Pascal Gauthier, from Ledger: “Switzerland has caught a cold snap when it comes to cryptos, which has seized up the entire industry”

Published on October 14, 2024 at 05:42.

It is in his Geneva offices, in the Eaux-Vives district, that Pascal Gauthier receives Time. He moved to Switzerland three years ago, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has led the giant Ledger since 2017. The French company, valued at 1.3 billion euros, produces digital safes which allow holders of cryptoassets to maintain control over them, without going through an intermediary. This is what we call in the jargon the self-custody. Because cryptocurrencies are linked to a private cryptographic key, which takes the form of a long string of characters. Anyone who has the latter can control the associated funds. Hence the importance of keeping this information secret. The devices produced by Ledger, a type of USB key, allow these private keys to be stored without requiring a permanent internet connection. A way to limit risks. Active in this industry since 2014, Pascal Gauthier does not mince his words about the way in which Europe has decided to tackle the subject.

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