Hey

Hey, I’m Balázs, a Hungarian technologist. I am an Architect turned builder. A sailor turned innovator. Proactively learning and exploring the frontiers of technology. When I am not reading a research paper, I can be found in the kitchen experimenting with a new dish, sailing/hiking/surfing, or finding new beans for my morning coffee. I am driven by impact and inclusion and always ready to advise on fintech and identity. I love tinkering with systematic problems and figuring out solutions with the most amazing humans.

Right now, I am scouting for the next problem to solve. Most recently, I founded Veri Labs to build web3 native compliance solutions. Our products, kycDAO and VERI introduced the composable compliance stack. It offered a web3 native compliance solution for DeFi and smart contract developers in lieu of the impending regulatory environment. Previously, I ran the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), the largest standards organization focusing on decentralized technologies. During my tenure, we scaled the foundation from ~50 members to over 300 organizations, including numerous Fortune500 to collaboratively tackle the complexities of a novel technology.

My formal entrepreneurial journey started by founding Taqau, a bank for refugees. A large-scale financial inclusion company focused on the most deprived individuals. I collaborated with Amnesty International, UNHCR, and some of the biggest banks and European regulators. I was selected to represent the fintech community during the G20 summit’s financial inclusion symposium hosted by Germany. Additionally, in a separate capacity, I undertook the role of a technologist to develop a national framework for refugees.

I had my first informal venture experience borrowing money from my parents to install a table-soccer table in my school at the age of 14. (:

Current Musings.

I often find myself explaining complex ideas and habitually writing them down. I aim to improve my publishing frequency, and this page – my blog – is an incentive towards that.

A work I am proud of is a comprehensive policy guide for regulators to combat financial inclusion as a reflection of learnings from my time developing Taqanu. Read about the Digital Trust Program here.

Angel tickets.

I had the opportunity to invest in and help some incredible founders. dm me to chat. (:

My name.

Balázs
[ˈbɒlaːʒ] or "Belagio"
Hungarian

Reach out!

Thank you for reading through. If you want to talk about impact, proactive strategy, compliance, the state of financial identity, or your favorite recipe, you can find me: