“In five years’ time, over half the world, I promise you, will be using cryptocurrency,” the legendary security software pioneer said during the Asia blockchain cruise hosted by CoinsBank. “And the half that does not is going to be the half that probably does’t have smartphones or any access to the internet,”McAfee added.
The blockchain conference in Phuket, Thailand, boasted more than 1,000 participants from 50 different countries – including more than one hundred Russian ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings), which hoped to attract cryptocurrency investments to raise fast cash for their start-up companies.
One of the more unique ICOs looking for crypto investors during the cruise was Mark Space, a Russian company that offers users an easily-customizable 3D virtual reality platform to develop and showcase their ideas or products. With the help of the company’s “virtual constructor,” users can effortlessly build virtual spaces – a process so easy that “even kids can do it,” Mark Space co-founder Denis Polulyahov told reporters.
But while the cruise’s enthusiastic participants soaked up the sun (and liquor), their precious bitcoins took an unwelcome dip. According to Bloomberg, when the cruise began, the price of Bitcoin was comfortably above $13,500. By the time their ship arrived in Thailand, bitcoin had slumped to $10,000.
However, this didn’t seem to bother the hundreds of blockchain disciples who attended the event, who shared McAfee’s boisterous optimism for its bright future. McAfee himself has even promised to eat his own man meat if one bitcoin isn’t priced at $1 million by 2020.