In this new series of articles, we want to introduce the people behind the 1Konto. One-by-one we will discover more about the individual team members, what they’re interested in and what they work on at 1Konto.
First in line is Edwin Handschuh, who is Co-founder of 1Konto and also acts as the CEO of the project.
What is your background and field of interest?
Edwin: My background is working with high-net-worth individuals in order to plan for their retirement, invest, protect and growth their assets. I spent nearly 10 years communicating the financial and global markets to my clients and position them for success. My interests have always revolved around markets and psychology as I see them influencing each other greatly. My focus on retail investors and comfort with regulations as a broker, enabled me to see the need for a broker-dealer in the cryptocurrency space to provide traders best execution and increased simplicity allowing them to feel comfortable putting their money to work in this new asset class.
How and why did you end up building 1Konto?
Edwin:1Konto started as a result of trying to put money to work in an altcoin. I noticed that the process was very cumbersome and not confidence-inspiring. Once I finally completed the trade many hours later, I lost money and missed the opportunity I was trying to capture. I knew that there should be one account that gives a user access to multiple pools of liquidity. This is when the idea for 1Konto (German for “one account”) was born.
What exactly is 1Konto?
Edwin: We are making the cryptocurrency markets easier and more accessible. The biggest problem traders face today is managing multiple accounts and never knowing if they are getting the best price on execution. A trader opens an account with 1Konto and transfers their assets in (similar to opening an account with a traditional broker such as ETrade). Since we will be a broker-dealer, we can provide access to multiple exchanges and route orders to the best execution on the users behalf.
What is your biggest achievement so far?
Edwin: So far it has been filing for an official broker-dealer registration with FINRA. We are the first retail focused broker-dealer seeking this approval.
What are you most excited about regarding the future of 1Konto?
Edwin: The endless possibilities of our custom currency solution. We anticipate applying this to equities, fixed income and even the real estate market. We see 1Konto as being a platform that can transact equities for cryptocurrencies or even equities for real estate. Our goal is to have one account allowing for frictionless trading regardless of the asset.
What are your personal interests / hobbies / etc.?
Edwin: I love to travel with my wife Alex. Whether it be Italy, Asia or stateside, travelling and experiencing the world with her is the ultimate. We have a dog, Ace, and I am an avid crossfitter. Additionally, cars are also a real enjoyment for me along with quality comedy (Curb Your Enthusiam etc.).