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Miss Finland: Most Women Stay Away From Bitcoin Because of Its Risk

One of cryptocurrency’s strongest female supporters states that women tend to stay away from Bitcoin due to its high-risk level, hence its low popularity among women.

Miss Universe Finland 2015 winner, Rosa-Maria Ryyti, had argued that Bitcoin’s risk factor has made it more appealing to men, in a twitter discussion on September 5th. Her statement was in response to a query by an analyst Filb Filb, he had asked followers why the Bitcoin community was overwhelmingly male.

“Women are more risk-conscious in general and often go for a ‘slow & steady’ investment strategy,” Ryyti further added that:

“The current general perception of Bitcoin in the MSM makes it even less probable for the average woman (and man) to get involved.”

What statistics say about this gender imbalance

According to available data, about 90% of the Bitcoin community are male.

This issue has often sparked off debates and has led to dedicated structures put in place to increase the massive gender imbalance.

A previous report had stated that one out of every five cryptocurrency holders is a woman, this was revealed in a survey conducted by Bitpanda and GlobalWebIndex. The aim of this survey at the time was to gather and collate data so as to more accurately get the bigger picture of European crypto investors.

Ryyti herself had risen to limelight only recently, participating in the Lightning Torch Bitcoin transaction relay earlier this year.

Image via Shutterstock

BookBlocks Plans to Launch NFT Series to Fund Afghanistan Women's Education Drives

BookBlocks, a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) startup, is set to empower Afghanistan’s girls and women as they face the harshest reality with the rise of the Taliban leadership for the first time in about three decades.

With the Taliban in control, one of the worst nightmares is resurfacing with the possibility of undermining young girls continuous education hanging in the balance.

A not-for-profit organization, Women for Afghan Women, is striving for women’s rights to be upheld, including the clamour for women education to be upheld against the antics of the Taliban government. With the inherent risks attached to this fight for human rights under a government committed to pursuing Islamic extremism, the Women for Afghan Women defies all odds to make its voice heard and has drawn the international community’s attention.

BookBlocks, whose entire platform is centred on reimagining how new books are published, and old books are revived, has planned to launch an NFT series with 100% of the proceeds scheduled to fund the Afghan women’s cause. As the company highlighted in an announcement, a total of 2,200 NFTs will be minted in 4 different phases of 550 each. While the entire proceeds will be pushed to the organization after minting, as much as 5% of subsequent sales of the NFTs will also go to the organization.

“This week, the Taliban announced only male teachers and students should return to schools, leaving the future of millions of girls across Afghanistan uncertain. This is a generation that grew up hopeful and dreaming about their future through educational opportunities. Women for Afghan Women has been working on the ground for 20 years to improve the lives of women and girls. Thank you, BookBlocks, for standing with the Afghan people at this critical time. We encourage you all to support this inspiring campaign and support our Afghan sisters,” said Naheed Samadi Bahram, US Country Director, Women for Afghan Women.

Just like BookBlocks, other renowned NFT artists are also committing their funds to charity, top of which is Beeple, the highest-grossing NFT artist to date. Amidst the growing NFT Mania, the commitment of funds to charity will also boost the outlook of the nascent innovative offshoot of blockchain technology.

Turkish Female Investors Shows More Crypto Knowledge than Male Counterparts, Study Shows

In Turkey, more women are investing and trading cryptocurrencies as their crypto curiosity tops that of men, according to a survey by crypto exchange KuCoin.

Per the announcement:

“One of the key takeaways is how women in Turkey get involved in crypto. More specifically, they are almost as well-represented as men in the trading and investing segment. Female accounts represent 47% of investors and 63% of the crypto-curious.”

Female crypto investors stand at 47% in Turkey, just slightly lower than their male counterparts at 53%.

Nevertheless, women’s desire to know about cryptocurrencies is considerably higher at 63% than men at 37% in the nation.

The study noted that Turkey was a vital region for crypto adoption despite the absence of regulatory frameworks, given that interest for crypto-assets was rising, especially among older generations and women.

One of the catalysts of crypto interest entails the ongoing financial turmoil witnessed in the nation. For instance, runaway inflation has caused the nation’s currency, the Turkish lira, to lose nearly 50% of its value.

The report noted:

“To avoid the decreasing purchasing power from savings in lira, consumers flock to alternative investment solutions. The U.S. Dollar and gold remain favorable options, but overall demand for exposure to cryptocurrencies is rising.”

Exploring the cryptocurrency waters in areas like derivatives, stablecoins, and metaverse projects have become the norm in Turkey as mass adoption remains on track. The survey reads:

“Roughly 40% of the internet population aged 18-60 own cryptocurrencies or have traded such assets in the past six months. Moreover, 59% of crypto investors will increase their exposure in the first half of 2022.”

Cryptocurrencies are also coming to the rescue of Argentinians as high inflation rates continue to bite. The annual inflation rate on Argentinian soil does not seem to be slowing down because economists speculate it will hit 55% this year from 50.7% recorded in 2021.

Gemini Report Shows Women Lagging Behind Men in Web3 Investments

There is a big difference between male and female Web3 investors, according to a report from cryptocurrency marketplace Gemini.

The report showed that women make up only 26% of Web3 investors; and 15% of bitcoin investors, even though a 2021 study by the personal loan company Stilt showed that 94% of people who own crypto are millennials or Generation Z.

The Web3 community has witnessed growth opportunities with the popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which have surpassed $22 billion in the global market since last year, DappRadar’s report showed.

However, a report from BTC Markets showed that the cryptocurrency market is witnessing an increase in women users.

The Australian bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange said that it saw a 175% increase in women users last fiscal year. The percentage dwarfed the 80% increase it saw in male users, the report stated.

Compared to the $2,060 average deposits from men, women made larger initial deposits of an average of $2,381, according to the report. But portfolio sizes for women were slightly lesser than men by about $400 on average.

The report also suggested that women followed a “structured trading strategy with a smaller range of more focused positions” as they traded fewer times a day. It added that women traded two times a day on average as compared to five by men.

The report stated that women are also more risk-averse than men in financial studies.

While another report from Gemini showed an increase in crypto investments among women in the Asia Pacific region and exponential growth of crypto adoption in the UK in 2021.

According to the report, around two in five crypto owners in Singapore (40%) and India (38%) are women. However, Australia trails behind, with only 27% of crypto owners being women, but it is expected to increase.

While 37% or more than one-third of crypto owners in Hong Kong are women, the percentage is higher than in the United States (32%) and the United Kingdom (35%); however, 51% or more than half of crypto owners in Indonesia are women.

Crypto is No Longer Men Club as More Female Entering the Space, Study Shows

Women are no longer excluded from the crypto bandwagon because they are rapidly participating and investing in this sector, according to a co-study by mobile crypto wallet Valora and global market researcher Appinio.

“It’s encouraging to see women from around the world joining the crypto community and unlocking new financial opportunities,” Jackie Bona, Valora’s CEO, pointed out.

Bona added that the notion of crypto being a boys’ club was fading away as more women were setting foot in the sector. She noted:

“Crypto has this reputation for being a bit of a boys’ club, but more and more women are now empowered to meaningfully participate in this new financial system.”

Women are taking up the crypto mantle as most of them made their first investment in this sector less than a year ago. Per the study:

“Nearly two-thirds (60.6%) of women who own crypto made their first crypto investment less than one year ago.”

Furthermore, twice as many women made their crypto investment within the last six months at 28.1% compared to more than two years ago at 13.9%.

Therefore, this phenomenon represents a trending shift. Per the research:

“Until recently, the space was predominantly made up of men. Over half (51.8%) of men made their first cryptocurrency investment more than a year ago.”

More women are entering the crypto sector based on changing needs, tastes, and preferences. Morgan Beller, a general partner at Valora, said:

“I think the growth can be attributed to need, want, increased understanding/education, and superior product experiences.”

The study was conducted between March 23 and April 10, 2022, and surveyed 1,500 NFT and crypto investors or owners aged 18 to 65 across Spain, France, Germany, the USA, and the UK.

A past survey by crypto exchange KuCoin noted that women’s desire to know about cryptocurrencies was considerably higher than that of men in Turkey, Blockchain.News reported.

27% Female Professionals Participate in Web3-related Projects, KuCoin Study Shows

As Web3 continues to gain steam, female professionals in this sector are more active career-wise than their male counterparts. However, only 27% female working professionals have participated in web3-related projects, which is still lower than male counterparts, according to a study by crypto exchange KuCoin.

The study surveyed 3,608 internet users familiar with Web3 across LinkedIn and Twitter. The findings suggested that 16% of the respondents were Web3 professionals in Web3-related areas like DeFi, metaverse, cryptocurrency, DAO, DApp development, and NFT.

“Although 27% of female Web3 professionals have been involved in starting Web3-related projects or businesses, the share is still lower than their male Web3 professionals, of whom 41% are self-reported Web3 entrepreneurs,” the report noted.

59% of the Web3 professionals surveyed were under 30 years old. Furthermore, the majority worked part-time as entrepreneurs and freelance at 76%. The study added:

“49% of female Web3 professionals have worked part-time or as freelancers in Web3-related industries, and 33% have worked full-time.”

The Web 3 Career Market report highlighted professional engagement in the decentralised internet arena. KuCoin pointed out:

“Female Web3 professionals are generally more active career-wise than their male counterparts, unlike surveyed female Web3 enthusiasts, who are less prone to making Web3 investments than their male counterparts.”

The findings revealed that both Web3 professionals and enthusiasts were interested in investing in this sector because it would be a stepping stone toward a new decentralised world. Furthermore, it would usher in the future of the internet beyond crypto adoption.

Nevertheless, the barrier to entry for women in Web3 entailed the absence of proper educational resources.

Since Web3 seeks to revamp the World Wide Web through blockchain technology and concepts like decentralisation and token-based economics, it continues to gain traction.

For instance, KuCoin rolled out a $100 million “Creator Fund” to enhance the Web3 ecosystem and support early-stage NFT projects, Blockchain.News reported.

Binance Charity Donates $100,000 in Georgia to Empower Women through Web3 Education

Tbilisi, Georgia, 8th March, 2023, Chainwire

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of Binance, the world’s leading cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure provider, has announced a $100,000 donation to Georgia’s Innovation & Technology Agency (GITA) to support web3 education and training. As a result of the partnership, more than 100 women will be able to study professional courses in Web3 and get support to move into the job market.

“We’re proud of our new partnership with GITA, which aims to diversify the Web3 industry by removing financial barriers to study and developing new courses. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re allocating 100 out of the 180 scholarships available for women. Georgia is very advanced in terms of adopting new technologies, and there’s already a strong pool of talented women who are interested in innovation, including Web3. We hope these scholarships will enable these women to pursue their passions and further strengthen Georgia as a hub for women in tech.” comments Helen Hai, Head of Binance Charity.

This donation is the latest of Binance Charity’s efforts towards empowering women around the world through education and humanitarian projects. To date, Binance Charity has supported more than 51,000 women across 10 countries, donating over $3 million to women-only initiatives including 36,215 scholarships. In the five years since the non-profit organization was founded, it helped more than 2 million people, with a particular focus on addressing social issues that still disproportionately affect women such as inequality, access to education, and poverty.

Binance Charity donations have been directed to Web3 education programs to support women and other underrepresented and underserved groups to study vocationally as part of workshops as well as through higher education opportunities with top universities. Among these programs are:

The DLT Talent Programme with Frankfurt Blockchain Center, which is already underway, to support 400 female leaders in the Blockchain space;
Collaboration with Women in Tech in Brazil, South Africa and Burundi providing funding to train 2,800 women in rural communities in Web3 basics, develop entrepreneurship skills, and support them into employment;
Partnership with Utiva to strengthen Africa as a hub for tech talent through supporting 1,000 individuals, at least 50% women, to take professional blockchain and digital skills courses.

These projects are part of the Binance Charity Scholar Program, enabling the next generation of Web3 leaders to develop their skills, knowledge and experience without financial barriers. Applications to study as part of this initiative have surpassed 80,000 worldwide since June last year.

Binance Charity remains committed to supporting innovative solutions in using Web3 for social good with a focus on women, as well as investing in research to identify the most impactful ways to use this technology.

About Binance Charity

Binance Charity is a non-profit organization dedicated to unlocking Web3 as a powerful tool for social change. Its mission is to enable Web3 as a driver of social transformation by making its education and research accessible to all, and advancing global solutions for local humanitarian impact. Binance Charity uses its 100% transparent donation platform to build a future where technology is used as a force for good. To date, Binance Charity has supported over 2 million end beneficiaries through various projects. For more information, visit https://www.binance.charity/.

About Binance

Binance is the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider with a financial product suite that includes the largest digital asset exchange by volume. Trusted by millions worldwide, the Binance platform is dedicated to increasing the freedom of money for users, and features an unmatched portfolio of crypto products and offerings, including trading and finance, education, data and research, social good, investment and incubation, decentralization and infrastructure solutions, and more.

Contact

Dan Edelsteinpr@marketacross.com

Unstoppable Women of Web3 Leads Initiative to Provide Web3 and Metaverse Education for 6 Million African Women

San Francisco, California, 8th March, 2023, Chainwire

The initiative will consist of free digital identities, educational streams, online courses, in-person networking, and more to bring more women in Africa into Web3 and the metaverse

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Unstoppable Women of Web3 (Unstoppable WoW3), a diversity and education group on a mission to equalize the playing field in Web3, today announced a commitment to providing Web3 and metaverse education for six million women in Africa over the next five years. The initiative is launching in partnership with 19+ companies including the African Leadership Group, Africa Women CEOs Network, Chipper Cash, NFT Domains, Polygon Labs, Sankore 2.0, Unstoppable Domains, Uoma Beauty, and the Virtual Brand Group, along with 17 other companies.

As a first step towards their goal of onboarding six million women in Africa to Web3 and the metaverse, Unstoppable Women of Web3 and Unstoppable Domains will expand access to user-owned digital identity through free Unstoppable domains, which people can claim for the next 30 days. Web3 domains, like dranino.nft, give people ownership of their identity data – allowing them to create a portable, user-owned reputation across Web3 and the metaverse.

“Africa has one of the most rapidly growing Web3 sectors today, but it’s not exempt from the gender equality issues we see across the globe, and we need to make sure everyone has a seat at the table,” said Sandy Carter, Founder of Unstoppable Women of Web3 and COO and Head of Business Development at Unstoppable Domains. “Empowerment starts with education, which is why we’re thrilled to lead this initiative to educate six million more African women on the metaverse and Web3.”

In order to meet this commitment, the partner organizations will offer Web3 and metaverse education via a wide assortment of educational streams, programs, learning materials, in-person events, and online courses:

The African Leadership Group will offer master classes and content on Web3 and the metaverse to their ongoing training and lifelong learning programs across Africa.
Africa Women CEOs Network will present a CEO Education in Masterclass Program designed specifically for women in Africa.
Educational programs will be available online on the Unstoppable Women of Web3 official website, and will be translated into Portuguese, French, and Arabic.
Chipper Cash will surface Unstoppable Women of Web’s Web3 and metaverse education within its app.
Sankore 2.0, an Africa-focused blockchain community builder, will develop and organize online and physical courses on metaverse knowledge and blockchain code development to empower African women in Web3 technology.
Unstoppable Women of Web3 and Unstoppable Domains will provide free Web3 domain addresses to expand access to user-owned digital identity. They’ll also launch a set of blogs on digital identity on the Unstoppable Women of Web3 website, available in French and English, and issue special NFT-based Education Badges for women who complete the education programs.
Unstoppable Domains and Unstoppable Women of Web3 will launch a blockchain education stream in partnership with Alchemy.

Today, Africa is one of the fastest-growing adopters of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and Web3 technology globally. The continent already features the world’s second-largest Bitcoin market and a government-backed central bank digital currency. Africa also witnessed a 1,200% increase in crypto payments from 2020 to 2021, showing a massive and rapidly growing demand for the nascent technology.

“Having started my entrepreneurial career in Nigeria at 17, I know the power and opportunity of Africa. I see technology and innovation as the way to unlock this next generation of women,” said Sharon Chuter, CEO & Founder of Uoma Beauty.

However, like many male-dominated tech and engineering sectors, Web3 suffers from uneven representation. In 2021, for example, out of the 121 leading crypto companies, it was discovered that less than 5% were founded by women, and women only represent 10% of partners at crypto funds.

Fred Swaniker, founder and CEO of African Leadership Group, said: “By 2035, Africa will have the largest and youngest workforce in the world and will be the primary driver of the 4th industrial revolution. Considering the burgeoning nature of the Web3 industry and the fact that women currently make up 50% of the African continent, it is incredibly important to educate and empower our women with the tools they need to succeed in this field. This partnership will champion not only diversity in Web3 but also enable Africa to continue establishing itself as a global Web3 hub.”

Jennifer Kattula, SVP of Marketing at Polygon Labs said: “We believe in diversity and its impact on the web3 industry. We support women on this International Women’s Day and 365 days of the year. We are proud to support Unstoppable Women of Web3 and the Metaverse as they expand into Africa and beyond.”

Dr. Anino Emuwa, Managing Director of Avandis Consulting and Founder of Africa Women CEOs Network, said: “This initiative will give women in Africa a chance to participate in one of the fastest growing industries in the modern world. The tech and Web3 industries have historically faced issues with diversity and a lack of representation, but with this new initiative, women in Africa can learn about a burgeoning industry and be part of building its future.”

Justin W. Hochberg, CEO and Co-Founder of the Virtual Brand Group, said: “If you can defy gravity in the metaverse, why can’t we defy convention as to who has a voice and the technical skills? This is a once in a generation opportunity to empower diverse talent which will benefit everyone as we collectively build this brave new interconnected world from games to fashion, loyalty to art, sports, music, entertainment and beyond. I challenge everyone to be the change you wish to see in the metaverse and web3 starting here and now with the women of Africa where humankind originated and which over the next decades will be a leading global technology hub.”

Laura Kennedy, VP of Corporate Development at Chipper Cash, said: “We are delighted to pledge our support to the Unstoppable Women of Web3 initiative. Chipper Cash is a company deeply committed to unlocking global opportunities to connect and uplift Africa. When Chipper launched a crypto product more than two years ago, it was in response to a need expressed by our customers. With this initiative, Chipper and Unstoppable Women share a vision that inclusive access and education are critical to building an equitable online ecosystem where everyone can thrive.”

Other partners supporting this initiative are: African Women in Fintech & Payments (AWFP), Afrilabs, Bookings Africa, Ejara, Eloy Awards Foundation, Emerging Africa Group, Futuresoft, Google Cloud, Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO, Mission Impact Academy, Miss O Cool Girls, NairaEx, SpaceYaTech, The Product House, Thousand Faces NFT, UTU, Women in Management Africa (WIMA), and Women in Tech.

This is not the first time Unstoppable Women of Web3 has launched an educational initiative to onboard women from underrepresented communities to Web3. Last October, the organization also announced its mission to educate and onboard over five million Latinas into Web3 by 2030.

About Unstoppable Women of Web3

Launched in 2022, Unstoppable Women of Web3 is a diversity and education group focusing on training the next generation of talent, with a mission to equalize the playing field early in the Web3 era. All 206 collaborators have pledged to feature work created by historically marginalized groups in at least half of all materials used for Web3 education.

About Unstoppable Domains

Launched in 2018, Unstoppable Domains is a Web3 domain name provider and digital identity platform working to onboard the world onto Web3. Unstoppable Domains offers Web3 domains minted on the blockchain that give people full ownership and control of their digital identity, with no renewal fees. With Unstoppable Domains, people can replace lengthy alphanumeric crypto wallet addresses with a human-readable name and log into and transact with more than 720 apps, wallets, exchanges and marketplaces. The company was named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Startup Employers in 2022.

About African Leadership Group

The African Leadership Group (ALG) is an ecosystem of independent entities with a shared vision for transforming Africa by developing three million ethical and entrepreneurial leaders by 2035. Anchored in its unique and effective learning model, ALG has been at the forefront of developing diverse talent for the past two decades, equipping and harnessing the potential of African youth to meaningfully engage with — and contribute to — the global digital economy as leaders and innovators. As a leading technology training provider, its mission is to solidify Africa’s place as the final frontier for technology, while providing a lasting solution to the global technology talent shortage. ALG was named by Fast Company as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world in 2019.

About Africa Women CEOs Network

Africa Women CEOs Network, is a community of women leading businesses. Our peer network helps women combat the lonely-at-the -top syndrome supporting their professional growth through the provision of bespoke leadership development and access to business opportunities.

As UN Women Generation Equality Action Coalition commitment makers, we collectively contribute to accelerating progress towards gender balanced leadership across the continent through our advocacy and DEI initiatives.

About Chipper Cash

Chipper Cash is a financial technology company serving more than five million customers across the African continent. In 2018, Chipper Cash revolutionized moving money in Africa with the introduction of fee-free transfers for personal payments—providing a frictionless way to send and receive money cross-border and enabling financial inclusivity across the continent. Since then, Chipper has increased its product suite by offering personal investments and digital business transactions, and expanded its reach into the US. Led by co-founders Ham Serunjogi and Maijid Moujaled, Chipper Cash is focused on its mission to provide the most trusted and accessible financial services for people living in Africa and beyond. For additional information, please visit www.chippercash.com.

About Polygon Labs

Polygon Labs develops Ethereum scaling solutions for Polygon protocols. Polygon Labs engages with other ecosystem developers to help make available scalable, affordable, secure and sustainable blockchain infrastructure for Web3. Polygon Labs has initially developed a growing suite of protocols for developers to gain easy access to major scaling solutions, including layer 2s (zero-knowledge rollups and optimistic rollups), sidechains, hybrid chains, app-specific chains, enterprise chains, and data availability protocols. Scaling solutions that Polygon Labs initially developed have seen widespread adoption with tens of thousands of decentralized apps, unique addresses exceeding 220.8 million, over 1.18 million smart contracts created and 2.48 billion total transactions processed since inception. The existing Polygon network is home for some of the biggest Web3 projects, such as Aave, Uniswap, and OpenSea, and well-known enterprises, including Robinhood, Stripe and Adobe. Polygon Labs is carbon neutral with the goal of leading Web3 in becoming carbon negative.

About Virtual Brand Group

The Virtual Brand Group (VBG) is an award-winning metaverse pioneer transforming businesses by strategizing, building, and operating brands in virtual worlds. VBG works in partnership with global intellectual property across entertainment, fashion, retail, lifestyle, and beauty to deliver immersive experiences, social games, digital marketing campaigns, virtual fashion, and next-level token reward programs.

The company won Licensing International’s “Best Digital Licensed Product” for its work building Forever21’s Shop City into the #1 retailer on Roblox (the first-ever metaverse winner). VBG was recently credited with making Forever 21 one of the “top 10 metaverse companies for 2023.” Additionally, the company has been featured in over 500 top-tier media outlets for its work with other brands, including Barbie, for which it designed the iconic character’s first-ever virtual fashion line and putting “The Voice” singing competition with NBC – airing in 145 territories – into the metaverse for the first time securing record-breaking numbers. VBG is credited with developing “Infinite Loop Marketing,™” the first-ever avatar-to-ecommerce program where items can be sold simultaneously in the metaverse and real life.

#GetMetaversed on Twitter and LinkedIn. For more, visit virtualbrandgroup.com.

Contact

Nora Chanpress@unstoppabledomains.com