"The Biggest Challenge in Crypto is the Volume of Information Published Daily"

This story is a part of Hacker Noon's Meet the Writer series of interviews. The series is intended for tech professionals contributing the most insightful Hacker Noon stories to share more about their writing habits, ideas, and professional background (and maybe a hobby or two).

If you too would like to start contributing to Hacker Noon, you can do so here.

HackerNoon Interviewer: So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

My name is Demetrios Zamboglou, and I am the Group Chief Operating Officer of CFI Financial, one of the largest brokers in the MENA region.

I have spent almost two decades in financial services but I’m still learning new things. In finance, as in life, there are always new things coming around the corner. I am also a Professor of Practice at the Rome Business School as a means of sharing my knowledge and experience in Fintech.

In my spare time, I enjoy travelling, kung fu and doing David Attenborough impressions. Here’s a picture of me monkeying around with a cheeky monkey earlier this year.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

My most recent article was about the preeminent rise of crypto traders and how the advent of cryptocurrencies (and their fluctuations) has stimulated the same trading psychology used by traditional traders. There are many ways of looking at any market, although some age-old principles still hold true, even in the turbulent gyrations of cryptos.

Check it out here: https://hackernoon.com/which-kind-of-crypto-trader-are-you

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

I tend to write about what I’m passionate about most – and that’s technology and finance. Combined, these two distinct industries create “Fintech”: a concept that is literally sweeping across the world while empowering billions of people to fulfil their ambitions.

I am both fascinated and inspired by distributed ledger technology and decentralised finance – as well as their applications including NFTs. These new technologies are novel yet powerful, although, billions of people have yet to discover the potential created by decentralization and technological progress on a global scale.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I’m one of those writers that likes to go with the flow, especially in writing that refers to ideas. I will only put pen to paper if I can visualize an idea and how I can convey it in an engaging way.

Therefore, my writing routine is very relaxed and is mostly reliant on my intuition. I must feel a desire to write, in order to do so. I don’t like writing out of necessity or on-demand.

Expressing ideas requires intuitive feeling whereas stating facts and figures requires logical thinking. Writing about Fintech often requires both aspects. However, where facts and figures can be sourced as needed, generating captivating ideas requires some ‘je ne sais quoi’.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

The biggest challenge, especially when it comes to writing about Fintech and the weird and wonderful world of Crypto, is the volume of information being published every day. The entire crypto sector and its band of cohorts are evolving so rapidly that even household industry names are struggling to keep up.

Both as a follower of the industry and as a market commentator, my biggest challenge is digesting all the information that’s already out there and ensuring that my own writing remains accurate, relevant and captivating.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

Short term, I’m keen to consolidate my Fintech industry experience by continuing to develop both technically and creatively. This means staying in touch with all key developments in the Fintech space as well as engaging with the industry’s top performers.

On a broader note, I want to build on what I’ve achieved so far in my career by taking the initiative and transposing theoretical hypotheses of decentralised finance (DeFi) into practical applications that empower billions of people while advancing how people see and use money.

It is a privilege to be working at the intersection of finance and technology, at a time when these pivotal industries are dovetailing to deliver previously unimaginable feats. Already, developers are working on breakthrough applications that will not only revolutionize but ‘evolutionalize’ our lives in less than a decade.

For anyone that trades or invests their money -- imagine the worlds of finance and tech uniting to create a secure metaverse, a sandbox of sorts, allowing any individual to obtain ubiquitous access to all markets with instant execution, zero commissions and pristine transparency. All you need is a smartphone.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

I have a small confession to make, and I suppose now is as good a time as any to go public with it. I’ve been shamelessly enjoying smoking shisha both indoors and outdoors with my friends and colleagues.

As a means of unwinding after a hard week’s work, I like to relax in a cozy shisha lounge puffing away on some flavored tobacco from an ornamental “hookah”. It’s not my healthiest hobby but it’s still superb for relaxing, socialising and taking your mind away from whatever else is going on in the world.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I’m a huge fan of tennis -- both as a player and a spectator. I’ve only picked it up in the last 5 years but it has been a revelation in terms of getting me back into shape.

It’s also an incredibly strategic game that requires critical thinking and on-the-fly decision-making -- two skills I’m always developing whether it be work or play. I like to keep fit but I also like to win. Competition tends to bring the best out of people so by challenging myself (and others) on a tennis court, I get to stay fit, have fun, and, learn about people.

As Plato once said, you will learn more about a person in one hour of play than in one year of conversation.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

I’m currently focused on progressive DeFi projects and I’m fascinated by how applications for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will develop in the coming years -- so you may see something on that front.

As a dark horse option, I came across Hacker Noon’s “decentralised writing contest” so I may consider putting my hat into the ring. Watch this space, folks.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Thank you for the opportunity to appear in Hacker Noon’s ‘Meet the Writer’ series and for being such an awesome publication all technologists can savor. Bravo! There really is nothing quite like it on the Internet so I hope you guys and gals keep doing what you’re doing.