Bitcoin Association, the Switzerland-based global industry organisation that works to advance business with the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain, today announces that it has appointed two new Ambassadors for the Asia-Pacific region as part of its global ambassador programme, with George Siosi Samuels appointed as Ambassador for the South Pacific and Masumi Hamahira appointed as another Ambassador for Japan.

Bitcoin Association Ambassadors are experienced professionals from the Bitcoin SV ecosystem who work to raise awareness and improve understanding of the Bitcoin SV blockchain and BSV digital currency, as well as the power of the original Bitcoin protocol to support a massively scaled distributed data network for the world. With today’s additions, there are now 22 Bitcoin Association Ambassadors representing 23 different countries and territories.

George Siosi Samuels is the managing director of Faiā, a community tech consultancy working to bridge gaps between communities and technology, particularly in small and developing nations and regions. Faiā is working together with BSV ecosystem companies nChain and Elas Digital to help the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu build – using the BSV blockchain – the world’s first national digital ledger to become the world’s first paperless society.  In addition, Samuels is the founder of Honā, a BSV blockchain-based social accountability platform that can be utilised across a range of different use cases, including the ability to improve the productivity of remote workers worldwide.  Honā was voted the #1 judges’ choice during the Draper University Pitching Competition run by venture capitalist Tim Draper’s organisation.

Masumi Hamahira is a veteran financial executive, having spent 22 years working for MUFG – the world’s fifth-largest bank – including in Malaysia.  An expert in the requirements of Islamic Finance, Hamahira also serves on the board of directors for the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIFP). Supporting BSV initiatives in his individual capacity (rather than on behalf of MUFG or CIIFP), Hamihara is an initial member of the Bitcoin SV Technical Standards Committee and already serves as Bitcoin Association’s Ambassador for Malaysia.   Having relocated from Malaysia to Tokyo, Japan, Hamahira now will also act as a Bitcoin Association Ambassador in Japan (adding to efforts of Ken Shishido, the Association’s first appointed Ambassador for the country).

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Speaking on today’s announcement, Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen, commented:

“As Bitcoin SV continues to demonstrate its utility across a variety of business use cases all over the world, especially in countries in Asia-Pacific, we continue to expand our global Bitcoin Association team to help spread the word and support the ongoing BSV growth story. Both George and Masumi have demonstrated ability as leaders in their respective business fields and as strong advocates for BSV, making them ideal candidates to be new Bitcoin Association Ambassadors for the Asia-Pacific region.”

Speaking on his appointment as Bitcoin Association Ambassador to the South Pacific, George Siosi Samuels, said:

“I see huge potential for the Pacific region, not just for BSV adoption, but for the underlying utility of the technology and its ability to offer leapfrogging development that will facilitate future social, cultural and economic growth. While the Pacific region is often overlooked because of its remoteness, I believe that our Pacific nations will be able to draw on our history as master ocean explorers and translate that into mastering the new digital ocean enabled by Bitcoin technology.”

Speaking on his appointment as a Bitcoin Association Ambassador to Japan, Masumi Hamahira, said:

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“I foresee Bitcoin SV as a driver for innovation as a global public blockchain protocol in the same way that the Internet protocol did, just as I see great potential in Japan for sophisticated corporates to use BSV in new and unique ways. In my new role, I will work to enhance the awareness of BSV among regulators, lawyers, industry associations, developers and academia by leveraging my network as a global banker and working so that we see the beautiful dawn of Bitcoin SV from the Land of the Rising Sun.”