Any reader of Payments Views knows that most of us at Glenbrook are impressed by the potential of math-based currencies (MBCs). And all of us agree that participants in the payments industry (in the broadest sense) need to understand Bitcoin and its crypto-currency relatives. Having seen so many Internet technologies grow from concept to first iteration and then radiate into multiple roles, we’re convinced that math-based currencies are going to follow a similar arc. We already see remarkable applications in payments and value transfer. Further evolution is inevitable.

That’s the long reason we’ve built the Basics and Beyond Insight workshop.

The short reason we assembled the workshop is we’re payment geeks.  We want to shorten your learning curve so you can judge MBCs from a business perspective for yourself.

This is complex, unfamiliar territory, and we’ve found that explaining how Bitcoin works, in the clearest and most relevant manner, takes time. Now, in this engaging one-day workshop, we can share exactly what we’ve learned with you.

Our schedule is carefully designed to best meet your needs. Payments professionals need to first dive into the details of how Bitcoin works because, with all of the media attention Bitcoin has received, we arrive loaded with questions. Therefore, the workshop’s morning session minimizes important contextual material for the time being, and gets right into Bitcoin’s design and processing model.

With many questions and “ahas” along the way, the morning’s a fun session.

Once we nail down the mechanics, we examine the major attributes of Bitcoin as currency, commodity, payment rails, and programmable value exchange. While media and regulatory attention has been laser focused on the first two, we emphasize the potentially greater, and more relevant, roles of MBCs as payment rails and programmable money.

In the afternoon, we look at how Bitcoin and MBCs fit into specific payment domains such as B2B payments, international remittances, even point-of-sale purchases.  We also look at MBCs from the perspectives of payment system stakeholders including card networks, remittance companies, financial institutions, and others. (No surprise, the current consumer perspective is “What? Why bother?” Unless, of course, you’re a payments geek.)

Here’s one of the over 100 slides in the workshop’s book:

What would happen if Amazon accepted Bitcoin?

We spend time in exercises examining scenarios like this one and from multiple viewpoints.

MBCs are a new tool. We believe they have considerable potential. But, just as with any novel tool, understanding how it works and what it can do is necessary before we can assess how it could benefit us. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be far down both paths, knowing enough of the mechanics to judge if or how far you want to take MBCs for a spin.

It’s a great day of stimulating discussion, technical discovery, and entertaining instruction. If you’re considering what MBCs mean to your business, the Bitcoin: Basics and Beyond Insight workshop is your best first step.

We’re adding more dates and cities. Please check the schedule for upcoming Bitcoin: Basics and Beyond workshop dates and locations. If you’d like to have a private workshop that’s tailored directly to your business and its use of MBCs, get in touch with me at george@glenbrook.com or 978-393-1737.