looking back at the last two years, the activity of the working group at the Ministry of Digitisation, training for the employees of administration and the Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meetings with the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, Polish Financial Supervision Authority, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all others who should be interested in proper regulation of this market as soon as possible, if we can talk about any actions, they are slow and not very substantial. It is true that we have signals at meetings with the MF and the PFSA that there will be changes and that they are to be good. But when we hear that collecting information and creating reports on which laws is supposed to base last for a year, we do not really believe in the effectiveness of such action. Often the year is an era of new technologies and it hurts us greatly that Poland continues to miss an opportunity. We are counting on quicker action, not waiting for EU regulation in this area. We want what is good about Blockchain and digital currencies to give us and all Poles additional opportunities in their daily lives and business.

Can you tell us what the further fate of the cryptocurrencies market legislation is like? The Ministry of Finance remained silent on this issue, as did the Polish Financial Supervision Authority…

Filip Pawczyński: KNF at Twitter mentioned the meeting on July 17th, which had already been cancelled once, and the Ministry of Finance has announced since June that the project will be pre-prepared in July. We are counting on further consultations, but as a standard of our environment, we will not only wait . That is why IGBINT plans to continue the legislative activities undertaken by the market, which were previously interrupted by the government.

 

 

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