Bilal M. is an auditor at a prestigious global accounting firm. Like other finance professionals, he knows the importance of diversifying risk. Like other finance professionals, he’s heard of the cryptocurrency boom. But unlike most other finance professionals – or most investors, for that matter – Bilal goes where few dare to. Not only is he all-in on Lisk, but he took out a loan to invest in the coin.
Crypto-what?
Up until 3 months ago, Bilal had never heard of cryptocurrency. Then, after a friend had made some good returns investing in Bitcoin, Bilal sat up and took note.
As a finance professional, Bilal was curious as to why Bitcoin was rising in value at such unprecedented levels. Motivated partly by professional curiosity and partly by the promise of making a profit, he started researching cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Bowled over by the blockchain
His initial monetary motivation, however, quickly gave way to a fascination with the technology driving this new industry. He spent the next 3 months engrossed in research, studying all he could about the industry as a whole, and the various blockchain products currently on the market.
It was thanks to hundreds of hours worth of self-education that he finally concluded which project he deemed best to invest in.
Taking Out Bank Loans
A few days ago, he took the plunge and made his first investment. But this was not just any investment. Bilal took out a loan in order to fund this venture. Pending bank approval, he will be taking out another loan shortly.
“It was a big amount and I guess I have to sell a small portion of my land if it fails. But it wouldn’t affect my life to the point of no return, as I am a regular 9 to 7 working guy. If it succeeds, it will help me greatly in starting up my own business, so for me it’s worth taking the risk.”
While he is aware that his actions can be construed as an extreme choice, even crazy to some, he believes that goals are not achieved if you’re not willing to taking bold risks from time to time. “What’s the point of playing it safe,” he asks. “Losing is not worse than not trying at all. Even if I lose all my money in the process, I wouldn’t regret because I took a risk for something I believed in.”
Why Lisk
While Bilal is interested in IOTA and a few other cryptocurrencies, Lisk is all he’s invested in so far. He believes further research is needed before he’ll make another investment move. He doesn’t plan on investing until he’s absolutely certain that he’s getting behind the right product. After all, he has to put the bank’s money where his mouth is.
He notes that he cannot be 100 percent sure that Lisk will be a winner, but he believes in their vision and what they’re bringing to the blockchain world. For him, a big selling point has been Lisk’s move to allow developers to build an application on the blockchain using Javascript. He believes this will attract huge developmental interest from developers that might not otherwise have gotten on board, leading to new ideas and innovations.
Bilal is convinced that he has picked the right project and is not phased by short-term losses.
“I have experienced no gains yet due to the drop in Lisk’s price recently, and I am actually at a little bit of loss. However, I am in this for the long term and these temporary movements on the graph do not unnerve me. I am confident that Lisk will be a success one day.”
Bilal believes that Lisk is an obvious choice to get behind.
He feels that the strength behind Lisk lies in the fact that it makes blockchain technology available to everyone, not only a limited pool of people. Lisk’s introduction of sidechains, an important step in minimizing the scalability issues faced by most blockchain projects, was another deciding factor.
Bilal also feels that Lisk’s move to give developers complete autonomy over their sidechains is an important reflection of the technology’s alignment to the principle of freedom promoted by the blockchain. Finally, he is of the opinion that Lisk soldiers on regardless of price drops and setbacks due to the CEO’s tenacious dedication because they’re looking at the bigger picture, not just short-term gains. Just like this accountant himself.
What Dreams May Come
Bilal’s family is supportive of his choice. In the cryptocurrency community, his daring move has met with mixed opinions. Some claim he is irresponsible for using money he doesn’t have to fund something he has no guarantee will be a success. Bilal welcomes criticism, as he feels this concern over him losing what he can’t afford is what makes this particular community as helpful and supportive as it is. Many others commend him for his courage to get behind an industry that is as unproven as it is revolutionary. Bilal shares in this common dream, and says, “I guess we are like a family fighting for the same cause to make the system more transparent and accountable.”
Bilal concludes:
“My decision to invest in Lisk is not driven entirely by my emotions. It’s backed up by solid calculations, covering all areas of possible risk. I am taking a calculated risk on something I believe in. For me, Lisk is worth the risk.”
Driven by his father’s truism that a company is only as good as its leader, and the belief that anything worth having is worth taking a risk for, he believes that Max Kordek’s hunger to build exceptional technology matches his own quest to succeed.
