From Nuri’s first customer to employee: Christopher’s story
Through his considerable passion for cryptocurrency, a background in international business and a touch of luck, Christopher became Bitwala’s Junior Finance Manager and has been with us since February 2019.
Christopher discovered Bitcoin at a Bitcoin event at Berlin Schönefeld Airport in 2016 shortly before the second Bitcoin Halving. He recalls not understanding much about Bitcoin initially, but the decentralised aspect of Bitcoin fascinated him so much he started researching extensively about Bitcoin economics and the great potential of Blockchain technology.
A few months later, on a trip to Austria, he bought some bitcoin fractions from a Bitcoin ATM and started using them on a popular cryptocurrency exchange site. Over time, he tested many cryptocurrency products and amongst these, he signed up for Bitwala’s blockchain bank. When the Bitwala product launched in December 2018 Christopher happened to be Bitwala’s first-ever customer to onboard to the new innovation.
The first action Christopher did when he onboarded was to top up his Bitwala account to buy bitcoin directly from his Euro bank account. In addition, he set up a standing order from his salary bank account to his Bitwala account in order to purchase Bitcoin on a monthly basis.
He enjoyed the simplicity of the purchase and the fact that he could be sure his Euro’s were secure and he kept his private keys to himself.
Enlightened by the product and his passion for cryptocurrencies he decided to take a chance and apply for a job at Bitwala.
“I was unsure whether I’d be called for an interview but I felt good already when applying because I was pursuing my passion. I’ve always dreamed of working for a startup in the blockchain industry”
Today, in his role as Junior Finance Manager, Christopher is responsible for accounting, controlling and payroll. For his work, he often uses Bitcoin for international transfers, as a faster payment method to pay non-EU providers.
“Last year we needed to purchase tickets for a cryptocurrency conference in Turkey, the bank transfer from Germany jumped many times and the deadline to get the tickets was getting closer, so we agreed with the conference organisers to pay in bitcoin. They received the money within an hour, without any hassle.”Christopher is still full of excitement for Nuri and we are thrilled to work with our first ever customer!
“I’ve learned a lot of things, especially about finance workflows,” Christopher recounts. “I’m super curious. I always want to know what every chapter is doing and why they are doing it. I was already hard-working but the team really pushes me… I feel that I can’t let them down… a challenge yes, but a wholly enriching one.”
