British Columbia Approaching Bitcoin Adoption.

Okay, there's a lot I want to unpack here for this blog post... so let me grab a drink. In the meantime, here's a picture of Vancouver!
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So I recently took a trip to both Vancouver BC and Whistler Blackcomb, a trip that I usually make once a year. Other than the amazing scenery, fresh air, and friendly disposition of nearly every Canadian, I continually notice a unique racial demographic. And yes, this has a lot to do with the point I'm going to make regarding Bitcoin. Let me break this down.

Let's start with Vancouver. Almost everywhere I look, I see individuals of Asian descent. More specifically, I see a lot of Chinese. Even more specifically, I see a lot of Chinese buying up the skyline of Vancouver. So they are living and investing heavily in the city. With that comes Chinese customs and technological demand, the same demand that they have in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hong Kong (yes, H.K. is kinda China).

Okay, so why the hell does this matter? Well you'd understand if you've seen this video:

Seriously, watch this video so you can understand my point here. The Chinese are all MOBILE! They don't carry wallets or accept fiat for payment. They use Alipay or WeChat instead. So what did I see everywhere I went in Vancouver? That's right! I saw Alipay and WeChat. The reason I bring this up, is that in North America, we lag behind Asia in almost every technological arena. Especially when it comes to finance.

Vancouver serves as a fantastic example of where North America is heading. This leads into my main point regarding Bitcoin. There is a high likelihood that North America bypasses the retail banking shift, from banks to big tech, entirely and instead goes mainstream with cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. You can thank the Chinese people for driving tech demand, and we'll likely see Bitcoin widely accepted in Vancouver long before the rest of the continent catches up.

Regarding Whistler, I saw the same thing, but in a more relaxed and suburban/rural setting. With Whistler Blackcomb being home to one of the biggest ski resorts in the world, it could be a fantastic launch pad and test case for cryptocurrency adoption. Not to mention the need for better efficiency, which blockchain could provide for hotels, ski lifts, restaurants, rentals, etc etc.

Well, that's my mini rant. Here's a picture of me at the top of Mt. Whistler looking cool.

These are just some things I keep noticing that may one day bring my ideas into fruition. Hopefully in terms of blockchain. Looking forward to a decentralized world.

Brandon Zemp
B.A. Neuroscience