WVU Business College hosts panel to discuss cryptocurrencies

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — A panel was held on WVU’s campus on Monday to discuss cryptocurrencies, aka “crypto,” and to educate attendees on the subject.

The panel was hosted by the John Chambers College of Business and Economics with the theme of “Crypto Stars Rise.” Matewan Digital Holdings Founder Charlie Kiser was one of the panelists and said that the panel was meant to educate and get a feeling for how people feel about crypto.

“So today, what we’re trying to do is find out what are people’s opinions about crypto,” Kiser said. “Do they support it? Do they understand it? Is it something that they’re interested in?”

Kiser said that one major topic that came up during the panel was the apparent large amount of federal activity surrounding crypto as well as the topic’s appearance in legislative sessions across the country. He said that states like West Virginia have the opportunity to move things in a positive direction for the industry.

“West Virginia’s in a position where we don’t have a lot of legislation in place,” said Kiser. “But we have some people that are interested. Whether it’s around energy, or whether it’s around financial policy.”

Kiser said that the topic of cryptocurrency is particularly important to him given his West Virginia heritage and the fact that his grandfather, a coal miner, was paid in company scrip instead of normal U.S. dollars.

“If you know anything about scrip, it is a kind of controlled currency that the coal companies put out,” Kiser stated. “And so, there’s a bit of an analogue with different types of currencies that might be an alternative to the dollar or something else.”

Kiser said that this discussion is one of the first of what will be a series that he plans to take across the state in the fall. During the series, he plans to engage with different businesses, faculty, students, and members of other schools and communities including the University of Charleston and Marshall University.