SmartKey, a rapidly-growing blockchain company based in Estonia, has today appointed Andy Cheung to spearhead its ambitious expansion plans in the Asia-Pacific region and manage its listing strategy.

Cheung is the CEO of Bitwork, one of the biggest blockchain consultancy firms in Asia. Under Andy's leadership, Bitwork accelerated and incubated multiple projects including Centric, DigiCol, RingX, and the Korean crypto exchange Aprobit. He was previously COO and former executive of the influential OKEx exchange. He has been named the one of TOP 50 most important and influential people in the cryptocurrency space by Cointelegraph and a top global blockchain influencer by CryptoSlate, Bitcoin Insider, and Block Journal.

Andy is also the founder and executive chairman of a next generation cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, ACDX. The serial entrepreneur previously served in executive roles at Groupon Inc., iClick Interactive, and Alibaba Group.

SmartKey connects the world of physical values such as gates and devices with the blockchain of things, via smart contracts on the Ethereum and Waves blockchain. Its ultimate vision is to enable the smart city of the future - connecting multiple data sources, via public blockchain, to power smart devices within the home and also municipal infrastructure such as public transport and utilities. SmartKey recently launched the world’s first blockchain project to assist emergency services with a pilot in one of Poland’s biggest cities, Oltsztyn, using its technology to grant access to rescue teams in an emergency - cutting down response times and helping to save lives. It has also just announced a new global partnership with Ferguson to integrate over 300,000 smart home devices with its technology.

Cheung said: “SmartKey is a project where the potential is clearly shown in working, real world solutions and partnerships with global brands like Kia and Ferguson. Its ability to solidly connect physical values to the blockchain of things will help elevate the technology and bring the project near the top of the coin market cap ranking.”

Szymon Fiedorowicz, CEO of SmartKey, added: “The Asian market is a critical one for this project, in terms of investment and of realising our ultimate vision for smart cities. We know the appetite is there from our community and investors and the listing strategy will be vital in fulfilling SmartKey’s potential.”