Michael Chobanian
Michael Chobanian is the Founder of Kuna Exchange, the first public cryptocurrency exchange in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries. KUNA is one of the founding bodies of Bitcoin Foundation Ukraine that has built a network of bitcoin ATMs. He is the President of Blockchain Association of Ukraine, a non-profit organization that seeks to actively promote the spread of integration of blockchain technology into the Ukrainian economy. He is also the Founder of Xreserve which holds the UAX token, a stablecoin type cryptocurrency backed on a one-to-one reserve ratio to the Ukrainian currency Hryvnia. Michael has more than 15 years of leadership experience in the telecommunications and internet services market. Prior to launching KUNA, he was the founder and leader of INLIGHT Consulting, co-founder of Silenca Digital, and managing director and strategic business development at ITC. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Michael worked with the country's Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Defense to establish the official Crypto Fund of Ukraine to solicit cryptocurrency donations.
Michael Chobanian Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder
Academic History
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Executive Master of Business Administration
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Executive Master of Business Administration
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Executive Master of Business Administration
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Bachelor of Science, Economics
QUICK FACTS
He has been professionally studying Blockchain since 2011.
He opened the first Bitcoin Embassy in the CIS in 2014.
He is a founder of the social innovations development fund CryptoRous.
He founded Kuna Bitcoin Agency and the public organization Bitcoin Foundation Ukraine.
He ensured the fund is fully compliant with the current laws and regulations in Ukraine.
He noted that on March 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fully legalized crypto in Ukraine.
As of March 17, the fund has raised over $55 million, allowing Ukraine to purchase more than 5,500 bulletproof vests, 500 helmets, and 410,000 meals, among other supplies.
EARLY CAREER
Michael was CEO of VULKANIT, a leading manufacturer of basalt fiber products in CIS, which holds and develops the most advanced basalt fiber technologies in the world.
He was Founder of INLIGHT, a digital marketing consulting firm that tenders with digital agencies, audits of digital resources, and advertising campaigns.
As Managing Director at ITC, he was the leader in internal branding and ideology, as well as corporate structure.
MEDIA
Michael has appeared in numerous financial publications discussing cryptocurrencies.
He has also appeared as a guest on Real Vision.