Why This Trader Stops Clients from Gambling Every Market Cycle Since 2018

What we talked about.

Sunny Ray sits down with Marco, founder of Alira Global, calling in from Medellin, Colombia. Marco traces his path from studying business administration in Germany and working recruitment roles at Hays, to lecturing on business and blockchain for over 15 years. He recounts his first venture in web3 sports with broadcaster Sport1, the losses that taught him to research before investing, and how his beginner friendly crypto book landed in the IHK German Chamber of Commerce curriculum. Marco explains why he keeps over 90 percent of his crypto portfolio in Bitcoin, treating it as digital gold while allocating a small, deliberate slice to higher risk, deeply researched projects. He details how Alira Global advises web3 startups on funding, tokenomics and legal compliance, why he sometimes invests in clients directly, and what red flags make him walk away. The conversation closes on his bets in ONE Banking and Movee, and his broader philosophy of diversification over hype chasing across every market cycle since 2018.

A German lecturer turned Bitcoin maximalist explains why he tells crypto founders and clients what not to buy.

The questions, and the answers.

What is Alira Global doing?

We advise mostly web3 startups, guiding them through the industry and helping them avoid bad actors. I help projects get investment ready and funded. We also structure legal and compliance, tokenomics, and connect them with a marketing agency and investor network so they can scale and raise money properly.

Your first venture was sports management. Why sports, and what did that teach you about money?

I onboarded Sport1, a big sports broadcaster in the German speaking region. It taught me bridging traditional sports and web3 isn't simple because people lack education on how to use web3's advantages. The hardest lesson was expecting more people outside the regular web3 world to jump in as customers. It was more complex than I thought.

What was the moment in 2018 that really cracked blockchain open for you?

I was on holiday talking to someone who bought Bitcoin early, around 2014 or 2015. I already felt something was wrong with the old financial system from my recruitment work with banks. That conversation about Bitcoin and decentralized finance opened my eyes, and I dove in and started my own journey afterward.

You ended up writing a beginner's crypto textbook. Why?

I had no technical background, so understanding blockchain wasn't easy for me. I read maybe 40 to 50 books, watched videos and podcasts, and writing a book was already on my bucket list. I wanted to help people without a tech background enter the space more easily, avoiding the jargon usually used.

How did a self published crypto book end up in Germany's IHK chamber of commerce curriculum?

It was due to my former connections. I was already lecturing at the IHK, and they heard about the book and asked if it was for beginners. When I said yes, they asked if I could offer beginner courses in blockchain technology too. That became the starting point for my deeper journey in web3.

When did you stop chasing tokens and start telling people what not to buy?

It was around 2019 after I invested in some hype tokens and lost money. That pushed me to analyze what makes tokens successful or not. Since I was already lecturing and had published my book, it became important to help people avoid the same mistakes I made myself.

What is your central thesis, what do you actually tell clients to do?

Don't put everything on one card. Diversify across real estate, stocks, and crypto. For crypto specifically, I'd tell people to only use free money, avoid debt, and put around 5 to 10 percent into cryptocurrencies. My own allocation is 30 to 40 percent, and over 90 percent of that is Bitcoin.

Why did you invest in ONE Banking specifically?

Fintech and neobanks interest me a lot since my customers are worldwide and cross border payments are complicated. ONE Banking has AI integration as the first AI narrative neobank, plans a tokenized assets platform, and is regulated in Malta, a European hub. That combination really convinced me.