This week, Chainlink announced its annual premier web3 conference, SmartCon, will take place October 30-31 in Hong Kong. The event furthers Hong Kong’s push to become a global crypto destination, as it will also host CoinDesk’s global cryptocurrency-themed conference, Consensus, in 2025.
Last year’s SmartCon drew thousands to Barcelona, Spain, where more than 100 expert speakers – including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan, former Diem CTO Dahlia Malkhi, Cornell Tech professor Ari Juels, and former TensorFlow product lead Kemal El Moujahid – presented groundbreaking thought leadership and developments in the blockchain industry.
“Our commitment to establishing Hong Kong as Asia’s premier Web3 hub was very well-received by the participants [of last year’s SmartCon] with overwhelming response,” Joseph Chan, Undersecretary for Financial Services and the Treasury for the government of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post. “We are thrilled that Chainlink recognises this potential and has chosen to bring SmartCon 2024 to our vibrant city.”
In conversation with Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov and Nasdaq TradeTalks host Jill Malandrino at last year’s SmartCon, Chan highlighted Hong Kong’s commitment to leading web3 adoption through innovative policies and critical infrastructure like Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP).
“We do see that digital assets is an asset class here to stay, so we’re going to embrace this opportunity to ensure it can develop in a sustainable and responsible manner in Hong Kong,” Chan said.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and InvestHK, a government agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment, were both involved in recruiting SmartCon to Hong Kong.
During a fireside chat with Nazarov at last year’s Hong Kong FinTech Week, InvestHK’s Head of Financial Services and Fintech, King Leung, underscored Chainlink’s essential role in accelerating web3 adoption, specifically through CCIP.
In a SmartCon 2023 interview with Malandrino, Leung called CCIP a “major infrastructure breakthrough” for powering tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins that enable cost-efficient cross-border payments as catalysts “to help uplift and elevate and transform” Hong Kong’s financial services sector.
Kenneth Wong, general manager of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions at HKTB, told the South China Morning Post that the tourism board is “stoked by the success” of becoming the first Asian city to host Chainlink’s flagship event, which adds “another feather in the cap” for Hong Kong as it strives to become a hotbed for web3.
To learn more, register, and stay up to date on speakers and itineraries, visit the official SmartCon 2024 website.