S4E28 Concordium: How PayFi and Privacy Will Unleash Blockchain Adoption w. Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki

Animoca Brands are one of the few groups in Web3 that have successfully moved and pivoted with the evolution of Web3. And we're going to learn what it takes to read and succeed in such a tumultuous industry...Yat Siu is one of the busiest, most travelled leaders in Web3. Through deep engagement with founders, investors and innovators all around the world, Yat can filter out what will succeed vs. what is just Crypto Fluff...On this podcast we cover:- The current Animoca Brands investment thesis- Why certain portfolio companies have succeeded of failed- The rise, fall and renovation of Web3 gaming- How to think about Digital Assets, and their many sub-categories- What more is needed to see wider adoption of Web3 technology

Looking for the 'killer app' for Blockchain? Payments much just be it! And Concordium have a master plan for mass adoption...Bitcoin was the first mass-adopted cryptocurrency, but as 'digital gold', it may not be practical for everyday payments. After all, you don't pay for groceries with your pension, right?...Stablecoins have shown that digital assets anchored to FIAT currencies have strong potential, and map well to the traditional financial world. So what is holding back more widespread usage.With Boris, we'll cover the potential of 'PayFi' and give you all a basic understanding of the tech, the vision, and the challenges ahead, including:- An introduction to Concordium- The importance of Stablecoins for Web3 adoption- The importance of privacy, compliance and the role of ZK technology- Important use cases or projects in the Concordium ecosystem- What more is needed for wider adoption of 'PayFi'

Dr. Weijia Zhang is a renowned expert on interoperability, bridges, and is the Regional Head of China for the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance. So he knows a thing or two about what it takes to bring Web3 into production.Interoperability was supposed to be the great accelerator (ahead of privacy tech) for Web3 to really scale and connect apps and ecosystems for the greater good. But have we achieved this yet? Are bridges the answer, or can we do better?In this show, we discuss:- The ideal conditions for use of Blockchain technology- The current technologies and maturity of 'interoperability'- Enterprise use cases Dr. Zhang is most excited about- The role and importance of organisations like EEA and Linux Foundation in driving adoption- What more is needed to see widespread usage of Blockchain technology

Time to pay attention when one of the world's largest Investment Managers leans into Crypto ETFs, Digital Assets and creates its own VC arm: VanEck Ventures. But what's their current outlook on the market and the technology?Juan Lopez, an experienced Web3 investor, is General Partner at VanEck Ventures (and formerly of Circle Ventures) and is looking to make 25-35 investments of tickets between $500k to $1M. As such, he has to understand the current industry requirements, investment narratives, and be able to sort the quality projects from the hype... He's also looking at the intersection between Fintech and AI to better observe how Blockchain and Digital Assets can offer transformation in TradFi and 'traditional' industries.On this show we cover:- Juan’s background and experience in Blockchain and Digital Assets- The VanEck story, and their involvement in Web3- VanEck Ventures - the investment thesis, where they have invested to-date, and what else they are looking to invest in- How traditional financial institutions are looking at Digital Assets today (e.g. Bitcoin, Blockchains, Stablecoins)- What more is needed to see widespread adoption of Digital Assets and Web3 technology

Why aren't a billion people using Blockchains and Crypto everyday? We explore use cases, particularly payments, with Isha from Celo - an Ethereum L2 focused on 'real world adoption'...You wouldn't pay for coffee with your pension... So assuming that Bitcoin (cited by many as a 'digital gold') doesn't fit for everyday usage, what else can we use to get the benefits of Blockchain technology?Celo has been focusing on this particular problem since inception, and in this episode we're going to zoom in specifically on:- Why Ethereum needs L2s- The mission and vision of Celo to drive 'real world' adoption- Use cases that are gaining traction today: In Africa and beyond- Whether Blockchain is a good 'fit' for everyday payments- And what more is needed to see wider adoption

Why does the world need another Blockchain when we have Ethereum? This is the exact question Beniamin and the Elrond (now MultiversX) team pondered in 2017. And have been comprehensively answering ever since.'First Generation' Blockchains like Bitcoin have managed to pass the test of time due to their simplicity. However smart contract chains have evolved, and different protocols have started offering improvements on early-stage designs,In this episode, we cover:- An objective view on the current state of Layer 1 (and Layer 2) Blockchains- What it takes to drive REAL adoption of decentralised technology- An unscripted deep dive into the world of AI for Blockchains- What MultiversX does differently in terms of developer experience, user experience and performance- Learnings from Beniamin's own content creation journey with the Full Shard Podcast- The road ahead - what's next for the MultiversX roadmap

Is this (finally) 'Mass Adoption'? TON may have finally cracked how to put Blockchain and Crypto into the hands of Billions, but how did they get there? And how do you build a blossoming community in the process?Jack Booth, Co-founder of TON Society, a grassroots movement supporting the TON Blockchain community, will share his insight and experience on how we grow vibrant and meaningful communities with Web3 technology. As well as sharing an insider's view into the rapid rise of the TON network.On this show we'll cover:- Introduction to TON and TON Society- The importance of communities for Blockchains projects- What TON Society is doing differently to attract developers and drive engagement- What more is needed to see wider use of Blockchain and DApps

We may be entering the 'end game' for Blockchain and Web3, with different chains being connected seamlessly. But what happens next in this interoperable, connected world? Supra have been working to provide Web3 with trusted data for 4-years, and now are moving to the next stage of their evolution: 'MultiVM'. On this podcast, Josh takes us through: - The history of Supra - The importance of Oracles - Why we have failed to deliver meaningful interoperability so far - What is a 'MultiVM'? - If we've solved for connectivity between chains, what more is required to see widespread adoption of Web3 Note: Sorry for the poor audio quality on Anthony's mic. Still some teething issues with the new recording setup!

Don't we have enough Blockchains already? Short answer: No... And Azeem from Morph is going to explain why, in full HD!...Blockchains keep evolving, and Layer 2s present an opportunity to provide unique functionality, integrations and experiences for dApp builders. And Morph is a really interesting example of an L2 that is innovating beyond just the chain code.This is an in-depth discussion around why the world still needs more L2s, and what are the key tactics for launching and growing 'yet another' Blockchain in 2024. We cover:- Morph 101- Why Ethereum, and Web3 in general, need another L2- What's required to build a blockchain ecosystem- What Morph are doing to differentiate from other L1s and L2s- How to grow Web3 adoption without fragmenting ecosystems, developers and funding- What’s next for Morph, and the roadmap ahead

Decentraland pioneered the crossover of Blockchain and the Metaverse, and now they're back with version 2.0. And they've been working on some important things along the way... I'm joined by Yemel Jardi, a Web3 veteran, developer, Executive Director of Decentraland, and occasional virtual 'celebrity'. We take a look back over the launch and growth of Decentraland, the challenge of competing with established gaming and VR categories, and what it took to develop Decentraland 2.0, including: - Decentraland 101 - The state of the Metaverse in 2024 - Decentraland vs. Fortnite vs. Minecraft - Parties, Hide & Seek, and What Decentraland User Get Up To - The Challenge of Building Governance for a Virtual World - What More is Needed to See More People Use Virtual Worlds