Pantera CEO Dan Morehead highlighted the potential growth and value of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Web3 functionality, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and Metaverse applications in his opening keynote speech at Token2049 in Singapore. Thousands of attendees converged on Wednesday at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Center for the start of the two-day conference which features prominent speakers from the cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem. Pantera, a blockchain-focused investment fund with $4.5 billion of assets under management, said it continues to see value in emerging crypto use cases. Morehead drew parallels to the early 2000s when emerging technology companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google …

Developed countries often take for granted the ubiquity of the internet. But the reality is that some 2.9 billion people still don’t have connectivity to the world wide web. Data provided by UNICEF highlights that the majority of this internet-less mass of people reside in undeveloped countries, and children continue to be disadvantaged by the lack of internet connectivity at local schools. A UNICEF-led initiative is tackling this dilemma in a novel way through a joint venture with the International Telecommunication Union that led to the creation of Giga in 2019. Gerben Kijne, blockchain product manager at Giga, outlined the …

Blockchain is no longer a buzzword being thrown around by mainstream institutions as meaningful and fully-working pilots and programs come to the fore at Blockchain Expo Europe 2022 in Amsterdam. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of mainstream companies from various industries started to explore ways blockchain technology could be used to improve processes and products. After two years of social distancing and working from home, the time to harvest the fruits of sewn seeds has arrived, as evidenced by some intriguing updates from major corporations utilizing blockchain technology. The world of business consulting, healthcare and pharmaceuticals and the energy …

With the convenience of centralization seemingly threatening the original crypto vision, decentralization will still help escape a potential dystopian future, according to a panel discussion at the DeData Salon 2022 conference held in Berlin, Germany. Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr moderated a panel discussion dubbed “Shaping The Next Economic Era With Web3 Technology.” Panelists included Paul Claudius, the co-founder of DIA; Hoon Kim, the chief technology officer of the AStar Network; Matt Gurbiel, growth manager at Redstone Finance and Riccardo Lamanna, the founder of OpenQ. While the panel discussed various topics, one of the highlights was the decentralization of Web3. Cornèr …

With many younger investors getting into blockchain and cryptocurrencies through various advertisements on the internet, the importance of education in the space becomes more obvious, according to a panel discussion at the CV Summit 2022. Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr moderated a panel discussion titled “Tokenized Finances, Security Tokens, and the Re-Definition of Value.” Panelists included Massimo Butti, the head of equity at SDX; Nicola Plain, the CEO of Aktionariat; Thomas Eichenberger, the head of business units at Sygnum; and Arnab Naskar, the co-founder of STOKR. During the discussion, several topics were brought up, including how distributed ledger technology (DLT) is …

A sublime sunset enveloped Biarritz Casino on Aug. 27, bringing France’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) conference to a close. Located in southwest France and organized by French Bitcoin exchange Stackin Sat, Surfin Bitcoin assembled a host of Bitcoin OG’s, newbies and no coiners, those yet to buy or earn crypto, in a setting that would rival any Hollywood film set. Bitcoiners networked in the hope of learning more about the Lightning Network, landing jobs at one of the many French Bitcoin companies present — from Galoy Money to Découvre Bitcoin — or simply rubbing shoulders with fellow Bitcoin believers. In a …

Over a decade-long evolution later, for self-justified personal reasons, a handful of the crypto community members chose to believe in siding against Bitcoin (BTC), resulting in a narrative that preached "blockchain is great, Bitcoin is bad." Josselin Tonnellier, the founder of Bitcoin exchange StackinSat and organizer of the Surfin' Bitcoin 2022, believes that this particular notion is one of the main barriers to broader BTC adoption in France. In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph reporter Joseph Hall, Tonnellier discussed several important topics, including the adoption of Bitcoin and crypto in France, the origins and goals of the Surfin' Bitcoin conference, …

Cointelegraph's Joseph Hall interviewed Bitcoin (BTC) advocates Pierre Rochard and Morgen Rochard, the hosts of the Bitcoin for Advisors podcast at the Surfin’ Bitcoin 2022 event held in France. The group talked about how France can attract more miners, where Bitcoin comes in in terms of financial planning and the difference between Bitcoin and other cryptos. According to Pierre Rochard, who also works at the mining firm Riot Blockchain, there are two ways for France to attract large-scale Bitcoin miners. The first is to provide assurances in terms of policies on Bitcoin mining. In addition to this, the country should …

Crypto conferences have continued to take the world by storm, being the epicentre for revolutionary concepts, gathering places for headline speakers, and entertainment for the wider population, with side events featuring the world's most-known celebrities. With so much attention being drawn to these events, many organizations have recognized their impact in not only promoting cryptocurrencies themselves but also in demonstrating the asset’s utility in other industries. Consider some examples. In the most recent 2022 Grammys, the world saw a prestigious music award ceremony also become the location of thought-provoking discussions on NFTs. Not to mention, The World Economic Forum's Davos …

You might not know it, but Canada is quietly becoming a major player in the blockchain and crypto scene: Ethereum has strong Canadian roots, Toronto-based 3iQ launched North America’s first physically-settled Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) and the percentage of active crypto holders in the country has increased steadily over the past two years. Against this backdrop, I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto, where I got to moderate two panels on rebuilding the financial system through Web3 and onboarding the next wave of crypto users. The event served as another reminder that the …

Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) 2022 wrapped up its two-day mainstage events this evening, which again saw a number of influential speakers take to the podium including Janine Yorio of Everyrealm, Yat Siu of Animoca Brands and Sky Mavis’ Jeffrey Zirlin. Held at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas, the second-day conference saw thousands of attendees engaged across three conference tracks — Stage Seoul, Stage Busan and Stage Jeju. The majority of the discussions on the second day focused on the future of the Metaverse, and the strategies that Web3 companies are taking to grow the industry. Given that the event was …

Cointelegraph’s Brian Newar spoke with Alex Svanevik, the CEO of blockchain data firm Nansen at the Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) 2022 held in Seoul and discussed topics like the upcoming Ethereum (ETH) Merge and how it will affect other blockchains. According to Svanevik, the industry witnessed a spillover effect in the last bull run. He said that in trading nonfungible tokens (NFTs), newcomers in the blockchain space didn't want to pay hefty transaction fees of up to $100 to purchase NFTs in the Ethereum network. The Nansen CEO noted that this demand for NFTs spilled over to other blockchains where …