Embark on a trip to Hannover – following the call of dear Ricardo Ferrer Rivero. The focus? The latest venture by him, Sandro Pittalis, LL.M., MBA, and Thomas Janeke, CIIA: vountain GmbH.
Here’s the background: "Barjansky," a historic cello crafted in 1690 by the renowned violin maker Stradivari, boasts a heartwarming resonance, especially when played by the incredible Niklas Eppinger. Documented as the most meticulously tracked historic instrument, its provenance is now securely etched on a blockchain for tamper-proof assurance. Vountain's mission? Setting the gold standard for real-world asset tokenization.
While I regrettably missed the detailed product launch presentation, the evening was a standout affair with engaging discussions featuring Peter Grosskopf, Ricardo Ferrer Rivero, Stefan Grasmann (aka Marjorie :-) ), candidly exploring the vast possibilities of tokenization, delving into topics like "what is the value of private/permissioned blockchains" and calling for a reliable decentralized blockchain governance.
Participating in a panel with Tobias Basse, Meik Friedrich, and Thomas Janeke, CIIA, we delved into the macroeconomic landscape's impact on alternative investments, anticipating a decline in key interest rates. We also examined how transparency and liquidity can transform traditionally illiquid assets and what issues we might still have on the regulatory side.
A highlight for me was the fishbowl with Dr. Joachim Brunne, the visionary behind the project, and his esteemed art director Christian Ludwig, shedding light on the significance and challenges of historic violins for violinists. Violin maker and restorer Leonhard Rank, a violin provenance oracle so to speak, and Melanie Moske, former CDO of Wenig Fine Art shared further background on valuation and art market specifics. Sven Mathes and Ron Große added the investor perspective.
Sandro Pittalis had carefully orchestrated this evening and Moritz Stumpf moderating the panels. Regretfully, I departed early, missing out on extending discussions during the post-event get-together. If you're intrigued by the topics we explored, I welcome you to reach out and continue the conversation!