Pedro Gomes

ETHGlobal · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Francesco Andreoli, who leads developer relations at Consensys, sits down with Pedro Gomes, founder of WalletConnect, to discuss payments, agentic commerce, and the evolution of wallets. Pedro explains that WalletConnect created the WalletCon network, the largest interoperability network across digital wallets known for its QR code standard, and has now launched WalletConnect Pay for merchants accepting crypto. Francesco notes Consensys just launched an Agentic Wallet. Pedro describes a shift where wallet features are consolidating inside wallets like MetaMask, making the key question what users interface with when connecting to the outside world, and payments emerged as the number one pain point. WalletConnect narrowed from a general purpose tool to focus on payments, helping existing payment providers accept crypto rather than forcing merchants onto a new platform. Pedro breaks down the payments landscape (peer to peer, remittance, consumer to business, and business to business) and shares a lesson from the payin versus payout distinction: consumers find paying with crypto attractive, but businesses want stablecoin payouts to simplify paying creators globally, where WalletConnect's 700 plus wallet network gave an edge. Francesco covers how UX improves by meeting users where they are, and the range from invisible embedded wallets (Amazon), to wallet as a service behind a bank (Revolut), to crypto native super apps (MetaMask card and MetaMask USD). On agentic payments, Pedro argues the missing piece is authorization: stablecoins succeeded through pull payments pioneered by USDC, which agentic payments lack, making yolo beast mode fine for a mini app but dangerous for buying flights. Francesco explains the MetaMask agent wallet was built to add currently non-existent guardrails like transaction simulation and security checks before signing. Pedro's biggest lesson is that Web3 needs TradFi's distribution more than the reverse, since their only real gap is self custody, and closes with the vision that wallet payments will become as safe as card payments through native guardrails. 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Meet WalletConnect and Consensys 01:18 How WalletConnect Is Evolving Toward Payments 01:42 Why Wallet Actions Are Consolidating 02:11 Payments as the Number One Pain Point 02:42 From DeFi QR Code to Payments QR Code 03:12 The Main Categories of Payments 03:53 Consumer, Business, and Cross Border Types 04:13 Why Past Crypto Payments Failed Merchants 04:30 Meeting Users Where They Are 04:59 Embedding Prediction Markets Into MetaMask 05:34 Why Users Pay a Premium to De-Risk 06:05 Is the UX Improving Enough 06:35 Embedded Wallets: Amazon, Revolut, MetaMask 07:12 MetaMask as a Crypto Native Super App 07:32 Breaking Fragmentation With a Unified Standard 08:02 Lessons Learned: Payins vs Payouts 08:44 Why Businesses Want Stablecoin Payouts 09:14 How Payout Demand Surprised the Team 09:30 Why the Wallet Network Was a Competitive Edge 09:49 Why Distribution Is What Matters 10:12 Distribution to Agents and Guardrails 10:31 Where Agentic Commerce Stands Today 10:53 Beast Modes and Trader CLIs 11:15 Stablecoins and Agents at Money 20/20 11:34 The Missing Authorization Piece 12:06 How USDC Pull Payments Made Stablecoins Work 12:34 Why Yolo Mode Is Dangerous for Real Purchases 13:07 Why the MetaMask Agent Wallet Added Guardrails 14:03 Why Agentic PMF Is Still Early 14:23 Misconceptions Web3 Has About TradFi 14:46 Why They Need Us Less Than We Need Them 15:14 Why Self Custody Is the Real Differentiator 15:46 How Wallet Verification Predated the Travel Rule 16:37 Decentralized Identity and Agent Reputation 16:56 Why Self Custody Changes Identity Control 17:30 How DIDs Bridge Server and Wallet Infrastructure 17:52 What Pedro Wants in the Next Six Months 18:20 Learning From Visa and Mastercard's Guardrails 18:40 The Vision of Wallet and Card Payments Merging 18:59 Permissioned Infrastructure by Design 19:29 Closing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *ETHConf 2026* ETHConf is a 3 day event for founders, industry leaders, and builders who are excited about the possibilities of building on top of Ethereum. Connect with 2,000+ top innovators in crypto, finance, technology, and policy at our inaugural three-day event packed with showcases, demos, partnerships, and conversations shaping the future of the global economy. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow ETHConf* X: https://x.com/ethconf Website: https://ethconf.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🎟️ Get your early bird tickets for ETHConf 2027: https://ethconf.com/2027#tickets 🎤 View the full ETHConf 2026 Speaker Schedule: https://ethconf.com/schedule _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Nov 9, 2025

Ayman Mohammed’s workshop introduces Self Protocol, a decentralized identity solution that eliminates the need for traditional KYC by enabling users to verify personal attributes without exposing sensitive data. Instead of sending full identity documents to third parties, users register once using passports, Aadhaar, or biometric IDs, generating a unique nullifier to ensure civil resistance and privacy. The system uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs)—specifically Groth16 and Circom—to verify attributes like age, nationality, or OFAC compliance, allowing users to disclose only what’s necessary. Self’s registration process anchors identities in an onchain Merkle tree, ensuring anonymity and preventing duplicate sign-ups while maintaining verifiability. During the session, Ayman demonstrates Self’s SDK and QR code verification flow, where users scan a QR to selectively prove claims (e.g., “over 18” or “not from the U.S.”) via the Self mobile app. Developers can integrate this using the onchain SDK, writing custom smart contracts that inherit from SelfVerificationRoot and define hooks for proof verification. Ayman emphasizes onchain verification as the most trustless option, avoiding backend censorship risks. The session concludes with new SDK features like programmatic config creation, scope handling improvements, and simplified contract deployment. Self’s hackathon bounties prioritize onchain integrations with higher rewards to encourage developers to build privacy-preserving verification systems for decentralized apps. 00:02 – Introduction to Self Protocol and session overview 00:29 – Problems with current KYC systems and data security risks 00:54 – Why Self eliminates unnecessary KYC through selective disclosure 01:19 – How Self uses passports as trusted, machine-readable identifiers 02:08 – Nullifiers and civil resistance via identity-based proofs 02:43 – Selective disclosure of personal attributes for privacy 03:03 – Custom claims: age verification and OFAC exclusion checks 03:56 – Aadhaar and biometric ID support for broader global coverage 04:26 – Two-step process: registration and disclosure explained 05:10 – How registration ensures anonymity and prevents duplicate identities 05:41 – Role of trusted execution environments (TEEs) in proof generation 06:14 – Overview of ZK proof stack (Groth16 + Circom) 06:42 – Developer integration using QR codes and SDKs 07:04 – Onchain vs. offchain verification and trust assumptions 07:35 – Hackathon bounties and prize structure for Self integrations 08:14 – Live demo setup: QR-based disclosure of age and country attributes 09:23 – Using the Self app to scan and verify attributes in real time 09:56 – Explanation of Self app builder config and parameters 10:31 – Verification process walkthrough with test network 11:09 – Smart contract example: extending SelfVerificationRoot 11:53 – How to override hooks for proof verification and event logging 12:36 – Matching frontend and contract verification configs 12:56 – Contract deployment setup and configuration example 13:26 – Repository overview: frontend QR code + Solidity contracts 13:55 – Handling multiple ID formats and disclosure data differences 14:21 – Specification nuances: passport vs. Aadhaar data formats 15:13 – New SDK improvements: programmatic config setup and scope handling 16:01 – How the latest update simplifies verification configuration 16:20 – Final notes, Q&A, and booth invitation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇮🇳 *ETHGlobal New Delhi* This workshop is specifically for ETHGlobal New Delhi, a 3-day hackathon held September 19-21 at the India International Convention & Expo Centre, bringing together the most skilled web3 developers, designers and product builders from all around the globe for a weekend-long adventure to advance the Ethereum ecosystem! Watch the full ETHGlobal New Delhi 2025 playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7zCFW3hBqatZ18rQaYeEJL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Self* X: https://x.com/SelfProtocol ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Panagiotis Kakalis from Tools for Humanity presents Worldcoin's mini-app ecosystem at ETHGlobal Prague 2025. Learn how to build and monetize mini-apps with instant access to 20M+ verified users through World ID's proof-of-personhood system. The workshop covers the Mini Kit SDK features (notifications, crypto payments, user verification), demonstrates creating a mini-app in minutes, and explains how to qualify for hackathon prizes by leveraging World ID's anti-bot capabilities. Discover success stories like Auto (1 token/day airdrops) and Credit ($5M raised) while exploring the growing $40M TVL ecosystem. 00:00 - Introduction to Worldcoin's Human Verification Network 00:43 - Mini-App Advantages: Instant 20M User Access 01:17 - Mini Kit SDK Features & Proof-of-Personhood 01:56 - World App Store Discovery & Quality Standards 02:31 - Growth Metrics: 1B Impressions, 500k DAU 03:12 - Global User Base: 160 Countries, 12M Verified 03:54 - $40M TVL Opportunity in Emerging Ecosystem 04:33 - Roadmap: Scaling Distribution & Wallet Features 05:14 - Success Stories: Auto, Plus, Credit 05:52 - Developer Resources & Submission Portals 06:31 - Live Demo: Creating a Mini-App in Minutes 07:25 - Template Setup & Local Development 08:31 - QR Code Testing with World App 10:36 - Payment Flows & Contract Whitelisting 12:33 - Hackathon Criteria: World ID Integration 13:18 - Q&A: App Review Process, SDK Differences 15:15 - Transaction Sponsoring & Gasless UX 17:23 - Deployment Options & Verification Toggles 20:09 - Verified vs Non-Verified User Experiences 21:34 - Closing: Show of Hands for Mini-App Builders _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇨🇿 *ETHGlobal Prague* This workshop is specifically for ETHGlobal Prague, a 3-day hackathon held May 30 - June 1 2025, bringing together the most skilled web3 developers, designers and product builders from all around the globe for a weekend-long adventure to advance the Ethereum ecosystem! Watch the full ETHGlobal Prague 2025 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh5Vv-ZobDU2YMWekDFYvOqd&si=SoQ5O2TOAK8RkYf- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Learn how to verify identities onchain using Self SDK in this ETHGlobal Cannes 2025 workshop with Remi Colin. Discover how to generate ZK proofs for age verification, nationality checks, and sanctions compliance without revealing sensitive data. This tutorial covers Self's biometric passport integration, mobile app flow, and SDK implementation for both onchain (smart contracts) and offchain (backend) verification. Includes live demos, bounty details ($10K prize pool), and developer tools for privacy-preserving identity solutions. 00:00 - Introduction to Self: ZK Proofs for Identity Verification 00:52 - Workshop Agenda: Protocol Context, Bounties & Hands-On Demo 01:33 - Problems with Traditional KYC (Privacy, Security, UX) 02:15 - Decentralized Identity Alternatives & Limitations 03:41 - Self's Solution: Biometric Passports + ZK Proofs 04:28 - Supported Attributes (Age, Nationality, Sanctions) 05:53 - Self Mobile App Flow: Registration & Disclosure 07:04 - Global Coverage & Document Support (map.self.xyz) 08:07 - Demo: Mock Identity Generation (Developer Mode) 09:22 - Proof Generation & Verification Architecture 10:51 - SDK Integration (QR Codes, Deep Links, Smart Contracts) 12:08 - Hackathon Bounties: $10K for Onchain/Offchain Apps 13:36 - Workshop Repo Walkthrough (Next.js + Solidity) 15:04 - Frontend Setup & Endpoint Configuration 16:38 - Demo: Mock Identity Proof Generation 18:31 - Customizing Disclosure Attributes (Age, Nationality) 20:48 - Backend Verification Logic (API Endpoints) 23:13 - SDK Parameters (Scope, Endpoint Types, User ID) 25:33 - Smart Contract Verification Setup 27:26 - Deploying Verification Contracts (Foundry/Hardhat) 29:57 - Scope Generation Tool (tools.self.xyz) 31:22 - Privacy Features: Proof Unlinkability 34:12 - Onchain Verification Demo (Contract Interaction) 37:36 - Reading Verified Attributes from Smart Contracts 40:51 - SDK Summary (Frontend, Backend, Mobile Coming Soon) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *ETHGlobal Cannes* This workshop is specifically for ETHGlobal Cannes, a 3-day hackathon held July 4-6, bringing together the most skilled web3 developers, designers and product builders from all around the globe for a weekend-long adventure to advance the Ethereum ecosystem! Watch the full ETHGlobal Cannes 2025 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh5N2DCwhcEshNW9C8knZ1T-&si=1dGpCcY1vvompWPr _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Self* X: https://x.com/selfprotocol ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

This workshop introduces "Self," a ZK (zero-knowledge) identity protocol enabling privacy-preserving online identity verification using biometric passports or IDs. Self leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to confirm user attributes (e.g., age, nationality, non-inclusion in OFAC lists) without revealing personal data. The protocol supports on-chain and backend verification, ensuring Sybil resistance and unique user identification for applications like airdrops, voting, and gated content. The onboarding process involves local document scanning and NFC chip reading, with all sensitive data processed within a secure enclave (TEE) on the device. Self provides developer tools, SDKs, and a GitHub repo for easy integration, plus hackathon bounties for on-chain and off-chain implementations. The project is fully open-source, with support for mock passports for testing. Use cases include civil resistance, age-gated access, and creative applications leveraging passport attributes. 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Project Vision and Motivation 01:14 Problems with Traditional KYC 02:09 Why Biometric Passports? 02:43 Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Identity 03:19 Sybil Resistance and Unique Identifiers 03:45 Selective Disclosure and Attribute Proofs 04:10 OFAC List and Non-Inclusion Proofs 04:43 User Experience and Supported Documents 05:31 Local Processing and Privacy 05:57 Proof Generation and Verification Flow 06:26 Architecture: Trusted Execution Environment 07:11 Gasless On-Chain Proof Relaying 07:36 Hackathon Bounties Overview 08:18 Developer Tools and SDKs 09:10 Tool.xyz Demo 10:29 Setting Verification Configurations 11:21 Integrating Configs into Smart Contracts 11:50 Code Implementation Walkthrough 13:26 Running the App and Environment Setup 14:44 Deploying Smart Contracts and Scopes 16:13 Setting Scope for Contracts 17:13 Using the Mobile App and Mock Passports 18:39 Verifying Proofs On-Chain 19:25 Checking Verification Results 20:28 Open Source and GitHub 20:59 Q&A: ZK Proofs and TEEs 22:35 Q&A: Use Cases and Creativity 23:32 Closing Remarks _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *ETHGlobal Cannes* This workshop is specifically for ETHGlobal Cannes, a 3-day hackathon held July 4-6, bringing together the most skilled web3 developers, designers and product builders from all around the globe for a weekend-long adventure to advance the Ethereum ecosystem! Watch the full ETHGlobal Cannes 2025 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh5N2DCwhcEshNW9C8knZ1T-&si=Lc-WOyfkAVP2--R4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Self* X: https://x.com/SelfProtocol ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Aqeel Mohammad

Conflux - Web3 UX Unconference · Nov 16, 2023

No description The video features an opening speech from a conference in Istanbul addressing the UX community. Despite regional challenges and the absence of some colleagues, the speaker appreciates attendees' presence at DevConnect and encourages them to enjoy the additional activities available, including Turkish ice cream and coffee. The speech explains that the UXLand conference is an "un-conference," where participants create the event by discussing topics of interest to them. The conference has no sponsors or volunteers but is supported by the Ethereum Foundation and DevConnect. The speaker emphasizes that the success of the event depends on attendee participation and stresses that it's a collaborative environment rather than a platform for promoting individual projects. Attendees represent various professional backgrounds, with product development, engineering, and design being prominent. Key topics for discussion include account extraction, user onboarding, Web3 design principles, and general adoption within the ecosystem. Working groups will form to delve deeper into these areas in a collaborative setting with provided tools like FigJam for documentation. The speaker also mentions a goal of creating memorable ways (memes) to communicate complex UX concepts outside of the conference to foster broader understanding and excitement. An example given is "4337," which has gained attention despite many not fully understanding it. The video outlines rules for speakers, including strict time limits,