Mark R Bell, PhD, Senior Fellow of the Emory University Center for Alternative Assets and Partner of Balentine, LLC will present materials from his coursework and research on frontier assets related to NFTs. 

Topics that will be addressed include: what are NFTs; what is the size and nature of the market; who are the market participants; how to understand the trend towards fractionalization; are NFTs assets in the traditional sense; If so, what traditional asset signals do they present; are they investable; what are the areas to watch as the market evolves and develops—all this along with important cocktail conversation essentials such as the difference between a Cryptopunk (good!) and a Cryptokitty (not as good), what’s a bored ape and how did an NFT try to buy the constitution. You won’t want to miss it!

Speaker Bio: Mark Bell, Ph.D., is a Partner and Head of Family Office Services and Private Capital at Balentine. He brings two decades of investing and leadership experience to this role. Prior to joining Balentine, Mark was managing principal and director at Diversified Trust. He also served as chief investment officer at BlueArc Capital. Mark began his career with McKinsey & Co. and subsequently was director of strategy at D. E. Shaw & Co., a multi-strategy hedge fund manager, where he developed and executed the organization’s private equity investment strategy and launched the firm’s reinsurance business. He later served as the executive vice-chairman of Brand Bank, where he led the recapitalization of the bank during the Financial Crisis. In addition to being a frequent contributor to publications such as Real Assets Adviser, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Atlanta Business Chronicle, Mark has given international lectures at Luxembourg School of Finance, the University of Zurich, Sciences Po, the Vatican, and the Kuwait Fund. At Emory University, Mark is a senior fellow and adjunct faculty member of the Center for Alternative Investments at Goizueta Business School and a Visiting Professor and Advisory Board Chair in the Department of Quantitative Theory and Methods.