Luis Buenaventura Steps Down as Head of GCrypto at GCash

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Luis Buenaventura, one of the Philippines’ most prominent cryptocurrency figures, announced that this February is his last month as Head of GCrypto, the crypto platform of GCash.

In a statement released Thursday, Buenaventura confirmed his departure from the fintech giant, ending a tenure that saw the integration of cryptocurrency trading into the country’s largest mobile wallet.

Buenaventura Exits GCrypto

Buenaventura joined GCash in late 2023 shortly after his exit as the country manager of YGG Pilipinas, the local community of crypto gaming guild protocol Yield Guild Games. His appointment was seen as a major signal of the e-wallet’s commitment to crypto adoption.

Often framing GCrypto as a platform “you already have access to because you already have GCash on your phone,” Buenaventura listed the achievements of GCrypto under his leadership:

• User volume grew by about 10 times.
• Hosted “community-oriented” events in the GCash office in Bonifacio Global City.
• Inked partnerships with industry leaders such as USDT issuer Tether, gaming chain Ronin, USDC issuer Circle, and L1 blockchain Kaia.
• Published a comic book on crypto education, which is also viewable on GCrypto.

However, these accomplishments should not be attributed to Buenaventura alone, he wrote, as he had a “really great team.”

“So thank you, Mark, Geena, Mina, Rodman, Gen, Juliana, Annika, Anna, Alysa, Rainard, Jam, Jaya, Cris, Shar, Redge, Ange, our leaders Wins, Arjun, Jong, Darvin, Ador, Jo, our partners at PDAX Nichel, Kenneth, Vince, Dyan, Jason … and everyone else who lent their time and energy to our collective efforts.

I know I was kinda rough around the edges, and I’ll always appreciate how accommodating everyone was.”

Luis Buenaventura, Outgoing Head, GCash’s GCrypto

Future Plans

While Buenaventura admitted in the comment section that he has “no solid plans yet” for his future moves, his resignation comes amidst his expanding role in broader industry governance.

Earlier this month, Buenaventura was appointed new president of the Blockchain Council of the Philippines (BCP), succeeding Donald Lim. In that capacity, he has vowed to bring “visibility and transparency” to the council’s activities and bridge the gap between the private sector and government regulators.

His first appearance in this new role was on Tuesday, when the Department of Public Works and Highways officially launched Integrity Chain, a blockchain-based transparency platform. BCP is a launch partner.

A Decade in Crypto

Buenaventura’s departure from GCrypto marks his latest chapter in more than a decade-long career in the digital asset space.

Aside from being the country manager for YGG Pilipinas, which was during the height of the play-to-earn phenomenon, Buenaventura is already an established name in #CryptoPH:

• Co-founded BloomX, a locally licensed cryptocurrency exchange.
• Authored the book “Reinventing Remittances with Bitcoin,” which documented the early potential of blockchain for cross-border payments.
• A well-known NFT artist under the moniker “Cryptopop” with his own art guild.
• A widely read newsletter on the local crypto economy.

Buenaventura and this publication BitPinas are the organizers of #CryptoPH Conversations, a seasonal in-real-life event aimed at educating the community.

This article is published on BitPinas: Luis Buenaventura Steps Down as Head of GCrypto at GCash

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