Michael Chobanian (Ukrainian: Михайло Чобанян, born 23 November 1983) is a Ukrainian businessman and public figure in IT, finance, cryptocurrency, and blockchain.[1] Founder of the first cryptocurrency exchange in Ukraine, KUNA.io and ideologist of the cryptocurrency community of Ukraine.[2][3][4] President of the Blockchain of Ukraine Association.[5]

Michael Chobanyan
Михайло Чобанян
Born (1983-11-23) November 23, 1983 (age 41)
Nationality Ukraine
Alma materCity, University of London

Education

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Michael studied in City, University of London. In 2010-2012 he received a Master's degree in Business Administration (EMBA) from the London Business School, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Columbia University.[6][7]

Career

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In 2014, he founded the first bitcoin agency in Eastern Europe and Ukraine – Kuna Bitcoin Agency.[8]

In 2015, he founded the first public Ukrainian cryptocurrency exchange KUNA.io.[9]

In September 2014, he opened the first Bitcoin Embassy in the CIS.[10]

In 2018, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he presented the concept of Blockchain HUB being developed in Kyiv.[11][12]

Since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Mikhail Chobanyan has launched a Crypto Fund for Ukraine to help the Armed Forces which has raised over $100 million of donations. At the request of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Chobanyan helped the Government of Ukraine to create and manage state cryptocurrency wallets for donations in Kuna Exchange.[13][14][15][16]

In March 2022, Michael Chobanyan spoke at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on how cryptocurrencies help Ukraine during the war with Russia and why Russian oligarchs will not be able to circumvent sanctions with their help.[17]

References

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  1. "How Ukraine is spending crypto donations". TechCrunch. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-20.[permanent dead link]
  2. "Михайло Чобанян – ідеолог українського криптовалютного ринку і творець біржі Kuna. Як він готується до приходу глобальних конкурентів — Forbes.ua". forbes.ua (in Ukrainian). 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  3. Segal, David; Nechepurenko, Ivan (2021-11-14). "The Crypto Capital of the World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  4. "Первая украинская биткоин-биржа собрала почти в 3 раза больше ожидаемого". AIN.UA (in Russian). 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. "Crypto's complicated role in Ukraine: 'literally saving lives' and helping oligarchs". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  6. "Чобанян Михаил Геннадьевич". PSM Awards 2017. 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  7. "Михайло Чобанян | Спікери | Київський міжнародний економічний форум". forumkyiv.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  8. "В Украине запустилось агентство по продаже биткоинов Kuna.com.ua". AIN.UA (in Russian). 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  9. "Ukraine's KUNA Bitcoin Exchange Crowdsale Begins". Cointelegraph. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  10. "В Киеве открылось Bitcoin-посольство — четвертое в мире". AIN.UA (in Russian). 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  11. "Украинцы в Давосе: почему наша страна будет новой криптогаванью". LIGA (in Russian). 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  12. "All Hail Satoshi". Bloomberg.com. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  13. "Ukraine's Crypto Banker Describes How War Is Changing His Life". Bloomberg.com. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  14. "Ukraine asked for donations in crypto. Then things got weird". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  15. "Bitcoin to the rescue: Cryptocurrencies' role in Ukraine". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  16. Emerson, Sarah (17 March 2022). "A New Bill Aims To Prevent Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs From Hiding Their Assets Using Cryptocurrency". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  17. "Understanding the Role of Digital Assets in Illicit Finance | United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs". www.banking.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-20.