ARYZE speaks with Dr. Mihaela Ulieru about her experience advising both governments and businesses on fintech and her take on government interest in blockchain
Dr. Mihaela Ulieru is experienced, well-educated, and well-accoladed. She currently works as a fintech advisor and mentor as well as Chief Alchemist at SingularityNET. Dr. Ulieru has advised multiple governments including Singapore, Canada, the United States, and the European Commission while also advising businesses. Whether advising businesses or governments Dr. Ulieru’s advice centers around the following:
In my advisory work I always focus on the matter at hand bringing in my vast experience to help address the respective challenges from an immediate action-oriented perspective yet always keeping the holistic, societal, planetary principled perspective in mind.
In light of always bringing the above mentioned approach to those she advises, Dr. Ulieru notes that there are differences between advising governments and businesses:
I realize that there is a stark difference in focus between advising governments and advising businesses. For governments the immediate focus is on addressing the issues of citizens and making any effort to improve their lives through the services they offer, while for businesses the immediate focus is on finding customers who can benefit from their offerings.
When advising businesses Dr. Ulieru’s advice centers around “beating the competition” which requires gaining the trust of customers and offering products that customers not only want to have but feel like they “can’t refuse”. Businesses experience the opposite pressures that governments face because they do not have a secured customer base.
Governments, on the other hand, have their “customers” secured, which creates less incentive for them to continually improve on what they offer their customers. Dr. Ulieru outlines the effect of this lack of incentive and competition:
This led to the systemic dysfunction in which we are trapped today, with systems (e.g. the way we have to file our taxes…) implemented in a manner that make them very expensive, consuming resources (time, labor) which could be reduced by smart adoption of current IT advances such as e.g. distributed ledgers that enable the “rules of the game” to execute seamlessly making the necessary deductions and eventual payments (oh, how do we like those!…) “on the fly”.
Advising Blockchain
Blockchain is one such disruptor, distributed technology that can make payments easier while it also updates outdated technology that has been in place in some cases since 1959 when COBOL, a programming language, was invented. COBOL as Dr. Ulieru points out is still in use even in California, known for Silicon Valley, demonstrating complacency with outdated technologies and the dire need for updated ledger technology. The need for updated IT strategies is becoming more and more apparent as Dr. Ulieru emphasizes:
Around the world there is much pressure for adoption to resolve what I call the “data conundrum” and companies are now looking into how to keep their business growing while finding innovative privacy solutions using blockchain technologies. Certain governments such as Estonia, Malta, France, Australia, South Korea and China are far ahead while others are still lagging. And more recently governments are plotting to use blockchain to issue digital versions of their FIAT currencies, with China leading the pack.
In fact the crisis is accelerating the adoption of innovative solutions based on emerging technologies in all sectors of society, both industry and government considering fast adoption which will prove vital in many instances in ensuring continuation of activities, and in many cases, critical the survival of many businesses.
Dr. Ulieru promotes the sheer efficiency and many uses of blockchain. Governments have high incentives to adopt blockchain technology and she is working with U.S. Representatives to achieve such goals noting how the U.S. government at one-point lost track of hundreds of millions of dollars:
This is a so much needed solution given the perennial scandals around Billions in government funds “disappearing” in thin air, given that the outdated systems of accounting existent cannot manage the current load.
Blockchain can help streamline “financial conundrums” such as mortgages, loans, and taxes while it could be useful technology in tracking medical supplies, drugs provenance, and secure implementation of voting,
In this regard blockchain tech is a true necessity also for the other big data consumers, the artificial intelligence companies – and many of these are working with governments these days.
ARYZE understands fully the need for faster, safer, more efficient, and more secure payments and the vast benefits of distributed ledgers and blockchain technologies. ARYZE’s digital cash will be fully operable with multiple different blockchains.
To hear more about Dr. Mihaela Ulieru’s views check out one of her most recent podcasts, her recent interview on the Human Current Complexity Podcast ,and other media appearances featured at theimpactinstitute.org.
For more insights from successful women in fintech and fintech possibilities, please visit ARYZE’s blog.