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Swisscom’s Aetienne Sardon Sheds Light On Accelerating DeFi Adoption At SmartCon

On Day 1 of last week’s SmartCon #1, Base Layer host David Nage got to do what he loves most: break big news.

Moderating a panel called “Slowly then Suddenly? Transforming the Enterprise,” Nage gave the floor to Swisscom’s FinTech Innovation Manager, Aetienne Sardon, who announced that the leading provider of communication, IT and entertainment in Switzerland has joined the Chainlink network as a node operator.

Noting that Swisscom is still early in its DeFi journey, Sardon said that joining other technology companies, like Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems, that are operating Chainink nodes is an important step in moving Swisscom toward a more decentralized and open financial market infrastructure. “We believe that with the help of innovative projects and partners like Chainlink we can really position Swisscom to be part of this new decentralized financial system,” he said. 

Sardon joined Microsoft’s Yorke Rhodes III, Deutsche Telekom’s Dr. Andreas Dittrich and ConsenSys’ John Wolpert to discuss what Nage called a “point of inflection” for corporations, enterprises, and global conglomerates that are starting to view DeFi as an inevitability. The conversation explored DeFi as the new fintech and various tipping points including the mainstream popularization of NFTs as a new form of digital commerce. 

Sardon said the shift toward decentralization exemplifies The Innovator’s Dilemma, where the attributes that make disruptive technologies unattractive in established markets are often the ones that have the greatest value in emerging markets. Citing the recent “substantial growth” in TVL of DeFi protocols like Aave, Sardon said, “It’s becoming quite clear that there’s a real market with a growing customer base.”

Announcing its Chainlink oracle node, Swisscom expressed its belief that enterprises need to proactively adopt decentralized technologies in order to remain relevant, writing, “Overall, Swisscom’s digital asset team sees no end in sight to the growth of decentralised financial applications.” 

Ultimately, the panel’s consensus was clear. Dittrich distilled the message to corporate giants who are starting to move toward decentralization.

“Well, it’s about time, enterprises. Get on track already. Because startups are taking up the space, and if you don’t move, you will be out.” He emphasized a sense of urgency. “This train is leaving without us if we don’t transform quickly.”

Explore other presentations from Smart Contract Summit #1’s playlist.

Watch the full panel discussion.

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