Nobody has shaped the German-speaking blockchain landscape as much as him: Prof. Dr. Philip Sandner. He was the face of the scene, the first point of contact for interested parties and media who wanted to find out more about the topic of blockchain. His presence and interpretative sovereignty earned him the title “Blockchain Pope”. Now he died at the age of 43, like them Frankfurt School confirmed.
As the founder of the Blockchain Center at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, he managed to build a bridge between blockchain technology and the traditional financial sector in the heart of the banking city of Frankfurt. He has brought the scene together not only with his own conference, the Crypto Asset Conference, but also through numerous other projects, educational initiatives and networking events. He made the Frankfurt School a meeting point for those interested in blockchain. Be it students, entrepreneurs or curious bankers and civil servants.
His expertise made him one of the most influential economists in Germany, as the FAZ honored him several times in a row. The business magazine Capital also named him one of the “Top 40 under 40”. But Sandner was not only very present in the media. The Federal Ministry of Finance elected him as an expert in its FinTech Council. The blockchain professor was a high-flyer who had already come a long way and would have gone much further.
With education against reservations
No working day was long enough for him to pursue this passion. For him, establishing blockchain technology was not just a job, but also a calling. Just sitting around like that was never his thing. Anyone who knows him always knows him on the go, with his head already on the next project so as not to miss any opportunity.
This hard work has paid off. Not just for Frankfurt School, but for the entire sector. After all, blockchain technology still has to contend with a dubious image to this day. It is thanks to Sandner that the image of the industry is changing and that reservations are being reduced. Through proactive education and networking events, he has been able to convince crypto critics of the technology.
Show your flag for Bitcoin
He did not allow himself to be “lulled” by the financial industry and authorities. Anyone who knows him knows that he was a Bitcoin fan. For him, blockchain means public blockchain and not a centralized banking solution that goes by the term DLT. With his enthusiasm for Bitcoin, he was ready to offend and fight against the slogan: “Blockchain yes, Bitcoin no”. The entire Bitcoin and crypto scene gives him credit for his courage to publicly stand up for Bitcoin in his professorial role.
Between tokenization and many regulatory issues, it was in ours last joint panel At the Frankfurt School it was his wish to also put a Bitcoin-only panel on the agenda. I can’t remember a panel last year that was more passionate, Sandner was in his element.
The fact that he is no longer with us is a shock and difficult to understand. For the entire sector and personally, for everyone who knew and valued him. Our condolences go out to everyone who was close to him, especially his family.
Philipp, we miss you.
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