April 13 (SeeNews) - Montenegro has granted citizenship to Vitaly Buterin, a Russian-born Canadian software developer who co-founded open-source blockchain Ethereum, Montenegro's finance minister Milojko Spajic said on Wednesday.
The Montenegro's government decision aims to promote the country and its true value, Spajic said in a video file posted on the YouTube channel of news agency Mina-business.
"In the past, we had a lot of suspicious people who gained wealth in a dubious way, and who got Montenegrin citizenship. Now, we have a man who is not only recognised as a great expert, but he is also the cleanest in that industry," Spajic said.
Blockchain has the potential to revolutionise the Montenegrin economy in a very short time, according to Spajic.
"I think that in three years, the blockchain can account for about 30% of the Montenegrin economy, contributing with an additional 1.5 billion euro ($1.6 billion) to 2 billion euro to the gross domestic product," he noted.
On April 5, Buterin, together with Ethereum core developer Vlad Zamfir, participated in a panel discussion on drafting legislation on cryptocurrencies and blockchain in Montenegro, moderated by Spajic.
($ = 0.922919 euro)