Investor's Bookshelf: The crypto pioneer making digital assets child's play
When your father is one of crypto's most influential voices, runs a $150 million crypto hedge fund, and hosts a weekly crypto show on CNBC Arabia reaching 60 million viewers, how do you explain his job to your friends?
For Henri Arslanian's eight-year-old daughter, the answer is simple: "My dad is the CEO of Bitcoin."
That innocent misunderstanding sparked what would become "Decoding Crypto with Henri and Hodler," a children's book that has reached the top five globally in its category on Amazon, with discussions now underway about a potential TV series.
"Following the launch of my last book on crypto, I received over 150 messages from followers asking me how to teach their children about cryptocurrency," Arslanian told AsianInvestor.
The answer took shape through a collaboration with bestselling children's author Michael Dozikas and interviews with about 200 teachers, parents, and educators.
"Writing for kids is two to three times harder than writing for adults," he explained.
"You need superheroes, rhyming, characters, and illustrations that can compete with YouTube and TikTok for attention."
The result features Professor Henri, based on Arslanian himself, who guides readers through the crypto world alongside his buddy Hodler - a character embodying the long-term investment philosophy crucial to cryptocurrency understanding.
LITERARY JOURNEY
The children's book represents a significant departure from Arslanian's previous works.
His publishing career began with the technical "How to Launch a Hedge Fund," followed by "The Future of Finance" in 2017, which predicted how AI and crypto would transform financial services.
His 2022 follow-up, "The Book of Crypto,", another best-seller, provided clarity during market turbulence following the collapse of FTX and Three Arrows Capital.
Arslanian's ability to simplify complex concepts stems from his unique career trajectory.
His knack for spotting trends emerged early.
After watching a documentary about China's rising economic power, the Canadian-born Armenian packed his bags for Beijing with nothing but a "Chinese for Dummies" book.
"Everyone laughed at me then, but I knew China would become a global powerhouse," he said.
That same forward-thinking instinct would later draw him to Hong Kong's emerging FinTech scene and eventually to cryptocurrency, where he built and led PwC's global crypto practice into a $100 million global operation with 400 people globally.
Today, as co-founder of Nine Blocks Capital, Dubai's first Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)-licensed crypto hedge fund, he's focusing on market inefficiencies rather than directional bets.
The fund, which is geared for institutional investors, has achieved annualised returns since inception of over 20%, using a market neutral arbitrage strategy.
EDUCATIONAL MISSION
His reach extends far beyond the classroom. A strategic decision to focus on LinkedIn for educational content - knowing professionals could access it during work hours - has led to a following of half a million with engagement rates between 10-20%.
"For months, I'd spend weekends in a shared office space, writing content when everyone else was brunching or hiking," he said.
Looking ahead, Arslanian sees crypto education becoming increasingly crucial, particularly for investors.
"Every large asset manager and hedge fund will need a crypto sleeve," he predicts. "Three factors will drive this: regulatory clarity, institutional-grade infrastructure, and increased liquidity through vehicles like the Bitcoin ETF."
WRITING FOR IMPACT
For aspiring authors looking to tackle complex topics, Arslanian emphasises the importance of doing the work yourself.
"A lot of successful folks hire ghost writers," he said, "but if you're going to do it, you got to do it properly."
The commitment required is intense. Since 2016, Arslanian has produced content daily, maintaining a consistency that he believes separates successful authors from the rest.
"For 99.9% of people, consistency is a problem. The first dozen pieces you create, nobody's going to pay attention."
But perhaps his most crucial insight is about truly mastering your subject matter.
"When you're going to put your thoughts down in a book that you cannot change afterwards, you need to be 110% sure what you're saying is accurate. The beauty is, because of that, you really develop a solid foundation of understanding."