Anish Mohammed is the co-founder and Chief Scientist of Panther Protocol and co-founder of EthicsNet. He also serves as Head of Research at SRH Berlin’s Information Science Institute and maintains multiple advisory roles across technology ventures.
Long before Bitcoin, Ethereum, or the rise of privacy in blockchain discussions, he had already spent over a decade delving into cryptography and security. A self-described “very OG” in the crypto world, he was there when Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin to a cryptography mailing list—and he was already well-versed in the field.
Born in Kerala, India, Mohammed started his academic journey far from the realm of digital currencies. Between 1991 and 1998, he earned a medical degree from Kerala University. His early career, however, diverged sharply from clinical practice.
A research stint at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore introduced him to computational systems through work on hidden Markov models for intrusion detection. This foreshadowed the career shift that would define his professional identity.
Academic Pivot and the Cryptography Turn
In 2000, Mohammed joined Ericsson in Sweden, where he worked on micropayment systems. It was a turning point. The role exposed him to the cryptographic underpinnings of digital finance and the operational challenges facing online transactions.
It also immersed him in the cryptography mailing list—an influential forum that would later become foundational in the early development of blockchain technology.
His academic trajectory deepened this pivot. Between 2003 and 2017, Mohammed pursued a PhD in Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London. He also completed postgraduate studies in cryptography and attended specialized programs at Stanford and MIT, including Stanford’s Ignite Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and MIT’s course on Big Data.
That combination of medical training and cryptographic research made Mohammed a rare presence in the decentralized finance world—at once fluent in biological systems and distributed ledgers. His Twitter bio is a condensed version of this duality: “Doctor/bioinformatician/cryptographer/hacker.”
Early Roles and Foundations in Blockchain Development
Mohammed’s blockchain credentials are extensive. He served as an early advisor to Ripple in 2013. He reviewed Ethereum’s original Orange Paper and contributed to the Swarm (Orange) team. He has helped design or audit over a dozen cryptographic protocols and contributed to seven Layer-1 blockchain projects.
One of his core projects today is Panther Protocol, which he co-founded and where he serves as CTO and Chief Scientist. The protocol uses zero-knowledge proofs to deliver privacy-focused decentralized finance solutions that enable selective disclosure—balancing the needs of institutional compliance with user confidentiality.
“We’re not just creating a privacy protocol,”
he explained in a 2024 interview at the Bitcoin MENA Conference.
“We’re enabling private DeFi strategies with built-in compliance.”
That tension between transparency and privacy has become a focal point for Mohammed, particularly as he warns that generative AI tools are making it easier to exploit publicly available data. He predicts that future large language models will reach IQ levels between 140 and 160 within 12 to 18 months. In his view, privacy is no longer optional.
Alongside Panther, Mohammed has held key positions in several blockchain ventures. He served as Principal Architect for Boson Protocol and is a director at ZERO KNOWLEDGE CONSULTING LIMITED and KVSP (UK) LIMITED. He also co-founded the UK Digital Currency Association, signaling his involvement in protocol architecture and policy.
His current academic role as Head of Research at the Information Science Institute at SRH Berlin complements his adjunct faculty position at Harbour Space University. He lectures at institutions, including MIT, CMU, UCL, and King’s College London. “A well-informed citizenry is essential,” He has said, emphasizing the public’s need for technological literacy.
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Ideas, Publications, and the Ethics of Emerging Systems
His intellectual breadth is evident in both his publications and advisory roles. Mohammed has written extensively—his articles range from “The Math Behind The Smart Contract” to “How Universities Should Teach Blockchain” and “Zero Knowledge and Blockchain.” He has also explored broader concerns like data exploitation, disinformation, and the failure of global systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His publications criticize AI and public policy’s lack of algorithmic accountability. He has been particularly vocal about the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the failure of contact tracing systems to respect privacy.
Mohammed’s philosophical outlook is as structured as his code. He draws heavily from open-source metaphors—likening blockchain ecosystems to bazaars, contrasted with the castles of traditional institutions. His advocacy for decentralized governance, privacy-by-design, and tokenized economies reflects a cohesive worldview grounded in cryptographic principles and ethical frameworks.
His stance on AI is equally nuanced. He argues for explainability, data provenance, and smart contract-based policies to govern machine learning applications. He has contributed to discussions on algorithmic bias, centralized AI ownership, and the risk of “technological colonialism,” especially when AI systems trained on first-world data are deployed in developing regions.
Leadership, Consulting, and Real-World Impact
At the same time, Mohammed has been building real-world systems. In addition to Panther, he co-founded EthicsNet, an initiative exploring ethical AI governance. He also serves as CEO of Ztrade and is an angel investor in Convival. His involvement with Polygon Protocol (a distinct entity from Polygon/Matic) further reflects his commitment to blockchain infrastructure.
Throughout his career, Mohammed has consulted for legacy institutions, including HSBC, Lloyds, Zurich, and Banko Azteca. He’s also advised startups like Adjoint Inc., Arteia, Chain of Things, ColliderX, and BABB. The range of sectors—from banking to transportation to AI—points to a sought-after strategic mind capable of translating technical complexity into business impact.
Mohammed maintains a strong digital presence across platforms such as LinkedIn, X, and Medium. On his Substack, he dives deeper into crypto philosophy and technical design. He has given over 100 talks worldwide and co-hosts the Pretopia podcast, where he explores emerging technologies, societal implications, and future risks.
Despite his broad expertise, he is resolutely pragmatic. He sees blockchain as a tool—not a cure-all, but a means to distribute power, correct systemic flaws, and introduce verifiable trust into increasingly automated systems.
The scale of his impact is difficult to quantify, but his work across academia, startups, enterprise consulting, and policy advocacy places him at the core of several transformative domains. Mohammed’s fingerprints are visible in privacy-preserving computation, homomorphic encryption, token engineering, or decentralized governance.
He warns against blind faith in technology and stresses the importance of governance systems that can scale alongside innovation. His work across zero-knowledge proofs, smart contracts, and AI ethics reflects a singular focus: engineering systems that are both secure and just.
From the backwaters of Kerala to the frontlines of decentralized infrastructure, Anish Mohammed’s trajectory spans medicine, mathematics, ethics, and encryption. His work isn’t simply about technology—it’s about designing trust mechanisms in a world rapidly losing it.
Where You Can Find Anish Mohammed
You can connect with Anish Mohammed on various social media platforms and explore his work through his professional and academic profiles. Here are his verified profiles:
- Official Website: https://anish-mohammed-shs2.squarespace.com/
- X (Twitter): @anishmohammed
- Substack: @anishmohammed
- LinkedIn: Anish Mohammed
- Medium: https://medium.com/@anishmohammed
- Speakerhub: https://speakerhub.com/speaker/anish-mohammed
