There was recently an article on Steemit (link below) that makes a few observations about BABB and about myself. The article doesn’t really make any claims, it merely posts facts and looks to present them in “gotcha” style, as if those facts are indicative of some misbehaviour, which they absolutely are not. It caused some confusion on Telegram last night so I wanted to address those questions and concerns, and bring some clarity to the matter.
Firstly, let me address my name change. This is public record, and it stems from a personal choice. As private and personal as it might be, you don’t need to look far to find some of the motivations. While I am proud of my heritage and what I’ve accomplished so far, reality is that as an immigrant from Yemen, it doesn’t help to have a name that brings about racial and cultural stereotypes. The author of the blog post himself highlights this reality when he points out my previous name sounds like “kebab”. I’m sure you can appreciate how a name change can be a part in avoiding simple-minded stereotypes and can help in a business setting.
Secondly, there is a company that preceded BABB, named Wowpaymobi. This topic has come up quite often on Telegram since we launched, so it really isn’t new. The company cited in the article, however, http://wowpay.com/, is not the same as my company. Under my guidance (and a previous team) Wowpaymobi operated for a few years with an FCA Authorised Payment Institution license.
This company also applied for patents, and you can find that information online (again, links below). These records prove that there is a history, and real people working on the company for years, to get this far. I would argue that in itself is a better context than creating a new company with no track record just to run a token sale.
Please note that getting and holding an Authorised Payment Institution license is not easy. The people involved were vetted by the Bank of England, with very stringent documentation requirements, and my identity has gone through extensive scrutiny by FCA officials — including my name change. This is a much more extensive and comprehensive process than a quick online search about my name.
I later used the same corporate entity to pursue a new and better project: BABB. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that BABB is a company with a well-documented six year history under a different name with a different mission. I have worked hard over the last 9 years to become a financial inclusion specialist and I have surrounded myself with a really strong team of people to execute the BABB vision.
I hope this clarifies matters, so we can get back to focusing on making BABB a success
Rushd
Founder and CEO
References:
http://www.bizdb.co.uk/company/al-kebsi-limited-07391093/
https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1601328.6
https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1601328.6
https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum/Case/ApplicationNumber/GB1622281.2
https://steemit.com/babb/@cryptosw4g/red-flags-while-researching-babb
