The CEO of crypto blog Coin Rivet has publicly admitted publishing false information regarding Calvin Ayre’s recent trip to Cuba

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on May 1, 2019.

The CEO of crypto blog Coin Rivet has publicly admitted publishing false information regarding Calvin Ayre’s recent trip to Cuba.

On Wednesday, May 8, Coin Rivet editorial director Darren Parkin (pictured) read a statement in the UK High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, in which Coin Rivet CEO Sheba Karamat admitted publishing “completely untrue” claims that Ayre had been referred to Interpol, police and child abuse charities over photos and videos Ayre posted to social media featuring several Cuban women.

Karamat admitted that, contrary to information published via Coin Rivet, none of the women in Ayre’s social media posts were ‘pre-teen’ or under the age of consent. Karamat further admitted that Ayre had not been referred for investigation by authorities or child abuse charities and there were no grounds to suspect him of child abuse.

Coin Rivet previously agreed to publicly apologize to Ayre via their website and to pay him £5,000 in damages. As a condition of the settlement, Parkin appeared in court to acknowledge the falsity of the site’s claims, to repeat their apology to Ayre and to confirm that they wouldn’t repeat these allegations in future.

Ayre was justifiably outraged by Coin Rivet’s allegations but his primary concern throughout this process has been for the five Cuban women featured in his social media posts, who lacked the financial means to pursue justice on their own.

Prior to the settlement, Ayre had publicly announced that he would forward all monetary damages paid by Coin Rivet to the five women, for whom such sums represent a significant boost to their annual income. But the money may prove cold comfort for at least one of the women, who has paid the highest price of anyone involved in this debacle.

This woman, a 21-year-old named Elianna, was called in for questioning by local authorities, who apparently felt the publicity reflected negatively on Cuba. The women were hired to stage a dance performance for Ayre’s cameras, but coverage by Coin Rivet’s Helen Bennicke – who called Cuba “a well-known destination for sex tourism” and said Ayre had “effectively ‘bought’ [the women’s] company” – left the impression that something infinitely more salacious was at play.

Unlike the other women, who were all from Havana, Elianna is from the town of Las Tunas, and the Havana police evidently decided to make an example of her. Regrettably, CoinGeek has learned that Elianna has been sentenced to two years in prison. The authorities apparently charged her using the pretext of violating Decree 217, a 1997 law restricting Cuban citizens’ ability to travel to Havana without permission.

Ayre is understandably outraged by this development but for the time being all he can do is figure out a way to assist Elianna upon her release from prison. Ayre is all the more disgusted with the individuals at Coin Rivet and their ilk, because this whole incident was completely unnecessary.

Ayre maintains that the majority of the abuse he was subjected to via crypto blogs and social media trolls had little to do with outrage over perceived sexual impropriety and everything to do with the desire to tarnish his name and, by extension, the Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) protocol he has publicly endorsed.

The crypto sector is still in its infancy, as is the mindset displayed by many of its most ardent supporters. Until it evolves out of this juvenile state, with an ‘ends justify the means’ approach toward attacking supporters of rival technologies, crypto will remain on the fringes of the ‘traditional’ financial sector.

For anyone who wishes a grown-up discussion on all things crypto, travel to Toronto on May 29-30 for the next CoinGeek Conference. Ayre will be there advocating on behalf of BSV. Bring your ‘A’ game and challenge him with your own views on the sector and see whose argument wins the day. Just leave the mud at home. ​

The Bitcoin Ambassador

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on April 9, 2019.

Calvin Ayre would like to present to the world his unique credentials as the planet’s only official Bitcoin ambassador.

Calvin Ayre is a celebrated entrepreneur who has played a pivotal role in the development of several industries, including a successful stint in the online gambling industry that ultimately landed his picture on the cover of the 2006 Forbes’ ‘billionaires’ issue.

In August 2017, the government of Antigua and Barbuda took note of Ayre’s rising stature in the emerging blockchain/cryptocurrency sector and appointed him a Special Economic Envoy with responsibility for advising on economic cooperation and commerce between Antigua and Barbuda and other sovereign states where blockchain technology is being utilized.

There’s no doubt that Ayre, a noted history buff, was honored to receive this designation. Throughout history, ambassadors have provided valuable assistance in lessening the likelihood of minor disagreements between nations developing into more serious fights. Then again, some ambassadors have brought their office no great honor by taking undue advantage of a perk known as diplomatic immunity.

Diplomatic immunity, which effectively puts a government’s appointed representatives above the law in the countries in which they serve, has resulted in all sorts of flagrant law-breaking over the years, ranging from the banal ($18m in unpaid parking tickets run up by United Nations diplomats in New York City) to the infinitely more serious (a U.S. embassy staffer shooting two Pakistani citizens dead on a street in Islamabad).

So, to assuage the concerns of the global community, here are the things that the Bitcoin Ambassadayre will and won’t do. Starting with the latter, Ayre won’t drive blind drunk through your city streets (apart from motorcycles, jet-skis or stock cars on closed tracks, Ayre hasn’t driven himself anywhere for years). Nor will he light up a fat cigar midway through an international flight while guffawing loudly and humming the main title theme to ‘Homeland.’

On the flip side, Ayre will continue to travel the world while singing the praises of Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), the only true Bitcoin due to its unique capacity for the massive on-chain scaling that will realize the promise in Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2008 Bitcoin white paper.

Ayre will also continue to bend the ears of decision makers around the globe regarding BSV’s future as the next evolutionary step in the long history of cash and commodities. And when the global merchant class finally falls in line, Ayre will be happy to play host to his governmental guests and pay the bar tab with BSV. Now, there’s a diplomat for you…

Ayre’s latest CoinGeek Conference is scheduled to kick off in Toronto on May 29-30. The future of money awaits in Toronto, and it’s easy to register and use the world’s new money to register—and you’ll even get a discount if you use Bitcoin SV via Coingate.

Calvin Ayre: The only one that’s got sustainable business model is Bitcoin SV

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on November 29, 2018.

The one good thing that has come out of the recent so-called BCH hash war is that the original Bitcoin is back—now in the form of Bitcoin SV (Satoshi Vision).

Bitcoin SV is the only cryptocurrency with a blockchain that massively scales; it’s the only one that has utility value and the one that can do it all. At the CoinGeek Week Conference, taking place at The Mermaid at Puddle Dock in London, CoinGeek founder Calvin Ayre explains how BSV is set to take over and replace other non-scaling platforms, and then also grow utility value.

“I believe firmly that the business models of all the alternative coins, the ICOs and the digital gold and whatnot are actually not real business models and that they actually, it’s a bit of an illusion or a mirage that is being sold to people, and people who don’t understand how this stuff works are being sold a bill of goods. I think one positive outcome of the hash war is the fact that people were forced to focus on the technical choices in front of them, and I think a lot of people got educated on what the differences are,” he said. “The only one that’s got a sustainable business model, that can have growth and take enterprise investment is Bitcoin SV, which is the original Bitcoin. It’s the original economic model.”

The CoinGeek Week Conference is the perfect place to hear from thought leaders about the implications of the world’s first Bitcoin Hash War fought according to Nakamoto Consensus. The three-day conference, with a special invitation-only Miners Day kicking off the week’s events, is important for anyone already involved in crypto, as well as those looking to get started. As the only cryptocurrency that is being developed to truly serve as a digital currency, Bitcoin—now in Bitcoin SV—has the most potential to make a difference in the retail industry.

Ayre said, “This is about learning, but it’s also about planning. We’re getting a lot of thought leaders together here to plan how to move ahead to actually finally show what the power of the economic model is in Bitcoin. Because now the people that were kneecapping the business model aren’t here anymore so from that perspective, there’s a lot of euphoria about the opportunities and a lot of planning going around it, but it’s also a celebration of sorts. I mean, it’s the 10-year anniversary now of the birth of the original Bitcoin and it’s also ironically the rebirth birthday, so instead of having two birthdays like what we thought we had with BCH and BTC, we’re back to having one. And that one birthday is the birth of Bitcoin because Bitcoin SV is Bitcoin.”

There’s still time to secure your seat to the last day of CoinGeek Week, where a major announcement is about to be made. Don’t be stuck on the sidelines watching as history is made at CoinGeek Week Day 3, buy your tickets to the conference via Eventbrite today.

Original Bitcoin will live on as Bitcoin SV (BSV)

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on November 23, 2018.

Any time you feel forced to square off to defend yourself or something you value you always need to have an end game plan. For CoinGeek that end game was always making sure there was a version of the original Bitcoin still able to show off its original economic design genius to the world. Bitcoin was born with a mature economic model and platform developers have consistently tinkered it to death…first by forking to Segwit BTC and now ABC has abandoned Bitcoin’s core principles by abandoning Nakamoto concensus and trust in miners’ Proof of Work. This is fine for them to test their thinking, but not by killing Bitcoin before it’s even been tested properly so we stepped in.

It is CoinGeek’s opinion that the two chains are now so far apart and have such divergent plans ahead that there is just no path back to joining them. We also no longer want the name Bitcoin Cash BCH as to us, Bitcoin SV is the original Bitcoin not the original Bitcoin Cash (whatever that even means). We understand that having nChain no longer fighting with them over roadmaps was the single most important issue to the ABC side. nChain tells me they are happy to leave ABC chain alone if they enact replay protection and do a permanent split. This is very convenient as the definition of winning is fundamentally different to each side so there is a win-win solution here.

From where CoinGeek sits right now, us permanently splitting the chains by ABC enacting replay protection will give both sides a WIN. Bitcoin will live on with Bitcoin SV and will finally have a chance to show off the true power of the original economic model. Similarly, ABC can join with the rest of the new chain/coin models to demonstrate what they believe they can do. The models can then all compete in the marketplace and this lets actual users vote with their actions.

I am confident that CoinGeek can enforce civility if the other side wants this in any permanent split. We believe this is in the best interests of all and call on all the exchanges and payment processors and others who have an interest in making this all go away to help us convince everyone to accept this solution so we can all focus on our visions for the future and get rid of this wasteful distraction.

I have instructed my team to start working with everyone to roll out the new Bitcoin SV coin. I hope this can be the end of this episode and look forward to the CoinGeek Week Conference next week being the launch party for the return of the original Bitcoin and all that this will enable. Look forward to seeing everyone there and especially discussing the future of the original Bitcoin.

Calvin Ayre honored at Halo Foundation’s Wings of Charity event

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on June 24, 2018.

The Calvin Ayre Foundation was pleased to sponsor the Halo Foundation’s annual Wings of Charity fundraising event in London on Saturday, June 23.

The Halo Foundation is an Antigua-based non-profit organization that was founded in 2014 by Sir Rodney Williams, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, and Lady Williams. The Foundation provides advocacy and support to 31 local charities involved in Youth and Education, Health and Social Welfare, and Civic and Community initiatives.

The annual Wings of Charity gala dinner and auction welcomes hundreds of invited guests from the UK and Europe, and proceeds from the auction go toward funding the Halo Foundation’s activities.

The guest of honor at the 2017 event was none other than His Royal Highness Prince Harry, who was so taken by the performance of Antiguan cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason that he invited the young artist to perform at his recent wedding to Meghan Markle.

Among the 2018 event’s attendees was Calvin Ayre, a longtime Antigua resident whose own charitable organization was pleased to help sponsor the Wings of Charity fundraiser, as part of the Calvin Ayre Foundation’s ongoing support of numerous worthy causes in Antigua and Barbuda.

Calvin was caught off guard during the evening’s festivities when the Halo Foundation chose to honor him with their Philanthropist of the Year award in recognition of his years of generous support for local causes, including donating badly needed medical equipment, furthering local students’ education and assisting relief and rebuilding operations in the wake of 2017’s devastating Hurricane Irma.