Mintlayer CEO Enrico Rubboli Is Bullish On Bitcoin - Here’s Why
Friday,12/05/2023|10:56GMTby
FM
Finance Magnates spoke to Enrico for his insights on the Bitcoin sector.
Enrico Rubboli is a software developer with 17 years of experience as well as a crypto expert. He is particularly passionate about Bitcoin and is interested in new and innovative technologies, architecture, and designing.
Enrico’s passion for Bitcoin led him to work with companies like Bitfinex and, more importantly, seek and create solutions to the problems and challenges of the Bitcoin sector. Enrico noticed that although Bitcoin has gained massive adoption, it could not still execute smart contracts.
This was why he developed Mintlayer, a layer 2 scaling solution that enables smart contracts and improves interoperability for the Bitcoin sector. Mintlayer is building a DeFi ecosystem that does not interfere with Bitcoin’s security and scalability.
We can testify that Mintlayer has been a success since its launch in 2020. Many projects have been launched while some are still in the process, of which the main aim is to ensure Bitcoin’s interoperability, decentralization, and execution of smart contracts. All thanks to the genius of a person called Enrico Rubboli.
Enrico is also the CEO of RBB Labs, a software company providing FinTechs, finance, and trading solutions. We can now see that Enrico has used his knowledge and experience to develop and be part of projects that advocate for decentralization, transparency, and an all-around improvement in the industry.
We sat down with Enrico to get to know him, his insights on the Bitcoin sector, and how Mintlayer contributes to Bitcoin’s future by creating innovative solutions.
You’ve been in the industry for over 17 years, and served as the CEO of Mintlayer and RBB Lab. You are a software engineer and have worked with companies like Bitfinex. Aside from these badges, could you tell us more about yourself?
Outside of my professional experience I’m very passionate about technology and have been programming since a young age. I am particularly interested in Bitcoin and have been following its developments since 2011. I also have experience with Linux and open-source software, which underscores my dedication to collaboration and transparency in development.
Aside from my work, I am a family man with two children and a loving wife. Overall, I am committed to driving progress in the industry and exploring new possibilities in technology.
With the constant changes in the industry, especially in the Bitcoin sector, how are you keeping up, and how will you describe your experience over the years?
It’s important to stay immersed in the community, and also to cultivate a close circle of friends that are equally invested and in-tune with different aspects of the industry. This is much easier when it’s part of your job. I’ve met a lot of intelligent friends over the years that I would not have been able to without being immersed in Bitcoin. We have been fortunate enough to attract some high profile advisors like Charlie Shrem to the Mintlayer project.
Although Bitcoin is the largest and most popular cryptocurrency, it lacks the ability to execute smart contracts. But then, you created a solution. What is the story behind Mintlayer, and how did you develop this solution-based platform?
The idea of making a Bitcoin-centric smart contract platform is not new. There have been several iterations of the idea in development, some since early on, but none were built the way a Bitcoin-centric platform should be.
That’s where Mintlayer comes in. It doesn’t require a peg in or token bridge, it uses an UTXO accounting system, it’s turing incomplete – it is more interoperable with Bitcoin than any other platform out there. Any platform that requires a wrapped token or bridge to use your Bitcoin is just at odds with the whole idea of Bitcoin and decentralization. And as we witnessed in 2022, those wrapped tokens and bridges were the most significant attack surfaces for DeFi platforms.
Last year in December, it was recorded that for the first time in Italy, RBB Labs used NFT technology to issue court summonses. How were you and your team able to pull that off?
As a technology company we are futurists. Everybody understands that new technologies will change the world in the future, and it’s thrilling to be a company that pushes those boundaries and brings these things to fruition. I personally look for opportunities to apply tech to improve our lives, and unfortunately, in government legal systems, we see many ways to improve.
Court summonses, deeds, birth certificates, these are the types of things we will see NFTs be used for in the future - not just digital monkey pictures. For example, one of the next developments of the lex platform we are building includes AI functionality to generate and interpret legal contracts.
The crypto industry has witnessed tremendous growth since the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was launched in 2009. Billions of crypto users are investing and making fortunes, resulting in tremendous growth for the crypto industry. Do you think this energy will still be maintained and the industry will continue to grow despite the current bear market and some companies’ fallouts?
I think that these are cycles you have to expect, given the potential of the technology. The public speculation really plays into that hype, but experts can see the use cases and the potential revenue by looking at the technologies that a project will replace. We expect some projects to fail, but for example, Mintlayer was carefully planned to meet an existing market need. Those projects like Mintlayer that provide real value for users are in a strong position for hyper growth every time the pendulum swings back to the bulls.
More recently, the industry has been facing regulatory issues, resulting in the price volatility of cryptocurrencies. What is your say on this, and do you think regulators are right based on the various approaches they have been taking?
For cryptocurrency to become mainstream there needs to be regulations and laws in place. They can be relaxed or restricted, but as long as governments control finance there has to be some kind of guidance for creators and users. We understood early on at Mintlayer that meeting regulatory requirements and embracing a partnership with regulators was in the interest of our users. This is why we included access control lists in our product. In some countries regulators have been better than others.
With the current state of things, what are your predictions for the industry? Will 2023 be better? What direction do you think the industry will take?
This industry is cyclical, so while the general public sees a downturn it’s still a very exciting time for us. Our developers are hard at work and their milestones are just as big no matter what the price of Bitcoin is. Extra capital will help incubate new projects on Mintlayer though, and we look forward to possibly seeing the rising price of Bitcoin start to pique interest again later this year.
Enrico Rubboli is a software developer with 17 years of experience as well as a crypto expert. He is particularly passionate about Bitcoin and is interested in new and innovative technologies, architecture, and designing.
Enrico’s passion for Bitcoin led him to work with companies like Bitfinex and, more importantly, seek and create solutions to the problems and challenges of the Bitcoin sector. Enrico noticed that although Bitcoin has gained massive adoption, it could not still execute smart contracts.
This was why he developed Mintlayer, a layer 2 scaling solution that enables smart contracts and improves interoperability for the Bitcoin sector. Mintlayer is building a DeFi ecosystem that does not interfere with Bitcoin’s security and scalability.
We can testify that Mintlayer has been a success since its launch in 2020. Many projects have been launched while some are still in the process, of which the main aim is to ensure Bitcoin’s interoperability, decentralization, and execution of smart contracts. All thanks to the genius of a person called Enrico Rubboli.
Enrico is also the CEO of RBB Labs, a software company providing FinTechs, finance, and trading solutions. We can now see that Enrico has used his knowledge and experience to develop and be part of projects that advocate for decentralization, transparency, and an all-around improvement in the industry.
We sat down with Enrico to get to know him, his insights on the Bitcoin sector, and how Mintlayer contributes to Bitcoin’s future by creating innovative solutions.
You’ve been in the industry for over 17 years, and served as the CEO of Mintlayer and RBB Lab. You are a software engineer and have worked with companies like Bitfinex. Aside from these badges, could you tell us more about yourself?
Outside of my professional experience I’m very passionate about technology and have been programming since a young age. I am particularly interested in Bitcoin and have been following its developments since 2011. I also have experience with Linux and open-source software, which underscores my dedication to collaboration and transparency in development.
Aside from my work, I am a family man with two children and a loving wife. Overall, I am committed to driving progress in the industry and exploring new possibilities in technology.
With the constant changes in the industry, especially in the Bitcoin sector, how are you keeping up, and how will you describe your experience over the years?
It’s important to stay immersed in the community, and also to cultivate a close circle of friends that are equally invested and in-tune with different aspects of the industry. This is much easier when it’s part of your job. I’ve met a lot of intelligent friends over the years that I would not have been able to without being immersed in Bitcoin. We have been fortunate enough to attract some high profile advisors like Charlie Shrem to the Mintlayer project.
Although Bitcoin is the largest and most popular cryptocurrency, it lacks the ability to execute smart contracts. But then, you created a solution. What is the story behind Mintlayer, and how did you develop this solution-based platform?
The idea of making a Bitcoin-centric smart contract platform is not new. There have been several iterations of the idea in development, some since early on, but none were built the way a Bitcoin-centric platform should be.
That’s where Mintlayer comes in. It doesn’t require a peg in or token bridge, it uses an UTXO accounting system, it’s turing incomplete – it is more interoperable with Bitcoin than any other platform out there. Any platform that requires a wrapped token or bridge to use your Bitcoin is just at odds with the whole idea of Bitcoin and decentralization. And as we witnessed in 2022, those wrapped tokens and bridges were the most significant attack surfaces for DeFi platforms.
Last year in December, it was recorded that for the first time in Italy, RBB Labs used NFT technology to issue court summonses. How were you and your team able to pull that off?
As a technology company we are futurists. Everybody understands that new technologies will change the world in the future, and it’s thrilling to be a company that pushes those boundaries and brings these things to fruition. I personally look for opportunities to apply tech to improve our lives, and unfortunately, in government legal systems, we see many ways to improve.
Court summonses, deeds, birth certificates, these are the types of things we will see NFTs be used for in the future - not just digital monkey pictures. For example, one of the next developments of the lex platform we are building includes AI functionality to generate and interpret legal contracts.
The crypto industry has witnessed tremendous growth since the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was launched in 2009. Billions of crypto users are investing and making fortunes, resulting in tremendous growth for the crypto industry. Do you think this energy will still be maintained and the industry will continue to grow despite the current bear market and some companies’ fallouts?
I think that these are cycles you have to expect, given the potential of the technology. The public speculation really plays into that hype, but experts can see the use cases and the potential revenue by looking at the technologies that a project will replace. We expect some projects to fail, but for example, Mintlayer was carefully planned to meet an existing market need. Those projects like Mintlayer that provide real value for users are in a strong position for hyper growth every time the pendulum swings back to the bulls.
More recently, the industry has been facing regulatory issues, resulting in the price volatility of cryptocurrencies. What is your say on this, and do you think regulators are right based on the various approaches they have been taking?
For cryptocurrency to become mainstream there needs to be regulations and laws in place. They can be relaxed or restricted, but as long as governments control finance there has to be some kind of guidance for creators and users. We understood early on at Mintlayer that meeting regulatory requirements and embracing a partnership with regulators was in the interest of our users. This is why we included access control lists in our product. In some countries regulators have been better than others.
With the current state of things, what are your predictions for the industry? Will 2023 be better? What direction do you think the industry will take?
This industry is cyclical, so while the general public sees a downturn it’s still a very exciting time for us. Our developers are hard at work and their milestones are just as big no matter what the price of Bitcoin is. Extra capital will help incubate new projects on Mintlayer though, and we look forward to possibly seeing the rising price of Bitcoin start to pique interest again later this year.
SMX's 1900% Surge Since November Is Not a Momentum Trade; It's Based on Transformative and Deliverable Techology
Executive Interview | Charlotte Bullock | Chief Product Officer, Bank of London | FMLS:25
Executive Interview | Charlotte Bullock | Chief Product Officer, Bank of London | FMLS:25
In this interview, we sat down with Charlotte Bullock, Head of Product at The Bank of London, previously at SAP and now shaping product at one of the sector’s most ambitious new banking players.
Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this interview, we sat down with Charlotte Bullock, Head of Product at The Bank of London, previously at SAP and now shaping product at one of the sector’s most ambitious new banking players.
Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
Executive Interview | Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller| CEO & Founder Muinmos | FMLS:25
Executive Interview | Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller| CEO & Founder Muinmos | FMLS:25
In this interview, Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller, founder of Muinmos, breaks down the state of AI in regtech and what responsible adoption really looks like for brokers. We talk about rising fragmentation, the pressures around compliance accuracy, and why most firms are still in the early stages of AI maturity.
Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this interview, Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller, founder of Muinmos, breaks down the state of AI in regtech and what responsible adoption really looks like for brokers. We talk about rising fragmentation, the pressures around compliance accuracy, and why most firms are still in the early stages of AI maturity.
Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this conversation, we speak with Aydin Bonabi, CEO and co-founder of Surveill, a firm focused on fraud detection and AI-driven compliance tools for financial institutions.
We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
He closes with a clear message: fraud is scaling, and so must the tools that stop it.
In this conversation, we speak with Aydin Bonabi, CEO and co-founder of Surveill, a firm focused on fraud detection and AI-driven compliance tools for financial institutions.
We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
He closes with a clear message: fraud is scaling, and so must the tools that stop it.
Exness expands its presence in Africa: Inside our interview with Paul Margarites in Cape Town
Exness expands its presence in Africa: Inside our interview with Paul Margarites in Cape Town
Finance Magnates met with Paul Margarites, Exness regional commercial director for Sub-Saharan Africa, during a visit to the firm’s office opening in Cape Town. In this talk, led by Andrea Badiola Mateos, Co-CEO at Finance Magnates, Paul shares views on the South African trading space, local user behavior, mobile trends, regulation, team growth, and how Exness plans to grow in more markets across the region. @Exness
Read the article at: https://www.financemagnates.com/thought-leadership/exness-expands-its-presence-in-africa-inside-our-interview-with-paul-margarites/
#exness #financemagnates #exnesstrading #CFDtrading #tradeonline #africanews #capetown
Finance Magnates met with Paul Margarites, Exness regional commercial director for Sub-Saharan Africa, during a visit to the firm’s office opening in Cape Town. In this talk, led by Andrea Badiola Mateos, Co-CEO at Finance Magnates, Paul shares views on the South African trading space, local user behavior, mobile trends, regulation, team growth, and how Exness plans to grow in more markets across the region. @Exness
Read the article at: https://www.financemagnates.com/thought-leadership/exness-expands-its-presence-in-africa-inside-our-interview-with-paul-margarites/
#exness #financemagnates #exnesstrading #CFDtrading #tradeonline #africanews #capetown
