The Alice in Blockchains Association Aims to Empower Women in the Fintech and Blockchain Industries

Women employed in the financial technology (so-called fintech) industry make up only 7 percent of the total number of employees, according to Deloitte’s global report for 2020. In Croatia, the situation is similar, which is what five women who gathered and founded the Alice in Blockchains Association in mid-last year want to work on.

As the founders Magda Milas, Petra Horvatović, Anamaria Žuvanić, Belma Gutlić and Iva Kvakić say, the idea for the association was born spontaneously during business gatherings where they realized, while talking, that they were noticeably in the minority at numerous meetings and conferences in their industry.

– We recognized the need for an environment where women feel comfortable and invited to engage in the sectors of the latest and most innovative technologies in the world – fintech and blockchain – say the founders.

Magda Milas fintech is a specialist at A1 Croatia, with experience in the banking sector, Petra Horvatović is an art manager, Anamaria Žuvanić is a lawyer specializing in financial services and IT, Belma Gutlić is a software engineer and research manager at ChainSafe Systems, while Iva Kvakić is a consultant.

– Over the years, women have had to overcome numerous challenges and stereotypes to establish themselves in leadership positions. Our association is non-profit, focused on educating and networking women in the field of the latest technologies such as cryptocurrencies, blockchain and fintech – says Magda Milas, president of the Alice in Blockchains Association.

Members from All Sectors

From the idea to the launch of the association, it took them less than three months, all due to the desire to actively start working on empowering and including more women in fintech and blockchain.

In addition to blockchain and fintech experts, they have also been joined by women from culture, education, engineering, hospitality, IT, legislation and law, media and advertising, marketing, telecommunications, and financial services such as consulting, insurance, taxation, regulation, banking, and others.

So far, in less than a year since its founding, nearly 200 members have joined the association. They are particularly proud, they say, that many members are very active in the association. They are currently busy organizing two conferences – Money Motion, which is coming to Lauba in March, and Web3 Tales conference which will be held in June this year at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

– This ambitious project has involved as many as 50 of our members, who currently make up a 100 percent female organizational team, of which we are immensely proud. This is a conference for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the web3 world, with an emphasis on the female part of the population through the percentage of participants at the conference – say the Association, revealing that alongside the conference, there will also be an NFT exhibition of international artists.

Building Community

However, the main goal of all their activities is to inspire women to explore their potential and become experts in fintech and blockchain industries.

– Our activities primarily include education, then creating new business opportunities through mentorship and networking, building community through events such as meetups, workshops, and conferences, and through all activities, we strive to create a space where women feel welcome and highlight successful women in the industry – say the founders.

Once a month, all members gather in person, and they have also launched the Alice in Blockchains podcast.

– We have held four live lectures, two online workshops, and two networking parties to which we invited the entire community, and we have participated in over 25 conferences as speakers and panelists – adds Milas.

Although there are no exact data on the number of women in fintech and blockchain industries in Croatia, from the perspective of Alice in Blockchains and considering the enviable number of association members in a short time and their engagement, they say that interest and adoption of these technologies have increased among women in the country. More women are also participating in conferences and events in the blockchain and crypto community, and they are involved in discussions and debates.

– The Croatian crypto and blockchain community is quite strong, we would dare to say even on a global level. It consists of a small number of companies and a close circle of people, predominantly male, which does not deviate from global statistics indicating that the percentage of women working in these industries is even lower than the average of the technology industry of about 25 percent, which is itself quite low – say the Association, noting that it will take a lot more effort and time to turn the trends around.

However, they also note that they have strong support from the existing community.

– We have just started, the road is long, but the great interest and response certainly indicate how much such an initiative was needed. This is our contribution to the community – concludes Milas.