Mark Hipperson has sought to further disrupt central banks by launching a crypto exchange from his London-based startup
Yesterday saw startup, Ziglu, launch a cryptocurrency exchange after completing its test phase.
Ziglu is the creation of Mark Hipperson, co-founder and CTO of Starling Bank. Starling has established itself as one of the major challengers to traditional banks in recent years; offering a modern app for users to track their spending, tracks budgets and easily send money for splitting bills with friends.
It’s no surprise then that the Starling CTO has now launched a cryptocurrency exchange. As readers are most likely aware, part of cryptocurrencies’ popularity is the challenge they pose to centralised finance, in other words, established central banks. Hipperson’s London-based exchange could, therefore, be seen as an extension of the ‘disrupter’ startup model that is able to compete with more established competition by being adaptable and dynamic.
The exchange is being launched via an app for IOS users – with an android version in the works – and will aim to “bring cryptocurrencies closer to a mainstream audience,” according to Hipperson, who also added that:
“This launch marks the beginning of an exciting journey for Ziglu to deliver transformational financial services for our customers. By offering immediate and safe access to best-price crypto, customers can spend, exchange and send their money, regardless of the currency, where, when, and how they want,”
The project began development in 2018 and was scheduled to be launched in January this year before delays pushed the project back to the summer.
To begin with, Ziglu will target the UK market before expanding to other countries once the exchange is tried and tested.
Hipperson also went into detail on the targeted demographic for the exchange, claiming that men aged between 25 and 45 will soon be crying out for “easy, safe access to crypto.” As well as this, the CEO said he believed Ziglu will be able to offer cheaper rates for purchasing cryptocurrencies than some of the bigger existing platforms.
Hipperson added that he hopes his platform will boast a total of 15 cryptocurrencies by the end of the year.