What is Bitgert (BRISE): A look at the ‘next big thing’

Bitgert purports to be the next big thing in the crypto space. Does it deserve the hype?

Bitgert, built on the Binance blockchain, claims to be a staking platform and decentralised exchange (DEX) alternative to PancakeSwap, operable through its Android and AppStore (BETA) application. BRISE coin is the native cryptocurrency of Bitgert.

What is Bitgert coin used for, you ask? According to Bitgert, the “BRISE dApp Wallet is a multi-coin wallet app that allows you to send/receive/store/swap various cryptocurrencies safely.” Bitgert claims to donate 5% in transaction fees to a buy-back scheme to deflate circulation, 3% to marketing purposes and 4% to staking rewards.

Questions surround Bitgert’s ownership structure and operating procedures, however. In this article we tackle these questions and search for some answers. 

Is Bitgert’s audit service legitimate?

In an act of self-congratulatory appraisal, the BRISE cryptocurrency undertook an audit performed by… Bitgert. The audit, available here, suggests that all manual code, contract functions, owner privileges, rug-proofing and liquidity were checked. However no genuine links are provided to verify this.

In terms of these audits, one of the company’s main advertised offerings, how does Bitgert work? The BitRise Audit platform seemingly allows any and all cryptocurrency projects to request a blockchain audit, delivered within 48 hours free of charge. No parameters regarding the metrics used are disclosed.

Interestingly, all audits posted by BitRise Audit present nearly identical security ratings and other audit details, which can be compared here.

Is the BitRise charity legitimate?

Bitgert’s BitRise charity supposedly donates proceeds to various hunger-relief and education programmes, although any details beyond that are scarce. The official website does not outline any affiliates, charity numbers or an action plan. Reverse image searches show that visual assets are stock photos. 

Few philanthropically-minded individuals seem to have donated to the charity. The donation address has only logged two inbound transactions over its lifespan.

Currency.com recommends conducting thorough due diligence before donating to lesser-known charitable organisations.

Bitgert’s online presence

Due to the lack of contact details available through the website, Currency.com reached out to Bitgert through its official social media channels. A message posted on Bitgert’s official Telegram page requesting further details regarding Bitgert’s operations, auditing procedure and ownership model was met by a swift block.

This raises the question: what is Bitgert (BRISE)?

Comment has been requested via Bitgert’s official Twitter page. Having only registered in July 2021, Bitgert amassed 66,000 followers while only following two other people: Elon Musk and the CEO of Binance. While posting activity is regular, many posts seem to be begging for exchange listings of the Bitgert cryptocurrency.

Furthermore, multiple replies under each post tend to be identical, suggesting potential bot activity.

Bitgert’s official website lists a supposed development team. All names and roles were cross-checked on LinkedIn, though no matching profiles could be found. Furthermore, certain aspects of the team’s profile pictures (seen below) suggests that they could be computer-generated: for example, the blurry, indecipherable background behind ‘Dominick Rodgers’. These visual glitches are a main sign of AI-generated profiles, according to analysis by coder and visual artist Kyle McDonald. 

McDonald told Currency.com: “I believe they are GAN images. Major hints are the ‘brick’ background in the first picture, the messy forehead hair quality in the second (and teeth). Also, Pellio has a longer ear on one side which appears to have an earring, but not in the other ear. Asymmetry is a common problem. I expect these were generated with StyleGAN3.”

Additionally, ‘Alexeeva’ is a feminine name in the Russian lexicon, derived from the masculine ‘Alexeyev’. The facial parameters of ‘Pellio Homullus’ were input into a generated.photo, and the results can be observed here. Bitgert has since removed all trace of these profile pictures from the website.

The bitgert.com domain name was cross referenced using lookup.icann.org. Bitgert seemingly uses the Withheld for Privacy (WFP) service, although domain details are seemingly pulled straight from WFP’s generic example presented on the homepage, suggesting that Bitgert (BRISE) may not actually pay for this service.

Amusingly or perversely, depending on your point of view, the postcode given matches that of the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which houses the world’s largest display of penises and penile parts.

Queries were also posted on Bitgert’s official Reddit page, which only allows posts by moderator approval. Approval remains pending.

The webpage does have a chat function, but whether this is an automated service or a genuine representative is unclear. A request for comment brought the following reply: “Audits are done manually by technical (sic) team and the way of representation might look same (sic) because the format wont (sic) change for each project.

“The team members choose not to reveal much more info for their own privacy reasons. For example, Its (sic) an individual’s choice to whether or not share any further information about their personal professional self.”

Bitgert has been on the advertising offensive. Many articles continue to crop up on Google, predominantly released via India-based online publications Analytics Insight.

Bitgert’s marketing strategy employs an SEO tactic that is becoming increasingly common in the cryptocurrency space. Juxtaposing Bitgert’s name alongside those of more well-established projects in these article headlines aims to conflate Bitgert with the likes of Cardano, Avalanche and others.

In the space of only two days (17 and 18 March 2022), Analytics Insight published no fewer than 15 articles featuring Bitgert in the headline, usually alongside other large-cap cryptocurrencies.

The Bitgert blockchain

Bitgert released its long-awaited blockchain in February 2022. The much-hyped promise of gas-free transactions never materialised, with Bitgert instead changing tack to a “near-zero transaction fee” system.

Built with a proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus protocol, the BriseChain has a block time of 15 seconds. Although PoA blockchains are considered highly scalable, they are also criticised for being highly centralised.

According to the Binance Academy, “One could say that this model of consensus algorithm is just an effort to make centralised systems more efficient. While this makes PoA an attractive solution for large corporations with logistical needs, it does bring some hesitation – especially within the cryptocurrency scope.”

There is evidence to suggest that the BriseChain was developed by a third party rather than Bitgert itself. Before being removed, Bitgert’s logo briefly appeared on the homepage of Vindax, an organisation that sells prepackaged blockchain systems for under $5,000.

Further supporting this claim is the fact that, bar a different colour scheme, Bitgert’s blockchain scanner is identical in design to those of Bitica, Shree and other Vindax clients.

The Bitgert Chain has a range of early-stage projects being built on the platform. Things took a bizarre turn in March 2022 when the Brise Paradise project was announced: “A physical space in the Maldives designed to accommodate cryptocurrency communities to come together, celebrate your wins, work on your own projects, host launch events and even conduct AMAs from paradise.”

The project has shades of the infamous Cryptoland project to it. The Maldives business registry does have BRISE PARADISE PVT LTD on its books, with four directors listed. At the time of writing, however, the registered entity does not have any business permits or licences attached to its name.

On 10 and 11 June, the Bitgert Chain was forced to blacklist two projects on two consecutive days. OmniaVerse was taken down following a breach of contract after diluting token supplies, while Servax was accused of rug-pulling investors.

Do any exchanges list BRISE?

BRISE secured a listing on Gate.io in February 2022, promping a rally on the value of the token. KuCoin also lists the BRISE/USDT pair. Going by CoinMarketCap’s metrics, BRISE coin has a liquidity rating (LR) of 334/1000 on Gate.io and 254/1000 on KuCoin, significantly below a healthy rating of 700+.

BRISE is also available on the BNB Chain-based decentralised exchance (DEX) PancakeSwap.

Is Bitgert a scam?

The Bitgert project has many question marks hovering over it, including in relation to its team identity, the quality of its blockchain, its social media presence and advertising practices.

But while these are certainly red flags, they do not necessarily prove that Bitgert is a scam. Ultimately, the validity of the project should be determined by you. Currency.com does not give financial advice, and this article is intended to give information in a neutral and transparent fashion.

Further reading