Generally, around the festive time in December, most financial publications will focus on the success stories or cautionary tales of Black Friday, or perhaps the retailers' general thoughts and feelings surrounding the Christmas buying frenzy. In addition, the weeks leading up to Christmas are usually reserved in an attempt to understand buying habits of the current year. What are people buying? Are they spending more or less money than the previous year? Why are they spending that money?

However, this year proved a turning point for the newly emerging cryptocurrency industry. This is easy to see in the slew of articles being published in an attempt to understand the brave new world of the somewhat abstract concept of a blockchain-based monetary system. Most prominent media outlets, especially those concerned with current events, finances, and tech, have become obsessed with the current Bitcoin fever. Most articles try to understand the Bitcoin user base, while others denounced Bitcoin. Perhaps one thing all outlets have in common is their bafflement of the last year’s growth rate.

Just last week, bitcoin set a new record when it skyrocketed to $17,000. While it dropped back to $15,000 shortly after, there's no denying bitcoin's meteoric rise in the last year. While the price could either slump, stagnate, or continue its unbelievable growth trajectory, all is mere speculation.

While this last week was historical for bitcoin, another interesting emerging trend is the creation of blockchain-based technologies.

Surprising to some, unsurprising to others, celebrities and sports personalities have now entered the blockchain ring to lend their celebrity to newly emerged tech products. Previously, initial coin offerings (ICOs), utilized the endorsement of the likes of socialite, Paris Hilton, and sportsman, Floyd Mayweather, in an attempt to stand out in an increasing number of competing ICO campaigns.

When it comes to devices, however, the football player, Lionel Messi, is one of the latest celebrities to become involved in the blockchain industry. Just last week, Messi lost the race in this year’s Ballon D’Or award. The award is presented annually to the world’s best football player. This year the award was given to Cristiano Ronaldo, who already won the award five times in the last decade. However, Messi won the award the other five times in the last 10 years.

Messi is a superstar of a wildly popular industry and is recognized and respected by fans and sports enthusiasts, alike. Once Messi starts acting as brand ambassador, his endorsement carries weight and commands a respect and trust from millions of admirers and fans around the world.

Messi was confirmed as the brand ambassador for a device manufacturing company, Sirin Labs. The company attracted some attention previously due to their smartphone, which retailed for $17,000 per device. The hefty price tag was attributed to the smartphone's strict security measures, in addition to several other nifty features.

Sirin Lab’s latest device is likely to appeal to a wider market. Not only because of Messi’s endorsement, but also thanks to the device’s added utility. While the device is still focussed on security, it will rely on its very own blockchain network in order to provide maximum security to its users. The device will enable users to rest assured that their cryptocurrency investments remain safe in their wallets.

The device, dubbed Finney, according to Sirin Labs, will be the world’s first all-in-one PC and smartphone that is open sourced and entirely secure to use. The device will depend on a blockchain network that does not require any additional fees from the user. The phone has been designed with tech-savvy crypto investors, who are all-too-aware of the risks of losing their crypto funds and hopes to keep their funds safe from hackers.

Hackers have turned their attention towards the growing lucrative cryptocurrency industry. Recently, the mining service, NiceHash, fell victim to an attack where hackers stole over $75 million worth of users’ cryptocurrency holdings.

Attacks of this nature are likely only to become more severe and frequent as Bitcoin's price climbs ever higher, which makes security matters more important than ever before.

The Sirin Labs crowdsale will launch this coming week on December 12. Investors will receive SRN tokens proportionate to their investments. In turn, SRN tokens will allow users to get their Sirin products and use the company’s very own blockchain network.

According to Sirin Labs CEO, Moshe Hogeg, the company is thrilled to have Messi on board. The CEO added that the blockchain was created in order to enhance security and to create a user-friendly experience. Something which, in turn, will hopefully attract even more users.

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