Ex Liverpool footballer, Michael Owen has announced that he is launching his own cryptocurrency; the Owen Coin. He joins other sportsmen, including Manny Pacquiao. On Wednesday, Owen unveiled the Owen Coin, which is being supported by the Singapore based Global Crypto Offering Exchange. The token will allow investors to purchase merchandise, such as personal training videos, donate to charity, and interact with the man himself via live streaming. The Global Crypto Offering Exchange claims to be the world’s first celebrity cryptocurrency exchange and went even further to say that how they were listed on the exchange would be a direct indication of their popularity outside of the cryptocurrency world. Speaking of his new venture, the ex-sportsman said;

“Fans can be connected to their favourite celebrities in a much more intimate level.”

Despite the fact that cryptocurrencies have had a bit of a negative run this year, and even the most popular ones have taken a hit, Owen has not been put off by investing in the market, even at a time when tighter regulations are being applied to the cryptocurrency world, particularly across Asia. The end of last year saw a completely different story for cryptocurrencies, with hundreds of cryptocurrencies seeing huge rises. The most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was worth almost $20,000 per Bitcoin. This is sadly not the case now though, and the value has more than halved and dropped to below $9,000. Owen spoke about Bitcoin, saying;

“When the price of Bitcoin reached a new high last year, I knew it was a clear trajectory to cryptocurrency as a global phenomenon.”

Like we previously mentioned, Michael Owen is not the first former sportsman to branch into the world of crypto. Boxer, Manny Pacquiao is set to release a cryptocurrency on the same exchange, and fellow boxer, Floyd Mayweather also has plans to release one, reports suggest. So, watch this space to see how well they perform! Featured Image Source: Wikipedia Commons