Business Wire

MA-ALGORAND

17.12.2018 10:02:12 CET | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Algorand Appoints Pablo Azar as Chief Economist

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/ .

Contact:

Samantha Powers March Communications algorand@marchcomms.com 617-960-8896

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

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

Bitcoin Suisse Advances Middle East Expansion, Receiving Financial Services Permission in Abu Dhabi7.7.2026 09:15:00 CEST | Press release

Premium virtual assets pioneer BTCS (Middle East) Ltd. is now fully authorized by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, enabling regulated institutional services across the UAE. Building on its position as Switzerland’s leading crypto financial services provider, Bitcoin Suisse is further accelerating its international expansion. Bitcoin Suisse Group’s subsidiary, BTCS (Middle East) Ltd. (“BTCS ME”) has received Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, marking another significant step toward the Group’s international growth strategy becoming a leading global wealth management partner. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707864200/en/ Ceyda Majcen, Chief Executive Officer and SEO of BTCS ME, leads Bitcoin Suisse Group's expansion in the Middle East and brings extensive, long-standing

Alpaca Completes EEA Passporting to 29 Countries, Expanding Access to Regulated Investment Services Across Europe7.7.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release

Alpaca now provides regulated, localized investment services across the European Economic Area Alpaca, a global leader in brokerage infrastructure APIs, today announced that it has completed the process to passport its regulated and localized investment services across 29 countries in the EEA (European Economic Area) through its Spain-based EEA hub. The completion of EEA passporting enables Alpaca to extend the regulatory foundation established through its European entity, which is authorized and registered with Spain’s Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), across the EEA under the MiFID II framework. Together with Alpaca’s regulated UK entity, this milestone strengthens Alpaca’s ability to support fintechs, financial institutions, and enterprise partners building regulated investment products across Europe, reaching a market of nearly 500 million people. The passported countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finla

Capvidia Announces 2026 R1 Software Release to Strengthen MBD Readiness, QIF Workflows, and Digital Thread Automation7.7.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release

Latest release brings MBDReady Check into Creo, expands QIF-based Weld Analysis for NX, improves inspection workflows, and adds STEP AP242 Edition 3 compatibility. Capvidia, a provider of Model-Based Definition (MBD), Model-Based Enterprise (MBE), and CAD interoperability software, today announced Capvidia 2026 R1, the latest version of its software portfolio for manufacturers, OEMs, suppliers, and quality organizations. Built with more than 5,600 development hours, Capvidia 2026 R1 includes a combination of over 400 new features, improvements, customer-requested enhancements, and bug fixes across the Capvidia product portfolio. The release helps manufacturers make model-based workflows more practical, validated, and automation-ready. Capvidia 2026 R1 introduces MBDReady Check inside MBDConnect for Creo, expands QIF-based Weld Analysis for Siemens NX, improves Bill of Characteristics and 2D ballooning workflows in MBDVidia, strengthens semantic recognition for machine-readable inspecti

Landmark Global Galderma Survey Shows 9 out of 10 People Are Affected by Skin Quality Concerns7.7.2026 07:00:00 CEST | Press release

World’s most extensive skin quality profiling survey of more than 11,000 people across Europe, Asia, and the Americas finds that nine out of ten people are affected by skin quality concerns, with the most important attributes of good skin quality identified as smooth, hydrated and glowing skin1 Results show that skin quality has an impact on quality of life for 85% of people, with more than a third feeling self-conscious, insecure or anxious due to poor skin quality1 In response to clinicians’ calls for a universal assessment tool to help address these concerns, Galderma supported leading experts in the development of the Skin Quality Assessment Scale; a holistic, science-based tool to evaluate skin quality comprehensively and guide personalized, long-term treatment planning2 At Galderma, we champion skin quality by providing insights, tools, and solutions to better understand and address a wide spectrum of concerns, helping people take pride and feel comfortable in their own skin at e

Morinaga Milk Achieves Self-Affirmed GRAS Status for LAC-Living+™, Expanding U.S. Opportunities for Its Postbiotic Ingredient7.7.2026 04:00:00 CEST | Press release

Clinical evidence–backed postbiotic supports mood and well-being with formulation flexibility for diverse applications Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:2264), a leading Japanese dairy and functional ingredient company, today announced that it has achieved self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status in the United States for LAC-Living+™ (L. helveticus MCC1848), its proprietary postbiotic ingredient. This milestone expands the commercial availability of LAC-Living+ in the U.S. market and enables its use in dietary supplements, functional foods, and beverages, supporting the development of products designed to address growing consumer demand for health and well-being solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706806943/en/ Growing Interest in Postbiotics and Mental Well-Being Consumer interest in proactive health management has expanded significantly in recent years, alongside increasing aw

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
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye