13 Familiar Names Who Back Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency only began getting increasingly popular near the middle of this past decade, especially during the Bitcoin bubble in 2017. That was when cryptocurrencies started to soar in value, capturing the attention and desire of millions of people around the world. There was eventually a search of people purchasing cryptoshares and even setting up their own mining farms.
Eventually, its popularity transcended the engineers, developers and entrepreneurs who were originally involved in the inception and conception of cryptocurrency and soon after, endorsements featuring public figures, some well known, started to flood our news feeds.
Here are 13 public figures and names you may find familiar who have publicly backed cryptocurrency.
1. Bill Gates
A name who needs no introduction. By 2014, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates had already shown an interest in cryptocurrency in an interview with Bloomberg. Despite his early reservations, Mr. Gates has publicly endorsed and invested in Bitcoin. “Bitcoin is exciting because it shows how cheap it can be,” he explained in an interview with Bloomberg from 2014. “Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don’t have to be physically in the same place and, of course, for large transactions, currency can get pretty inconvenient.”
2. Gwyneth Paltrow
Multiple-award winning actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow, also known as the owner of lifestyle site, ‘Goop’ is another public figure who has publicly supported cryptocurrency. In fact, she was the face of Abra, a bitcoin wallet, and became an advisor since August 2017. Last November Paltrow shared an article on Twitter on “The Basics of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency, and How to Invest”.
3. Snoop Dogg
Global rap superstar Snoop Dogg made waves back in 2013, way before cryptocurrency had caught the public’s interest, when he expressed interest in accepting Bitcoin for an upcoming album. Although final sales figures are not clear, Snoop Dogg was selling them at 0.3 BTC back in 2013. Based on current Bitcoin value, it would have amounted to roughly $1,000 per album. The artists also made an appearance at an XRP Community Night crypto party, according to The Coin Shark.
4. Ashton Kutcher
Another familiar name from Hollywood, Ashton Kutcher of The 70’s Show fame is a strong advocate of Bitcoin and even has his own investment firm called “A-Grade” which he founded back in 2010. He has also invested in UnikoinGold, the esports gambling startup behind the currency, Unikrn along with billionaire Mark Cuban.UnikoinGold has been marketed as a currency to be used in bets on popular games such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2. The actor has also invested in Uber, Airbnb, and BitPay in the past.
5. Hugh Laurie
British actor, Hugh Laurie, known for his role as Dr. Gregory House showed an active interest in cryptocurrency in 2015 when his friend suggested he invest in Bitcoin which at that time, was only starting to increase in value. Although not much is known about his online activity, he was said to have invested in BTC at the value of about $5,000.
6. Mike Tyson
Well known for his boxing prowess, not many would have imagined his amazing foresight. Mike Tyson was one of the first public figures who saw the potential of cryptocurrency even before it took off. Besides investing in Bitcoin, Mr. Tyson has also produced Bitcoin ATMs branded with iconic facial tattoos. In collaboration with Bitcoin Direct, he also produced a similarly-branded Bitcoin Wallet. In 2015, Engadget reported that he had launched a Bitcoin ATM system, a virtual wallet operated using bitcoins.
7. Pitbull
Global pop music icon Pitbull started investing in cryptocurrency way back in 2012, although not much is known about his early activities. However in April 2018, Pitbull announced the launch of Smackathon, in conjunction with eMerge Americas — a cryptocurrency that will revolutionize payments in the music industry.
8. Lionel Messi
One of the greatest footballers of all time who is still dazzling his fans every week with FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi was named brand ambassador for Israeli company Sirin Labs in late-2017. For those who may find this name familiar, Sirin Labs is behind the world’s first crypto smartphone, Finney, and Messi has been backing it on Instagram. As reported by Ethereum World News, the Finney phone is now available with a variety of features specifically created for crypto users.
9. Mel B
Singer, contest judge and former member of the popular 90’s British pop group The Spice Girls, Mel B, also known as “Scary Spice” became the first British artist to accept Bitcoin as payment for her 2014 Christmas single through a partnership with CloudHashing. CloudHashing is currently one of the biggest and notable companies in bitcoin-mining contracts. “I love how new technology makes our lives easier, and to me that’s exciting,” said the artist, on announcing that she’d be accepting crypto payments. “Bitcoin unites my fans around the world using one currency.”
10. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The controversial global boxing icon started promoting startup Centra’s then-scheduled ICO in September 2017. In fact, he has been actively promoting several other ICOs too for some time including Hubii Network and Stox.
11. Madonna
The legendary Queen of Pop is well-known Ripple fan. Along with former US President Bill Clinton, Madonna has been one of the many public figures involved in spreading awareness on the ease and security of cryptocurrency as a payment method. Madonna also teamed up with Facebook and Ripple for an online fundraiser last year for her Raising Malawi Foundation. Ripple matched every dollar donated to the campaign with Madonna highlighting their involvement as “a generous commitment” to her organization.
12. Johnny Depp
Another familiar face from Hollywood, Johnny Depp is one of the more recent public figures to be involved in cryptocurrency. While he has made more news recently for his offscreen issues, his foray into cryptocurrency has been largely positive and last autumn, he became a partner at blockchain startup, TaTaTu. TaTaTu is a platform that rewards users in the form of tokens for interaction in content such as films and games.
13. Paris Hilton
Having shown an interest in cryptocurrency since 2017, Paris Hilton had been involved in LydianCoin and also publicly stated she was “looking forward to participating in the new ICO” despite controversy surrounding the owner.
Who’s Next?
This list of names is just the tip of an increasingly growing iceberg as cryptocurrency is starting to gain traction across the planet.
Despite a considerable drop in the value of Bitcoin over the past year, experts believe a new cryptocurrency boom is set to begin in the near future and it has already begun right here in southeast Asia with Bitazza.
Original Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/13-celebrities-who-back-cryptocurrency-and-may-own-millions-in-bitcoin-2019-1
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