This year’s SmartCon, Chainlink’s annual premier web3 conference, will take place October 30-31 in Hong Kong. Over 100 expert speakers, including leaders from the world’s largest financial institutions and blockchain industry pioneers, will gather to highlight the convergence of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) into a better, more efficient global financial system.
In a new video, Chainlink Labs Director of Community Rory Piant shared a preview of what attendees can expect to see and hear from SmartCon 2024’s three main tracks:
- Asset Tokenization Track: CBDCs, Tokenized Deposits, Stablescoins, Real-World Assets, Fund Tokenization, Digital Green Assets (Onchain Carbon Credits)
- Technology Track: Interoperability (Cross-Chain, Enterprise-to-Blockchain), Intersection of AI and Blockchain, Programmable Money
- Digital Asset Landscape Track: State of Adoption, Regulatory Trends, Digital Asset Strategy, Industry Standards
“This SmartCon’s main theme is convergence – the convergence of TradFi and DeFi,” Piant explained. “Traditionally, we’ve seen these two worlds as being separate, but finally over the past twelve months we’ve really noticed that they’ve merged.”
He highlighted some of the year’s most important developments in building a unified onchain financial system, beginning with the Bitcoin ETF approval back in January. Since then, Chainlink Proof of Reserve (PoR) has played a vital role in securing crypto ETFs such as the ARKB Bitcoin ETF and CETH Ethereum ETF created by 21Shares, the world’s largest crypto ETF issuer with seven billion dollars in assets under management.
Following the launch of BlackRock’s BUIDL in March, Chainlink has been at the forefront of growing interest in fund tokenization.
In May, the DTCC collaborated with 10 of the world’s largest financial institutions to demonstrate how Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) can bring critical net asset value (NAV) data onchain. In June, Chainlink announced a collaboration with Fidelity International and Sygnum to bring NAV data for Fidelity International’s $6.9 billion Institutional Liquidity Fund onchain.
Piant underscored the potential $867 trillion market for moving assets onchain. “The reason that they’re converging is the opportunity; it’s really immense.”
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.
This year’s SmartCon will take place at Hong Kong’s Kerry Hotel, the city’s largest hotel event facility, and will feature a new dedicated capital markets stage where some of the most influential figures in global finance will showcase how they’re bringing the world’s value onchain.
“Imagine top experts from the leading blockchain projects in the same venue as the leaders from the top financial institutions,” Piant said. “It’s basically Sibos meets Devcon.”
To learn more, register, and stay up to date on speakers and itineraries, visit the official SmartCon 2024 website.