The recently held TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai was a massive event that brought together industry leaders to discuss various topics related to the crypto market. Cryptonews was present at the conference and conducted interviews with key figures in the industry to gain insights into the latest developments. The event featured meetups, workshops, networking events, hackathons, and more, creating an electrifying atmosphere. Key topics of discussion included the impact of the recent Bitcoin halving, the rise of Ordinals and Runes in the crypto space, and the introduction of a new type of wrapped BTC.
Industry insiders at TOKEN2049 shared their perspectives on the crypto market and new developments in the space. Stefan Kimmel, CEO of M2, discussed the potential impact of macroeconomic policies and spot exchange-traded funds on the crypto market, expressing a bullish outlook for the end of the year. Trader Ansem highlighted the significance of Ordinals and Runes in the crypto market, stating that these areas are expected to see significant growth due to the amount of capital involved. Aki Balogh, Founder of DLC BTC, introduced dlcBTC as a new way to wrap Bitcoin for use in DeFi, offering a decentralized alternative to wrapped BTC.
The relationship between traditional finance (TradFi) and crypto was a central theme at TOKEN2049, with discussions on big banks’ interest in BTC and ETH, as well as the lessons that can be learned from TradFi practices. Luke Dorney, General Manager for US and Europe at BlockDaemon, highlighted the interest of major banks in nodes, infrastructure, staking, and digital asset wallets as they look to enable their clients to hold and trade cryptocurrencies. John Glover, CIO at Ledn, emphasized the importance of risk management in the crypto space and how it helped his company navigate challenges.
The integration of AI and blockchain was another key topic at the conference, with industry experts discussing the development of projects combining AI with blockchain technology. Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of Near blockchain, shared insights into the integration of AI into Near’s blockchain infrastructure to enhance its capabilities and support various projects. Oleg Fomenko, CEO of Sweat Economy, discussed the introduction of chain abstraction from the NEAR Protocol, enabling cross-chain activity for users. The conference also addressed the challenges of bringing people into the Web3 world and innovative solutions to facilitate this transition.
Several industry insiders at TOKEN2049 shared their insights on building bridges from Web2 to Web3, creating decentralized infrastructure networks, and developing universal application layers for multiple chains. The conference showcased innovative projects and solutions aimed at advancing the adoption of Web3 technologies and enhancing the overall user experience. William (Billy) Campana, Developer Relations at API3, discussed the concept of Oracle extractible value (OEV) and its role in creating a competitive advantage for API3. Overall, the event provided a platform for industry leaders to exchange ideas, share perspectives, and explore new opportunities in the rapidly evolving crypto market.
