Sirin Labs Unveils $1,000 Blockchain Finney Phone

July 12, 2018 | Sirin Labs, the Israeli-founded blockchain company based in Switzerland that is perhaps best known for developing a $17,000 secure smartphone for high-end clients — and signing Leo Messi as a brand ambassador — has announced the unveiling a new blockchain-based Android device set to be released in November for $1,000, according to a report in US tech news network The Verge.

The company already raised over $157 million in an initial coin offering that will fund this smartphone. This FINNEY phone, like its $17,000 predecessor, connects blockchain tech with cryptocurrency, but will use Sirin’s own cryptocurrency SRN token.

The phone will be available on the company’s website and in its London store.

Sirin Labs has its headquarters in Switzerland, also an office in London and an R&D center in Tel Aviv. It was founded in 2013 by Israelis Tal Cohen and Moshe Hogeg, known for founding the VC firm Singulariteam and startups Yo and Mobli, which nabbed celebrity investors. Kazakh businessman Kenges Rakishev, also a co-founder, serves as company chairman.