Rafael Seibane talks HandCash beginnings and what to expect at Bitcoin SV DevCon 2021

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Rafael Jimenez Seibane is the co-founder and CEO of wallet service HandCash. Seibane will be appearing at the upcoming Bitcoin SV DevCon 2021, taking place over the weekend May 15-16.

The virtual conference brings together some of the leading names in Bitcoin SV (BSV) and blockchain. Hosted by Bitcoin Association, event partners include nChain and WeAreDevelopers, bringing together a wealth of experience from pioneers of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem.

An experienced software engineer in his own right, Seibane began building for blockchain in 2017, culminating in the launch of HandCash as a user-friendly Bitcoin SV wallet.

In coming up with the idea with co-founder Alex Agut, Seibane was drawn to a technology shown in an episode of Black Mirror, where people were able to swipe and send contact information to people nearby.

Seibane began developing this functionality on Bitcoin SV, integrating the same level of usability with Bitcoin for the first time—creating what has come to be known as HandCash.

In an interview with Bitcoin Association, Seibane said, “It was actually in 2017 or 2018 when we started to dig into it from a technical perspective and this is when we started to look at how we could solve different problems. At the time we were also users of Bitcoin and we faced several issues that every user at the time had, including the back-ups of private keys. I think everyone knows a friend or someone with Bitcoin that has lost a set of keys.”

“We came up with a few ideas that we decided to pack into a minimum viable product and of course that took a few months, but we just decided to release it and get some feedback, and that is how we got started.”

According to Seibane, the decision to build on BSV over other blockchains was obvious, with its unbounded scaling, nano-payments support and network reliability making Bitcoin SV the only viable choice for the build.

“With Bitcoin SV we and its tiny transaction fees – I mean, we are talking an average of $0.00003 – that is what makes it possible. The industry that we are building in HandCash is based on nano-payments. So, if you want to send amounts less than $1, you need Bitcoin SV’s tiny fees.”

Seibane is set to discuss the HandCash Connect SDK at Bitcoin DevCon 2021, looking at the ease with which it allows developers to facilitate blockchain payments across different applications.

“The idea behind HandCash Connect is to create an ecosystem with universal money for apps and games. We want to offer any company this new kind of money that is universal and allows for nano-payments. The most exciting part of HandCash Connect and these nanopayments is they support business models that were not possible before. We are not competing with PayPal or any of those other solutions out there because what we are doing is not even possible with them.”

His presentation will feature a demonstration of the ease with which blockchain payments can be integrated into new developments via HandCash, showcasing the full power of the service.

“We want developers focusing on what they do best. I mean, if you’re a game developer, you don’t have to be a game developer and a Bitcoin developer. You are a specialist in your niche, and we are the specialists in nanopayments who give you the tools to integrate them into your application.”

Rafael Seibane will feature among the list of speakers at this weekend’s Bitcoin SV DevCon 2021 event. The free event will take place on May 15-16 from 3pm-8:15pm (CEST) each day. Register now to secure your spot.