MA-ALGORAND
17.12.2018 10:02:12 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Algorand , a foundational blockchain and cryptocurrency company, announced today that it has named Pablo Azar as Chief Economist. Given Algorand's focus on creating sustainable value in a decentralized economy, Mr. Azar will be responsible for guiding Algorand’s economic policies.
On the heels of announcing Steve Kokinos and W. Sean Ford as CEO and COO, respectively, Mr. Azar’s appointment as Chief Economist is another advancement for Algorand as it continues to develop its executive team. With a double Ph.D. from MIT, Mr. Azar will bring his unique expertise regarding the application of computer science and cryptography toward the creation of better market mechanisms. Further, he will be responsible for expanding the visibility of Algorand’s economic policy and enhancing the tools necessary for developers to build on the Algorand platform.
“As momentum around tokenization increases, so does the need for sound economic management,” said Steve Kokinos, CEO at Algorand. “With his deep background in economics and computer science, Pablo will ensure our community has economic policies and tools necessary for businesses to build on our foundational platform.”
As consumers drive economies toward an increasingly digital, transparent, and borderless reality, businesses must embrace technology that supports decentralization to both remain strategically relevant and to participate in the economic potential of this new decentralized world. As a scalable, secure and decentralized platform and digital currency that solves the “blockchain trilemma,” Algorand serves as the foundation for existing businesses and new projects to operate globally in the emerging decentralized economy.
“Algorand’s main goal is to build a blockchain that adds real value to the economy,” said Pablo Azar, Chief Economist at Algorand. “The kind of research problems being undertaken by Algorand intersect with many subfields of economics. My initial focus is on key issues such as mitigating the risk faced by our users and collaborating with industry partners in order to design new economic applications. I look forward to being part of a team of outstanding academics, engineers, and business experts.”
Pablo is joining Algorand from a 10-year stint at MIT, where he worked on cryptography and macroeconomics, including the development of rational interactive proofs, using software engineering metrics to understand the complexity of US Financial regulations, and developing models on the formation of supply chains and their effects on economic growth. His work has been featured on Bloomberg, The Atlantic, and US News and World Report. He received a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard, a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT in 2014, and will receive a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 2019.
About Algorand
Based in Boston, and founded by cryptography pioneer and Turing award winner Silvio Micali, Algorand solves the “blockchain trilemma ” with a platform that delivers decentralization, scalability and security. Algorand provides a foundation for existing businesses and new projects to operate globally in the emerging decentralized economy. Algorand’s first-of-its-kind, permissionless, pure proof-of-stake protocol supports the scale, open participation, and transaction finality required to build systems for billions of users.
For more information, visit https://www.algorand.com/ .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181217005068/en/
Contact:
Samantha Powers March Communications algorand@marchcomms.com 617-960-8896
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Rigaku Launches CT Lab HR160 High-Resolution X-ray CT System1.9.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
- Developed in collaboration with Excillum for battery, semiconductor devices, and advanced materials analysis - Rigaku Corporation, a global solutions partner in X-ray analytical systems and a group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (Headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; President and CEO: Jun Kawakami; “Rigaku”), today announced the launch of the CT Lab HR160, a high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) system for battery, semiconductor devices, electronic components, and advanced materials analysis. The system is developed in collaboration with Excillum AB, the global source for X-ray innovation (Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden; CEO: David Lindblom; “Excillum”). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260901074099/en/ Photo: CT Lab HR160 High-Resolution X-ray CT System CT Lab HR160 combines Rigaku’s X-ray CT imaging expertise with Excillum’s NanoTube N3 X-ray source. Operating at up to 160 kV to support a wide r
GigaDevice Joins the Zephyr® Project to Foster Global Open-Source Ecosystem1.9.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
GigaDevice, a leading semiconductor company specializing in Flash memory, 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), sensors, and analog products, has officially joined the Zephyr® Project, one of the world’s leading open-source real-time operating systems (RTOS). Hosted by the Linux Foundation®, the Zephyr® Project welcomes GigaDevice as a Silver Member, making GigaDevice a dual Silver Member of both the Zephyr® Project and the Linux Foundation. Leveraging its comprehensive GD32 MCU portfolio, GigaDevice will actively participate in the Zephyr® community, promoting deeper integration between its MCU technologies and the global open-source RTOS ecosystem. This will provide customers and developers in industrial, IoT, consumer electronics, and other fields with a more open, standardized, and efficient embedded development environment, while continuing to contribute to the growth of the global embedded open ecosystem and broader access to technology. With the continued evolution of the Internet of
Vivax-Metrotech Partners with Oaktree to Accelerate Strategic Growth1.9.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
Vivax-Metrotech Corporation (“Vivax-Metrotech”), a leading manufacturer of precision locating and inspection devices for utility infrastructure, and Oaktree’s Power Opportunities strategy, today announced a partnership to accelerate Vivax-Metrotech’s growth trajectory and strengthen its leading position. For more than 60 years, Vivax-Metrotech has delivered best-in-class solutions for the utility industry with a focus on underground infrastructure. From its origins in California, the company has expanded across the United States and internationally, developing and supplying locator systems, inspection cameras, and associated digital solutions that help utilities, municipalities, and service providers safely build, maintain, and manage their assets. Today, Vivax-Metrotech is firmly established as a leading player in the U.S. and Global utility locator equipment and inspection device markets. The partnership with Oaktree’s Power Opportunities group will support Vivax-Metrotech’s continue
Mary Kay Unveils New Global Brand Platform – Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared™ – Reclaiming Beauty as a Shared Experience1.9.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
With Largest Consumer-Facing Campaign In Company History Mary Kay Enters Its New Era Of Reach And Impact Today, Mary Kay Inc., the iconic beauty and entrepreneurship brand founded by the bold visionary Mary Kay Ash, announced Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared™, its largest-ever global consumer-facing campaign and a long-term brand strategy designed to drive its next era of growth. Launching across 40 markets worldwide, the campaign reintroduces Mary Kay to a new generation of consumers by celebrating a timeless truth at the heart of the brand: Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared™ and bridging the love for Mary Kay across generations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260901735460/en/ Mary Kay announces Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared™, its largest-ever global consumer-facing campaign and a long-term brand strategy designed to drive its next era of growth. (Image Courtesy: Mary Kay Inc.) “Beauty Is More Beautiful Share
Visa Launches Enhanced A2A Protect Innovations to Help Financial Institutions Stop Fraud Before Money Leaves Accounts1.9.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
New unified fraud score is the company’s first combined offering in-market since Visa’s acquisition of FeaturespaceA2A Protect has been shown to reduce over 50% more fraud and help reduce over 40% in unnecessary fraud alerts Visa (NYSE: V), a world leader in digital payments, today announced an enhanced version of A2A Protect, delivering real-time risk insights that help banks stop account-to-account fraud before money leaves customer accounts. The expanded solution introduces a new unified fraud score—Visa’s first in-market integration of Featurespace technology—giving financial institutions faster, clearer signals to detect more fraud while reducing unnecessary alerts. As account-to-account (A2A) payments accelerate globally, A2A transactions are projected to surpass 5.8 trillion by 2028, a 160% increase from 20241. A2A Protect leverages advanced AI and sophisticated transfer learning and gives banks immediate access to critical global risk insights on A2A transactions, without waiti
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom