ETHSofia · Oct 6, 2026

Todor Karaivanov of Chainlink Labs, who has spent six years across Chainlink products including VRF and now leads blockchain integrations, explains why moving assets between chains is far less simple than it looks. He frames security as an economic question, compares committee verifiers with light clients and zero-knowledge approaches, and shows how operators sharing the same RPC endpoints or failover providers create a single point of attack. He covers contagion from a compromised chain, the hub-and-spoke model with intents for convenience, and transfer limits to cap damage, noting that most losses now come from compromised infrastructure and keys. A short Q&A covers why operators should run their own RPCs. Keynote at ETHSofia 2026, 24 September 2026, Sofia Tech Park, Sofia. Part of Blockchain Week Bulgaria 2026. Speaker ▸ Todor Karaivanov, Blockchain Integrations & Product Partnerships, Chainlink Labs Todor Karaivanov has spent the past eight years in the blockchain industry, including over five years at Chainlink Labs. His earlier work in web hosting and game development shaped his expertise in information security, systems design, and economic systems, which he now applies to building decentralized infrastructure. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todor-karaivanov-325468 X: https://x.com/tkaraivanov Chapters 00:00 About Todor and Chainlink Labs 01:29 Why cross-chain looks simple but is not 02:41 Security is an economic concept 04:34 Committees, light clients and ZK verification 06:30 Independent observation and shared RPCs 08:12 Failover as an attack vector 09:05 Compromised chains and contagion 10:37 Hub and spoke, with intents for convenience 11:28 Plan for the unpredictable: transfer limits 12:56 From contract bugs to compromised keys 14:49 Q&A: Should operators run their own RPCs? 16:22 Closing titles Blockchain Week Bulgaria: https://www.blockchainweek.bg ETHSofia: https://www.ethsofia.com Future Finance Forum: https://www.blockchainweek.bg/f3 Follow Blockchain Week Bulgaria X: https://x.com/BWBulgaria LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchain-week-bulgaria Follow ETHSofia X: https://x.com/EthSofiaBG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethsofia Telegram: https://t.me/+b-33LJUpAB5iODNk Nothing in this video is financial advice. About the organiser Blockchain Week Bulgaria, ETHSofia and the Future Finance Forum are organised by the Bithope Foundation, founded in 2014 by Vladislav Dramaliev. Inspired by Andreas Antonopoulos, it is Europe's first non-profit operating exclusively with bitcoin donations. Over more than ten years, it has supported 50+ charitable campaigns, and in January 2016 it co-founded the Sofia Crypto Meetup, now the region's longest-running monthly crypto event. https://bithope.org

ETHSofia · Oct 6, 2026

Assoc. Prof. Manyu Moravenov, CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, asks what the capital market infrastructure of the future will look like, and whether it can become Europe's next growth engine. He argues that blockchain is moving from experiment to infrastructure inside regulated markets, pointing to the Eurosystem's new Pontes service for settling tokenised assets in central bank money and the European Commission's plan to broaden the DLT Pilot Regime. He sets three conditions for scale: trust, which exchanges and depositories already provide; a digital cash leg, so securities and money move together; and interoperability, so tokenisation does not create new fragmentation. For a smaller market like Bulgaria, he concludes, the goal is not a separate digital market but to make the capital market itself digital. Keynote at Future Finance Forum 2026, 25 September 2026, Sofia. Part of Blockchain Week Bulgaria 2026. Speaker ▸ Assoc. Prof. Manyu Moravenov, Ph.D., MRICS, Member of the Board and CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange Assoc. Prof. Manyu Moravenov, Ph.D., MRICS, is CEO and Board Member of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. With 25+ years of experience in finance and capital markets, he has led the BSE's transformation, driving market growth and the successful launch of the BEAM SME market. He is also a European Climate Pact Ambassador. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manyumoravenov Chapters 00:00 The capital market infrastructure of the future 00:55 From experiments to scale: Pontes and the DLT Pilot Regime 03:41 Born-digital instruments and technology neutrality 05:35 Trust and the role of exchanges 07:00 Digitising the cash side of the transaction 08:28 Interoperability as Europe's growth engine 12:30 Closing titles Blockchain Week Bulgaria: https://www.blockchainweek.bg ETHSofia: https://www.ethsofia.com Future Finance Forum: https://www.blockchainweek.bg/f3 Follow Blockchain Week Bulgaria X: https://x.com/BWBulgaria LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchain-week-bulgaria Follow ETHSofia X: https://x.com/EthSofiaBG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethsofia Telegram: https://t.me/+b-33LJUpAB5iODNk Nothing in this video is financial advice. About the organiser Blockchain Week Bulgaria, ETHSofia and the Future Finance Forum are organised by the Bithope Foundation, founded in 2014 by Vladislav Dramaliev. Inspired by Andreas Antonopoulos, it is Europe's first non-profit operating exclusively with bitcoin donations. Over more than ten years, it has supported 50+ charitable campaigns, and in January 2016 it co-founded the Sofia Crypto Meetup, now the region's longest-running monthly crypto event. https://bithope.org

ETHSofia · Oct 6, 2026

With Diana Ilieva (FinDaS, moderator) and Markus Dorner (Bitpanda Group). In this fireside chat Diana Ilieva of FinDaS asks Markus Dorner, CTO of Bitpanda Group, how a platform built for retail serves institutional clients and what changes once tokenised assets reach mainnet. Dorner says security is the gatekeeper because a token that leaves your control cannot be recovered, that around 300 engineers cannot foresee every edge case of millions of customers, and that keeping the blockchain and traditional ledgers in sync depends on product design. He sees the technology as ready, with product design, market fit and timing as the open questions, as a Bitpanda metals token that drew curiosity but no lasting demand showed. He favours partnering with traditional finance for liquidity, letting the market rather than a central standard decide, and keeping humans in control of AI-assisted coding. Fireside Chat at Future Finance Forum 2026, 25 September 2026, Sofia. Part of Blockchain Week Bulgaria 2026. Speakers ▸ Diana Ilieva, Tokenomics Consultant, FinDaS (moderator) Diana is a tokenomics consultant at FinDaS Ltd with over 4 years of experience in creating data-driven tokenomics models for RWA, stablecoins, DeFi protocols, and P2E projects. Diana has a background in software development and holds an MSc degree in Finance and Banking from the University of York. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillie66 ▸ Markus Dorner, CTO, Bitpanda Group Markus Dorner is CTO of Bitpanda, leading its technology, engineering, product, data, and infrastructure teams. Since joining in 2022, he has scaled the platform and shaped its engineering culture. He previously held senior roles at bank99 and Amazon and holds an MSc from TU Vienna. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dornermarkus Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:20 What Bitpanda offers retail and B2B clients 01:55 Serving institutional clients 02:46 From sandbox to production 04:53 Security as the gatekeeper 06:45 Who wants tokenised assets: retail or institutions? 08:43 Settlement times and the source of truth 10:22 Which asset classes are ready for tokenisation 12:13 Regulation as a barrier 13:47 Partnering with traditional finance for liquidity 17:09 Should tokenisation be standardised? 19:13 One dominant chain for real-world assets? 20:45 Q&A: How much of Bitpanda's code is written by AI? 23:02 Closing titles Blockchain Week Bulgaria: https://www.blockchainweek.bg ETHSofia: https://www.ethsofia.com Future Finance Forum: https://www.blockchainweek.bg/f3 Follow Blockchain Week Bulgaria X: https://x.com/BWBulgaria LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchain-week-bulgaria Follow ETHSofia X: https://x.com/EthSofiaBG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethsofia Telegram: https://t.me/+b-33LJUpAB5iODNk Nothing in this video is financial advice. About the organiser Blockchain Week Bulgaria, ETHSofia and the Future Finance Forum are organised by the Bithope Foundation, founded in 2014 by Vladislav Dramaliev. Inspired by Andreas Antonopoulos, it is Europe's first non-profit operating exclusively with bitcoin donations. Over more than ten years, it has supported 50+ charitable campaigns, and in January 2016 it co-founded the Sofia Crypto Meetup, now the region's longest-running monthly crypto event. https://bithope.org

Ansgar Dietrichs

ETHGlobal · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, Ansgar Dietrichs from the Ethereum Foundation, who has been in Ethereum core research for seven years, currently leads scaling work and co-leads the Okodas governance process, shares personal reflections on Ethereum's role in what he calls the decade of adoption. He frames the first 10 years of blockchains (2014 to 2024) as the infrastructure era requiring countless zero to ones across wallets, transaction supply chains, and the entire tech stack. He argues 2024 marked the ChatGPT equivalent moment for crypto, but unlike AI's single inflection point, it was a perfect storm of the tech stack reaching maturity, the US regulatory environment shifting from open hostility to a friendly stance, and stablecoins finally hitting product market fit beyond crypto native use cases. Ansgar contrasts two possible futures for crypto. The bad outcome is a fragmented world of independent chains (general purpose, app chains, privacy chains, permissioned chains) all linked by brittle custom bridges that have repeatedly failed and require each user to reason about every chain's security model independently. Ethereum's answer is a singular foundational framework that embraces all that customization but routes everything back to a shared settlement layer, enabling trustless interoperability between any pair of chains or assets, propagated security guarantees from Ethereum L1, full customizability at each layer, a single entry point for users, and ETH as the one native asset across the onchain economy. He explains the EF's pivot toward being one node among many ecosystem stewards rather than the center of Ethereum, then defends Ethereum's values as deeply practical rather than overly ideological. He cites security through redundancy across 10+ Ethereum clients being especially crucial during the coming AI driven cyber security arms race, Ethereum's principled postquantum planning while other chains scramble, and neutrality and strategic reliability under what he calls the Amazon test: would a big tech company comfortable trust putting its business flows on Ethereum knowing it could never be rugged. 00:00 Introduction 00:11 Ansgar's Background at the Ethereum Foundation 00:52 Why ETHCom Is Emblematic of a New Time Period 01:16 The First Decade of Blockchains: 2014 to 2024 02:11 The ChatGPT Moment for Crypto 02:41 Three Forces: Tech, Regulation, and Stablecoins 03:24 Entering the Decade of Adoption 03:48 The Bad Outcome: A Fragmented Future 04:51 Why Brittle Bridges Are the Bigger Problem 05:41 Ethereum's Answer: A Singular Foundational Framework 06:18 Why a Shared Settlement Layer Wins 06:47 Trustless Interoperability Across All Chains 07:35 Aspirational Today, Priority for Adoption Era 07:57 Propagating Ethereum's Security Guarantees 08:31 Full Customizability with Ethereum as Entry Point 09:12 ETH as the Native Asset of the Onchain Economy 09:43 The EF as One Node Among Many Stewards 10:48 Embracing the Ethereum Way of Decentralization 11:52 Why Ethereum's Values Are Misunderstood 12:11 Why Principled Equals Practical 12:34 Security: 10 Clients and 100% Uptime 13:03 The Coming AI Cybersecurity Arms Race 13:52 Quantum Resistance and the Beam Chain 14:54 Neutrality and Credible Neutrality 15:23 Why Censorship Resistance Matters for Institutions 16:31 Strategic Reliability and the Amazon Test 17:58 Useful Across the Spectrum 18:29 The Four Step Plan for Ethereum 19:51 Closing: Ethereum's Best Time Is Yet to Come _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Alex Gluchowski

ETHGlobal · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, Alex Gluchowski, co-founder of Matter Labs and zkSync, presents Prividium, a framework for private atomic delivery versus payment (DvP) on Ethereum. He frames DvP, a term from institutional finance meaning token swap settlement, as one of the most important and unsolved problems for institutions adopting blockchain. Alex walks through why each existing solution falls short: public chains like Ethereum have great properties but expose all positions and transactions, ruling them out for banks bound by secrecy rules. Private permissioned chains offer perfect privacy but are not interconnected, limiting their value since the whole point of blockchains is being the internet of value. External bridges connecting private chains become the de facto settlement layer with their own trust assumptions, losing the security of both origin and target chains. Mediated networks using operator attestation or fully homomorphic encryption still rely on contractual or threshold trust in operators. Alex introduces Prividium as a framework where institutions run their own cryptographically secured private chains on their own infrastructure with absolute physical data privacy, while settling on Ethereum as the credibly neutral settlement layer. Zero knowledge proofs guarantee that even a dishonest or compromised operator cannot finalize invalid transactions. He highlights the ability to deploy a smart contract once that virtually mirrors into all zones and enforces rules automatically without the issuer ever seeing the underlying data. He then walks through the technical flow of private atomic DvP: parties agree on a transaction, generate a cryptographic commitment hash, post it to a data availability layer and Ethereum settlement layer, lock assets on both sides, and use the canonical L2 state roots on Ethereum to verify execution and either release funds or revert atomically. He closes by noting the network is growing with the Kerry network consortium of five US regional banks plus participation from Deutsche Bank and other FMIs. 00:00 Introduction 00:11 What Is DvP and Why It Matters 00:48 The Tradeoffs in Existing Blockchain Solutions 01:07 Public Chains Are Too Public for Institutions 01:54 Private Chains Are Isolated and Disconnected 02:33 External Bridges Become the Settlement Layer 03:14 Mediated Networks and Their Trust Assumptions 03:35 Operator Attested and FHE Limitations 04:40 Introducing Prividium 05:09 Cryptographically Secured Private Chains on Ethereum 05:42 Permissioning, Roles, and OIDC Integration 06:16 Zero Knowledge Proofs Guarantee Execution Correctness 06:50 Rules That Apply Beyond Your Zone 07:30 The Old Way: Bilateral Agreements and Rulebooks 07:52 Virtual Mirrored Smart Contracts Enforce Rules Automatically 08:16 Why Private DvP Is the Hardest Cross Zone Example 08:51 Traditional Sequential DvP and Counterparty Risk 09:40 Atomic Swaps Collapse Settlement Risk 10:10 How Private Atomic DvP Works Step by Step 10:36 Cryptographic Commitments and Mutual Intent 11:17 Posting Commitments to DA and Settlement Layer 11:50 Locking Assets in Escrow Contracts 12:26 Reading L2 State Roots from Ethereum 12:55 Verifying Cross Chain Execution 13:25 Happy Path Release vs Revert Path 14:04 Multi Zone Chained Transactions 14:36 The Kerry Network and Growing Adoption 14:48 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Jill Malandrino moderates a discussion with Declan Fox and Rob Dawson from Consensys on the role of neutral governance in institutional blockchain adoption. They argue that while open source software has been foundational for technology companies, it is not sufficient on its own for enterprises making decade long bets, since the technology could be swept from under their feet without credible neutral stewardship. Declan compares open source without neutral governance to a building where you can peek in the door and inspect the code, but the house could still be demolished. The conversation positions governance not as ideology but as a practical procurement decision. Declan and Rob detail Besu's success as the institutional Ethereum client, running 15% of Ethereum mainnet but 80 to 90% of all blocks on enterprise blockchains, largely because of its Apache 2 license and Hyperledger and LFDT hosting. They explain that Consensys has now made the same bet on Layer 2 by contributing Linea technology to the Linux Foundation. The discussion covers tradeoffs in the EF's CROPS mandate (censorship resistant, open source, private, secure), how zero knowledge proofs enable confidential blockchains to interoperate without revealing sensitive information, the risk of digitizing fragmentation across chains, and atomic cross chain delivery versus payment as a recently unlocked use case. They close on the holy trinity of decentralized trust (blockchains), decentralized identity, and decentralized AI, with discussion of how ERC-7804 helps manage non human identities in a future of machine to machine blockchain interaction. 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Why Governance Is Becoming Central to Institutional Adoption 00:52 Open Source Is Not Enough: The Building Analogy 01:51 Why Technologists Should Care About Governance 02:37 Besu's Adoption Through Apache 2 and Linux Foundation 03:15 Besu as the Institutional Ethereum Client 03:41 Donating Linea Technology to the Linux Foundation 04:26 The Linux Foundation as a Trusted Brand 04:47 Does Governance Quality Match Technical Quality 05:40 Competitors Coming Together for Shared Standards 07:07 Governance as a Component of Scalability 07:26 Challenges and Friction Points in Governance 08:35 Maintaining Innovation Velocity Under Stewardship 09:55 Governance Improves Product Practices 10:00 The CROPS Mandate and Its Tradeoffs 11:40 Privacy and Security as Institutional Adoption Blockers 11:58 How Privacy Is Achieved Technically with ZK Proofs 12:50 Avoiding Digitized Fragmentation Across Chains 13:58 LFDT as a Forum for Interop Standards 14:16 No One Size Fits All Chain Solution 14:51 Interoperability as the Remaining Pillar 16:04 Cross Chain Delivery Versus Payment Now Possible 16:35 Security as a Critical Conversation 17:36 Challenges with Legacy Enterprise Blockchain Infrastructure 19:08 Ethereum's 10+ Years of Continuous Uptime 19:52 What's Next: Progressive Decentralization 21:16 Integration, Not Us Versus Them 22:22 How Rough Consensus Works in Practice 23:30 Selectivity in Onboarding Projects to Foundations 24:48 The Maturation of Governance, Security, and Privacy 25:25 Closing Thoughts on Institutional Adoption 25:44 The Holy Trinity: Decentralized Trust, Identity, and AI 26:26 Governing Non Human Identities and AI Agents 27:21 ERC-7804 and Machine to Machine Infrastructure 27:37 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Ishan Singh from Google Cloud's digital asset team sits down with Christian Crowley, partner on the A16Z crypto go to market team, to discuss the pending Clarity Act, the future of tokenization, agentic commerce, and lessons for crypto founders selling into institutions. Christian draws on his background as a former founder who built DeFi and AI startups and the first Ethereum analytics company under the Consensys umbrella, plus his time at AWS, to explain that good go to market advice often sounds great in theory but is much less compelling in execution. His central principle for the founders he advises is reducing user friction at every step. The conversation digs into the parallel tracks of stablecoins and tokenized deposits. Christian explains that banks want the 24/7 interoperability and composability benefits but want to maintain deposit relationships and fit into existing compliance frameworks, which is why tokenized deposits will persist alongside stablecoins. Ishan previews Google Cloud's Universal Ledger product built at the protocol level for interoperability between onchain money assets. On RWAs, Christian argues tokenization itself is not the product since what matters is what the asset gains (24/7 trading, collateral mobility, interoperability), with money markets and treasuries leading early. Ishan emphasizes collateral mobility as the real killer use case for eliminating reconciliation across TradFi books and records. They debate the rails for agentic commerce, with virtual cards up 6x year over year offering an easier behavior shift while X2X and direct stablecoin payments make more sense for net new behaviors like real time compute adjustments. On the AI security tension, Christian notes that until frontier models have comprehensively reviewed existing code bases there is an unknowable set of risks in production, and the same tools attackers use are available to defenders. Ishan covers Google Cloud's MPC wallet using key shares with sub second signing across Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, and Universal Ledger. Christian closes with the most consistent founder mistake: assuming Web2 go to market lessons don't apply to Web3, when enterprises buy for clear measurable benefits, not decentralization. 00:00 Introductions 01:22 What Christian Brings to Founder Conversations 02:15 Reducing Friction as a Core Mental Model 03:14 The Clarity Act and Tokenized Deposits vs Stablecoins 04:00 Why Banks Want Tokenized Deposits 05:14 From Bank Issued Stablecoins to Integration Focus 05:56 Google Cloud Universal Ledger and Interoperability 06:26 The Trouble with the Term RWA 07:12 Tokenization Itself Is Not the Product 07:53 Why Collateral Mobility Is the Real Killer App 08:39 Eliminating Reconciliation Across TradFi 08:57 Money as Internet Packets 09:50 Legacy Distribution vs Better Technology 10:34 Rails for Agentic Commerce 11:00 Virtual Cards vs X2X and Stablecoins 11:36 Why Virtual Cards Are Easier Behavior Shifts 12:26 When Net New Behaviors Call for Open Rails 13:05 The Dark Side of AI for Web3 14:00 Founders Have Always Cared About Security 14:21 The Race Between Frontier Models and Attackers 15:14 Google Cloud MPC Wallet 15:59 Sub Second Signing Across Multiple Chains 16:41 Common Mistakes Founders Make Selling to Institutions 17:54 Why Best Technology Doesn't Always Win 18:11 The Champion's Asymmetric Risk Inside Enterprises 18:40 TradFi Budget Constraints and Quantifiable ROI 19:24 Knicks or Spurs Tonight 19:43 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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, Peter Watts from Relay makes the case that interoperability and exchange are the biggest barriers standing between onchain payments and true "payments grade" quality that can compete with traditional money rails. He opens by framing why onchain payments are compelling: permissionless global access, instant settlement without reconciliation across ledgers, a single shared ledger, and the programmability of open rails that make money as open as the internet. But the bar is high, since credit cards and emerging instant transfer rails already work simply, quickly, and reliably every time. Payments grade means an experience where you just tap, it's fast, it's a synchronous confirmation, and it works every time regardless of which bank a merchant uses or which country you're in. He acknowledges that onchain rails have come a long way with fast low cost blockchains, a mix of regulated and yield bearing stablecoins, and improved on-ramps. Peter argues the core unsolved problem is that there will never be a single chain or single stablecoin. Even within USD there are multiple prominent stablecoins (people use Tron USDT whether you like it or not), foreign currency stablecoins are emerging as people want to be paid locally, and USDC alone exists on around 50 chains. Once you introduce exchange between all these assets, keeping payments simple, fast, and reliable gets much harder, and existing infrastructure doesn't fit. Bridges are deliberately slow and expensive and shouldn't be rushed, while traditional DEXs and AMMs are built for trading, introducing slippage and lacking exact output support that payments require. He outlines what a new payments liquidity layer needs: broad asset support without fragmenting liquidity across pairs and chains, instant cross chain movement via a fast layer of solvers taking finality risk on top of the slow secure base layer, and always available liquidity that works every time even under market stress (unlike mercenary prop AMMs). He explains that liquidity alone isn't enough and an orchestration layer is needed for routing, gas and nonce handling, and rethought UX like universal deposit addresses instead of wallet connections. He closes on pricing guarantees, noting stablecoins don't actually trade at exactly a dollar (USDT recently traded 10 bps below USDC), and predicting applications will subsidize one to one experiences the way merchants subsidize credit card fees, revealing that solving exchange and interop is exactly what Relay is building. 00:00 Introduction 00:12 Why Onchain Payments Are Interesting 00:37 Instant Settlement and a Single Shared Ledger 01:00 Making Money as Open as the Internet 01:22 Why the Bar for Payments Is High 01:44 What Payments Grade UX Means 02:06 Reliability and Working Every Time 02:28 How Far Onchain Rails Have Come 02:53 Why Interop Is the Biggest Barrier 03:22 The Reality of Tron USDT and Local Currencies 03:44 USDC Across 50 Different Chains 04:08 Why Businesses Choose Different Chains 04:32 Why Exchange Makes Everything Harder 04:59 The Need for a New Liquidity Layer 05:25 Why Bridges Aren't Built for Payments 05:58 Why DEXs and Slippage Don't Fit Payments 06:22 The Problem of Broad Asset Support 06:47 How Pairs and Pools Fragment Liquidity 07:17 Moving Across Chains Instantly 07:51 Designing Liquidity That Is Always Available 08:37 The Orchestration Layer on Top 09:05 Routing, Gas, and Nonce Handling at Scale 09:30 Rethinking Payments UX Beyond Wallet Connect 09:53 Universal Deposit Addresses on Any Chain 10:18 Pricing Guarantees and the Dollar Myth 10:44 How Applications Will Subsidize One to One Rates 11:18 The Credit Card Subsidy Analogy 11:49 Summary: We Are Close 12:17 What Relay Is Building 12:17 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, Azeem Khan, co-founder of Miden, cuts through the headlines to address the reality of the missing pieces for institutional adoption of crypto. Drawing on his experience as a UNICEF Crypto Fund consultant, a Forbes Crypto contributor, and a CoinDesk writer, he introduces Miden as a next-generation ZK blockchain that raised $25 million last year from a16z crypto, 1kx, and others. He frames the core problem: blockchains have been either fully public (creating dystopian financial surveillance) or fully private (making illicit activity easy), and while permissioned chains are one attempted fix, the average person cares less about decentralization than about counterparty risk. Miden aims to give privacy and compliance to individuals and institutions at once, focused on onboarding institutions. He argues institutional adoption matters because the billion users will not come from meme coins but from people with real money in financial institutions going on chain, noting the 2024 bull run was kicked off by BlackRock's ETF, yet most activity remains stuck in pilots rather than full deployment. Azeem shares insights from speaking with leaders like the head of digital assets at Invesco and Amy Oldenburg who leads digital asset strategy at Morgan Stanley, both $2.5 trillion firms, and buckets the obstacles into four categories. Technical barriers include compliant privacy, interoperability and fragmentation, settlement delays, too few custody and stablecoin providers, weak institutional risk tooling, and shallow liquidity depth (large players would move price charts). Regulatory and compliance barriers include token classification and tax uncertainty (he has not created a US onshore entity for fear the SEC could freeze accounts and block payroll), weak auditing and reporting, insurance shortages, cross-border tax complexity, and reputational risk (the New York Knicks closed off crypto after nearly signing FTX). Operational and governance barriers include counterparty risk, DAO decentralization theater run by whales, and broken token economic models where airdrops create sell pressure rather than demand. Cultural and organizational barriers include quarterly earnings pressure, talent shortages, risk-averse conservatism, and internal knowledge gaps where crypto evangelists are not the decision makers (Invesco needs 50 teams to sign off on a product). He ends optimistically on progress in privacy tech, stablecoin regulation, and institutional DeFi (which he thinks will simply become onchain finance), arguing crossing the chasm requires regulators, builders, and institutions collaborating on trust, compliance, and usability, with long-term vision over short-term hype. 00:00 Introduction 00:11 The Reality Behind the Headlines 00:29 About Azeem 01:02 What Is Miden 01:32 The Problem With Fully Public or Private Chains 01:56 Why Counterparty Risk Matters More Than Decentralization 02:18 Why Institutional Adoption Matters 02:38 Why the Billion Users Will Come From Institutions 03:02 Still in Pilots, Not Full Deployment 03:32 The Three Institutional Perspectives 03:59 Why Adoption Has Stalled 04:21 Technical Barrier: Compliant Privacy 04:42 Interoperability and Fragmentation 05:00 Settlement Delays and Inefficiency 05:21 Too Few Custody and Stablecoin Providers 05:44 The Problem of Liquidity Depth 06:02 Regulatory and Compliance Barriers 06:26 Why He Has No US Onshore Entity 06:40 Auditing, Reporting, and Insurance Shortages 07:16 Cross-Border Tax and Reputational Risk 07:44 Operations and Governance Barriers 08:02 DAO Decentralization Theater 08:36 Why Token Models Are Broken 08:57 Cultural Barriers: Quarterly Earnings Pressure 09:26 Talent Shortages and Risk-Averse Culture 10:13 Why Evangelists Are Not the Decision Makers 10:49 Why Invesco Needs 50 Teams to Sign Off 11:07 Where the Industry Is Making Progress 11:29 From DeFi to Onchain Finance 11:56 What It Takes to Cross the Chasm 12:16 Long-Term Vision Over Short-Term Hype 12:34 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, Clare Adelgren, global blockchain leader at EY, explores the institutional path from pilot to production onchain, arguing the title captures exactly where the market sits today and why she is optimistic. She opens with a historical analogy: at the dawn of railroads people fixated on the trains (speed, cargo, destinations), but the bigger story turned out to be the rail network and how that infrastructure reshaped entire economies. Similarly, the car alone did not create modern transport; that took roads, safety standards, and institutions around the rules. She draws the parallel to blockchain, where for years attention centered on cryptocurrencies and tokenomics as the first vehicles on the rails, but the biggest shift now is toward the rails themselves, the infrastructure for moving assets, settling value, and coordinating trust in a programmable way, plus the rules and standards needed to operate at scale. Clare contrasts earlier institutional conversations (framed as experimentation, pilots, proofs of concept, consortia, and controlled off-chain or hybrid models that let institutions explore without full commitment) with 2026, where outlooks from the World Economic Forum onward describe a broad shift from experiment to enterprise-grade deployment, with major banks shipping products, regulators drawing clearer lines, and a growing pipeline of real world assets queued for issuance and servicing. The question has shifted from whether the technology works to whether institutions can operationalize it at scale in a trusted, governable, compliant, and valuable way. She argues this moment feels different not just because of regulation reducing uncertainty, but because technology maturity, workable economics, improving privacy, and serious interoperability are aligning at once. Framing technology as table stakes and institutional readiness as the real unlock, she says the next wave will be defined by industrialization rather than innovation, embedding blockchain into real operating models. She lays out five pillars of production readiness: trust and governance (accountability and aligned participants), compliance and controls (auditability, risk management, regulatory scrutiny), interoperability with legacy systems, privacy and confidentiality (selective disclosure and privacy on public blockchains, a major EY investment), and measurable business value rather than innovation theater. She closes that the next phase belongs to institutions that move from curiosity to capability and from experiments to execution. 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Why Clare Is Optimistic About the Path 01:00 The Railroad Analogy 01:32 Why the Car Alone Did Not Create Transport 02:18 Parallels to Blockchain Today 02:45 The Shift Toward the Rails Themselves 03:13 How Institutional Conversations Used to Look 03:51 Why That Caution Made Sense 04:38 How the Conversation Changed by 2026 05:18 Banks, Regulators, and the RWA Pipeline 05:51 The Question Has Shifted From Can It Work 06:25 Why This Moment Feels Different 07:01 Why Regulation Is Not the Whole Story 07:22 How Maturity, Economics, and Interoperability Align 08:01 EY's Long-Held View on Scale Adoption 08:39 Why Technology Is Only Table Stakes 09:27 From Technical Feasibility to Institutional Operability 10:03 Why the Next Wave Is Industrialization 10:30 What Production Readiness Really Means 11:01 Pillar One: Trust and Governance 11:26 Pillar Two: Compliance and Controls 11:57 Pillar Three: Interoperability With Legacy Systems 12:25 Pillar Four: Privacy and Confidentiality 13:08 Pillar Five: Measurable Business Value 14:03 Institutional-Grade Onchain Infrastructure 14:32 What It Means for Institutional Leaders 15:05 Why This Is an Execution Phase 15:31 Why Operationalizing Beats Talking About Innovation 15:57 Why This Is Just the Beginning 16:35 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this talk, John Egan, the recently joined chief product officer at Polygon, lays out how Polygon sees the future of money, walking through its mission, the product it is bringing to market, and its progress toward what money will become on chain. He introduces Polygon's new mission, championed by CEO Marc and founder Sandeep, to move all money on chain, a practical evolution of its earlier goal of building a trustless internet. He argues the killer use case of blockchain turns out to be money, so the aim is to do the hard, product-oriented work to get all of it on chain. The vehicle is the Open Money Stack, a single open, vertically integrated stack for all money movement and storage (onchain and off) that collapses the tangle of networks, banks, processors, and compliance integrations developers juggle today into one API and dashboard. He notes last week's technical preview shipped regulated cash and fiat ramps, custodial wallets (with non-custodial coming), intent-based orchestration, distribution across chains, and a dashboard any knowledge worker can use. John makes the case for why Polygon is positioned to win. It has already moved about $2.6 trillion, with monthly volumes up over 400% to $130 billion across 30 million-plus payments a month, recently the most stablecoin transactions of any chain including BNB and Solana. Major financial companies already run on Polygon (Stripe, BlackRock's BUIDL, Robinhood, Paxos, Checkout.com, and Flutterwave), and it has been global since day one, handling around 75% of Latin America's stablecoin market where adoption is real utility and a hedge, not wash trading. He argues onchain FX will overtake today's largely non-USD stablecoin market, that money must be cheap and fast (Polygon nears 5,000 TPS, chasing Gigagas at 100,000 TPS, with one-block finality and no reorg since January), and that Polymarket already settles on Polygon. On interoperability he covers AgLayer, Polygon CDK, and Trails (from the Sequence acquisition), a Google Maps for routing money at the cheapest path. He highlights over $250 million in acquisitions including Coinme (regulated in 38 states) for consumer on-ramps, and closes on AI as the next step function: Polygon is the most used chain on X2X, makes agentic transactions gasless (even refunding facilitator gas), and demoed spinning up a neobank with a single Polygon CLI command. 00:00 Introduction 00:07 The Future of Money at Polygon 00:32 The New Mission: Move All Money On Chain 00:48 Why Money Is the Killer Use Case 01:05 The Vision to Get There 01:21 Introducing the Open Money Stack 01:57 The Complexity Developers Face Today 03:01 Collapsing It Into One API and Dashboard 03:21 The Technical Preview and First Features 04:06 What Gives Polygon the Right to Do This 04:29 Not Our First Trillion: $2.6 Trillion Moved 04:48 Leading in Stablecoin Transactions 05:08 The Financial Companies Already on Polygon 05:45 Why Polygon Is Global Since Day One 06:04 Dominating Latin America's Stablecoin Market 06:26 Why Onchain FX Will Take Over 07:08 Why Money Must Be Inexpensive and Fast 07:30 Chasing Gigagas at 100,000 TPS 07:48 Why the Biggest Operators Use Polygon 08:13 Three Efforts Toward Interoperability 08:33 Trails: Google Maps for Moving Money 09:09 $250 Million in Acquisitions for Regulated Money 09:26 Coinme and Consumer On-Ramping 09:48 The Sequence Acquisition and Enterprise Wallet 10:11 Why AI Is the Next Step Function 10:38 From Chatbots to Autonomous Systems 11:17 Why Polygon Is Leaning Into AI 11:35 Gasless Agentic Transactions on X2X 12:07 Building Money Management With AI 12:41 Spinning Up a Neobank With One Command 12:59 What a Neobank Really Is 13:43 Why Anyone Should Be Able to Build One 14:01 Closing and How to Get Involved _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Yueqi Yang from The Information sits down with Farooq Malik, CEO of Rain, to discuss where stablecoin cards go next. She notes stablecoins have been the hottest story since the Genius Act passed, and Rain is a leader in stablecoin backed cards, recently raising at close to a $2 billion valuation. Farooq explains that stablecoins are a new way to hold, send, and spend money but were not interoperable with the existing financial ecosystem, trapped on the blockchain. Rain connects that value to the existing network of merchants worldwide, letting consumers tap a card or enter a PIN exactly as normal while the transaction is powered by stablecoins, so the merchant never needs educating. This has driven massive global adoption of stablecoins as a store of value. Farooq explains how Rain differs from earlier crypto exchange cards from Binance or Coinbase: rather than a fiat enabled veneer settling five days a week (forcing working capital and counterparty risk), Rain rebuilt the backend so 100% of customer and card network settlement happens directly on the blockchain, supporting over a dozen blockchains, every major virtual machine, public and private chains, multiple stablecoin issuers, and now tokenized deposits. He argues a fiat veneer has no moat and can only compete on price. On customers, Rain powers programs in over 100 markets split roughly 50/50 between crypto native (including stablecoin neobanks) and traditional financial services, and surprisingly the largest destination of transactions is US merchants and bank accounts, contradicting the assumption that stablecoin use is only offshore. He shares US use cases including hourly payroll disbursement (real 24-hour money, not a debt product) and a travel platform embedding spendable stablecoin balances. Farooq frames Rain as a technology and accounts business rather than a cards business, committed to being credibly neutral and open rather than a closed ecosystem like AOL. He addresses banks entering the space (SoFi's USD, tokenized deposit consortiums), Rain's tracker showing banks that deny stablecoin demand are actually the source of billions in flows, the difficulty of Visa and Mastercard principal membership, and closes on Rain's agent control layer for agentic payments where delegated spending authority cannot be hallucinated away. 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Why Rain Is a Leader in Stablecoin Cards 01:05 What Is a Stablecoin Backed Card 01:26 Why Stablecoins Were Not Interoperable 01:53 Connecting Tokens to the Merchant Network 02:34 Massive Global Consumer Adoption 02:52 Why Merchant Behavior Stays the Same 03:41 How Rain Differs From Exchange Cards 04:07 Building Full Interoperability Across Chains 04:28 Supporting Tokenized Deposits and Digital Money 04:57 Why Fiat Settlement Creates Risk 05:40 Settling 100% on the Blockchain 06:12 Why a Fiat Veneer Has No Moat 06:41 The Profile of Rain's Core Customers 07:11 Demand From Public Companies and Banks 07:41 Powering Programs in Over 100 Markets 08:07 Why the US Is the Largest Destination 08:56 Addressing the JP Morgan Deposit Token Claim 09:19 The Hourly Payroll Disbursement Use Case 09:57 Why This Is Only Possible With Stablecoins 10:21 Reallocating Value From Debt Products 10:48 The Travel Platform Use Case 11:47 The Diversity of Use Cases 12:09 Why Lower Working Capital Changes Everything 12:26 The Crypto Native vs Non-Native Breakdown 13:14 How Rain Thinks About Competition 13:47 Why Rain Is Not a Cards Business 14:31 Why Rain Avoids Payment Flows 14:59 Being a Credibly Neutral Technology Player 16:15 Why Open Beats Closed Ecosystems 17:04 Will Banks Enter the Stablecoin Card Business 17:38 SoFi USD and Tokenized Deposit Consortiums 18:30 The Data Gap in Bank Stablecoin Flows 19:30 Why Banks Lose Customers to Platforms 20:31 The Visa and Mastercard Principal Membership 21:27 Meeting Customers Where They Are 22:31 Plans for Agentic Payments 23:43 The Agent Control Layer 24:20 The AI Concierge Example 24:42 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 · Jul 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Jill Malandrino sits down with Andrew McCormick on his third day in a newly created head of institutional adoption role at Chainlink Labs, after nearly two decades inside trading and capital markets, most recently running a NASDAQ listed US brokerage. Andrew, who has been with Ethereum since 2015 (introduced by his dad and his enthusiasm for YouTube videos on it), explains why he left the operator seat at firms like eToro, E*Trade, and Morgan Stanley to build infrastructure now. Inspired partly by his four kids and the Mario Brothers plumbing theme, he says that after 15 years helping people navigate the plumbing of finance, he wants to build and fix it himself, and chose Chainlink Labs because it is the connective infrastructure between traditional finance and blockchain, working with firms like DTCC, UBS, and SWIFT. Andrew explains where onchain makes the most obvious difference: not just efficiency and speed, but freedom, through faster settlement. He shares a personal aha moment when moving houses from DC to New York, where a simple wire took four days, many calls, and a $35 fee, illustrating that money still doesn't move as well as it should. He walks through the settlement evolution from T+3 to T+1 to the dream of T+0, where tokenized assets moving near instantaneously via Chainlink verification reduce risk and collateral requirements while getting users their money faster. He describes his three-part role: helping firms already building (UBS, SWIFT, DTCC, JP Morgan) go deeper, educating institutions ready to start, and educating financial analysts and research writers, drawing on his lifelong passion for teaching. He identifies three blockers to tokenization: regulatory clarity (where the Clarity Act would help enormously), trust and confidence (built each time a firm like DTCC or SWIFT launches with Chainlink), and education. On the Clarity Act, he contrasts today's reliance on 1930s laws, a 1946 Supreme Court orange-grove case, and 50 differing states with a statute purpose-built for the use case. He points to signals of genuine institutional adoption (banks moving on chain, the wave of head-of-digital-assets hires, and more educational events), and closes framing Chainlink as the link connecting blockchains and TradFi, noting the builders and believers led the way and institutions are now following. 00:00 Introduction 00:33 Why Leave the Operator Seat to Build Infrastructure 00:52 With Ethereum Since 2015 01:17 15 Years Inside Regulated Institutions 01:47 The Mario Brothers Plumbing Inspiration 02:04 Why Chainlink Labs 02:27 Where Onchain Makes the Most Difference 02:56 Freedom and Faster Settlement 03:13 The Four-Day Wire Transfer Aha Moment 03:37 From T+3 to T+1 to the Dream of T+0 04:16 The Gap the New Role Fills 04:35 Helping Firms Already Building 05:01 Educating Institutions Ready to Start 05:22 Why Education Is in His Soul 06:00 What Keeps Institutions From Moving Real Money 06:00 Three Blockers: Clarity, Trust, Education 06:27 How Each DTCC or SWIFT Launch Builds Trust 06:46 From Confusion to Skepticism to Excitement 07:33 Why Trillions Are Still Waiting to Move 07:53 What the Clarity Act Could Unlock 08:27 Why Institutions Love Certainty 08:53 Building on 1930s Laws and Orange Trees 09:16 Why a Purpose-Built Statute Matters 09:42 Signals That Institutional Adoption Is Real 10:09 Why Banks Moving On Chain Signals More to Come 10:27 The Wave of Head-of-Digital-Assets Hires 11:07 Why Education Keeps Pushing the Industry 11:26 How Industry Hiring Signals Maturation 11:55 Focusing on User Experience and Policy 12:24 Why the Foundation Will Pay Dividends 12:46 Innovating in the Absence of a Statute 13:11 A Pivotal Moment to Tell the Interconnectivity Story 13:38 Why the Community Gets Chainlink 13:57 Builders and Believers Led the Way 14:24 Day Four: What Excites Him Most 14:48 Education as His Way to Teach 15:07 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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kartik Talwar, Jordi Baylina

ETHGlobal · May 9, 2026

In this fireside chat, Kartik Talwar interviews Jordi Baylina from the Gnosis team about the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ), a new protocol for synchronous cross-chain communication between Ethereum rollups. Jordi explains that EEZ enables smart contracts on different chains to call each other as if they were on the same chain — not just token transfers but any arbitrary contract call including voting, NFT operations, and more. This is made possible by breakthroughs in real-time ZK proving, where a full Ethereum block can now be proved with just 12 GPUs, down from 128 six months prior. Jordi walks through the technical architecture: when a cross-chain call happens, an execution table is stored on L1, zero-knowledge proved, and resolved within Ethereum's 12-second block time. Transactions between L2s are effectively free, limited only by GPU hardware. EEZ is permissionless — anyone can create a rollup, even non-EVM chains, as long as they support the call interface. Built by a nonprofit association with no token and no monetization, the project currently has a working internal DevNet with plans to open it publicly soon. Jordi flags block builder centralization as his primary concern, noting that validators must choose responsibly to preserve Ethereum's decentralization values. 00:00 Introduction 00:10 Welcome and What Is the Ethereum Economic Zone 01:12 Synchronous Cross-Chain Calls: The Core Idea 02:04 What Changed: Real-Time ZK Proving Breakthroughs 03:16 From 128 GPUs to 12: Engineering Progress 04:39 Two Years of Latency Reduction Work 06:14 How EEZ Differs from Bridges and Other Solutions 07:14 Nonprofit Structure: No Token, No Monetization 08:20 Connecting L1 to L2 and L2 to L2 09:25 Any Call Data Works: Not Just Token Transfers 09:59 Permissionless Rollup Creation and Non-EVM Support 11:45 How Real-Time Proving Works in Practice 14:39 Scaling: One Proof for All Instructions 15:37 Free Transactions Between L2s 16:38 Does EEZ Help or Fragment Ethereum 18:06 Concerns: Block Builder Centralization 19:35 Validator Responsibility and Decentralization 21:02 Project Status: DevNet Live, Public Access Soon 22:16 Closing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes 2026* Pragma Cannes 2026 was held on April 2nd at the JW Marriott Hotel in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes 2026 YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh5OnsJ95gz7HoI1tLUj3kZr ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Jordi Baylina X: https://x.com/jbaylina ✅ Follow ZisK X: https://x.com/ziskvm ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

Funding the Commons · Apr 9, 2026

The UN has a pipeline of 150 blockchain initiatives. Getting them to scale means the blockchain industry has to build relationships it hasn't prioritized yet—with governments, UN agencies, and civil society. Teodor Petricevic works at the UNDP Alternative Finance Lab in Istanbul. In this conversation, he talks about why cross-chain, cross-sector collaboration has to happen now, and why builders shouldn't compromise their core principles to make it work. Filmed at Funding the Commons Buenos Aires, November 19, 2025. Learn more at https://www.fundingthecommons.io Relevant Projects UNDP AltFinLab: https://innovation.eurasia.undp.org/altfinlab/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Protocol Labs: https://protocol.ai NEAR Foundation: https://near.foundation Stellar Development Foundation: https://stellar.org human.tech by Holonym Foundation: https://human.tech/ Ethereum Ecosystem Support Program: https://esp.ethereum.foundation/ Drips: https://drips.network Octant: https://octant.app Logos: https://logos.co GoodDollar: https://gooddollar.org Launchnodes: https://launchnodes.com

ETHGlobal · Nov 9, 2025

Harsh Rajat, co-founder and CEO of Pushchain, discusses building decentralized applications (dApps) for the future, focusing on the challenges of cross-chain development, interoperability, and user experience in Web3. He recounts Push's journey from ETHGlobal 2020, highlighting the importance of hackathons, community support, and VC funding in their growth. Harsh identifies key pain points: increased infrastructure management, codebase fragmentation, high audit costs, and user friction due to multiple wallets and bridging protocols. To address these, Pushchain introduces a universal shared state blockchain, enabling developers to deploy once and reach users across all chains with native experiences, simplified infra, and seamless interoperability. Pushchain leverages EVM tooling and a UI kit SDK for easy integration, abstracting away complexities for both users and developers. Harsh announces the Pushchain testnet launch at ETHGlobal Delhi 2025 and introduces the exclusive Auto Pass for hackathon participants. 00:00 Introduction 00:38 Pushchain Origin Story & ETHGlobal 2020 01:40 Growth, Traction, and Push’s Success 02:08 The Hacker’s Reality: Cross-Chain Challenges 03:02 Infrastructure and Interoperability Issues 04:12 Fragmentation, Audit Costs, and User Friction 05:55 Rethinking dApp Development: The Pushchain Vision 06:22 User Experience: Present vs. Future 07:41 Pushchain: Shared State Chain Explained 08:16 Developer and User Benefits 09:00 Building on Pushchain: EVM Tooling & UI Kit 09:29 Code Integration Example 10:13 Pushchain Testnet & Auto Pass Announcement 10:52 Conclusion & Q&A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇮🇳 *Pragma New Delhi* Pragma New Delhi 2025 was held on September 25th at the JW Marriott Hotel in Aerocity New Delhi and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma New Delhi YouTube Playlist here: ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Harsh Rajat X: https://x.com/harshrajat ✅ Follow Push Chain X: https://x.com/PushChain ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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

Evan Shapiro, co-founder of Mina Protocol and CEO of the Mina Foundation, joins Pragma Singapore 2024 for a deep dive into the past, present, and future of zero knowledge proofs (ZKPs). In this fireside conversation with Kartik Talwar, Evan reflects on Mina’s journey from an experimental 20kb blockchain to a scalable, developer-friendly L1 for private apps and ZK rollups. This session covers the evolution of ZK apps, recursive proof systems, native rollups, app-chain interoperability, fungible token standards, and the development of zk-friendly tools and governance. Learn how Mina uses recursive ZKPs to keep its chain lightweight while enabling private, on-chain computation at scale — and discover how the protocol is inspiring a new wave of ZK innovation through developer grants, open standards, and future L2 designs. 00:00 Intro to Evan Shapiro & Mina Protocol 00:49 ZKP Ecosystem in 2017: Just 30 People 01:53 Early Versions of Mina: Mini Bitcoin 02:57 Recursive ZKPs and Chain Compression 04:23 Verifying Blockchain History with 20kb Proofs 05:21 Understanding Mina’s State Model 06:20 ZK Apps vs Protocol Layer 06:50 Mina’s Fungible Token Standard 07:50 ZK Apps as Native Rollups 08:50 Need for L1 Changes to Support App Chains 09:40 Reserved Block Space on L1 for App Chains 10:34 Prioritizing Core Protocol Changes 11:32 Lessons from Other ZK Chains 12:37 Moving from R&D to Shipping 13:34 Supporting ZK-EVMs and Starks on Mina 14:41 L2 Development with Inter-App Communication 15:40 Building Shared Libraries for Cross-App Messaging 16:36 Foundation Priorities: UX, Dev Tools, DEX Support 17:33 How to Get Involved: Grants, Governance, Discord 18:31 Closing Remarks: Why ZK is Worth Exploring _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Evan Shapiro* X: https://x.com/evanashapiro ✅ *Follow Mina Protocol* X: https://x.com/MinaProtocol ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sandeep Nailwal

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Sandeep Nailwal, Co-founder of Polygon Labs, joins Kartik Talwar at Pragma Singapore 2024 to discuss the future of the AggLayer, Polygon’s bold thesis for a unified, scalable multichain future. In this engaging fireside chat, Sandeep unpacks the recent transition from MATIC to POL, challenges with exchanges, the vision behind AggLayer, and how Ethereum can evolve into the best possible settlement layer. He critiques the current Ethereum ecosystem’s focus on token price over infrastructure, explains why decentralization and censorship resistance are critical, and makes a compelling case for infinite scalability through interconnected chains. Learn how AggLayer enables seamless value movement, unified liquidity, canonical tokens, and composable apps across thousands of chains, and why it might be the Solana-like UX Ethereum has needed. 00:00 Intro: Fireside Format with Sandeep Nailwal 01:18 Polygon’s MATIC to POL Token Transition Recap 03:00 Why Exchanges Delayed the POL Migration 04:24 Lessons from the Token Migration Process 05:23 Ethereum Community FUD and Token Upgrade Challenges 06:24 Concerns with Ethereum’s Shift in Priorities 08:01 What Makes a Great Settlement Layer? 08:56 Ethereum’s Decentralization, Censorship Resistance 09:56 Other Key Metrics for Settlement Layer Quality 11:00 Precompiles and ZK for Efficient Settlement 12:08 Should L1 Do More or Enable L2s? 13:07 Cycles of Sentiment and Solana’s Rise 14:37 Long-Term Community Retention is the Real Test 15:33 AggLayer Thesis: Fixing Liquidity Fragmentation 16:11 Seamless Interoperability in Web3 17:13 Infinite Scalability via Appchains and L2s 18:43 Appchains Need Custom UX and Gas Models 19:18 AggLayer = Unified Liquidity, Shared Token Mapping 20:20 One Address Across All Chains: Solana-Like UX 21:17 AggLayer as Web3’s Endgame Architecture 21:41 How to Foster L2 Collaboration and Interoperability 22:46 Narrative & Business Model Compatibility for L2s 23:16 Final Thoughts: Collaboration Over Competition _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Sandeep Nailwal* X: https://x.com/sandeepnailwal ✅ *Follow Polygon Labs* X: https://x.com/0xPolygon ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hart Lambur

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

At Pragma Singapore 2024, Hart Lambur, co-founder of Across and UMA, dives into how cross-chain intents are revolutionizing interoperability in Web3. In this visionary talk, Hart introduces ERC-7683, a new standard co-authored with Uniswap to create seamless, fast, and cost-effective cross-chain user experiences. Learn how intent-based architecture enables instant bridging, eliminates latency, improves user experience, and reduces the cost and complexity of moving assets across chains. Hart explains the mechanics behind intent-based bridging, solver networks, and settlement layers, and shares how Across achieves less than 3-second fill times, enabling Web2-like speeds on Ethereum L2s. Discover how this architecture powers future-proof interoperability across L2s, Superchains, Arbitrum Orbit, Optimism, Scroll, Polygon CDK, and more—all while preserving decentralization, security, and scalability. 00:00 Intro to Cross-Chain UX Problems 00:47 Ethereum Scaling Success Post-Dencun 02:03 Bridging UX Is Still Terrible 03:14 What Users Really Want with Interop 04:18 Across Demo and Web2-Like Bridging UX 05:00 Intent-Based UX Integration in dApps 05:33 Why Messaging-Based Bridges Fall Short 07:18 Stop Sending Messages, Use Intents 08:30 Intent Architecture: How It Works 09:36 Intent Layers: Intent, Solver, Settlement 10:44 Across Speed Benchmark vs Stargate 11:57 Security Benefits of Intent Architectures 12:32 Batch Verification Lowers Costs 13:44 Cost Comparison: Intents vs Traditional 14:57 ERC-7683: Standardizing Cross-Chain Intents 16:09 Benefits of Open Standards for Solvers 17:25 Avoiding Ethereum Ecosystem Fragmentation 18:34 Superchain Interop Using ERC-7683 19:11 Across Roadmap: Fast, Cheap, Day-One Intents 20:03 Closing Remarks and Contact _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Hart Lambur X: https://x.com/hal2001 ✅ *Follow Across* X: https://x.com/AcrossProtocol ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kartik Talwar, Sandy Peng

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

In this engaging fireside chat at Pragma Singapore 2024, Sandy Peng, co-founder of Scroll, joins Kartik Talwar from ETHGlobal to dive deep into the past, present, and future of Scroll and the broader Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) ecosystem. With Scroll’s first year post-mainnet launch, Sandy reflects on critical learnings, protocol upgrades, ecosystem growth, and what sets Scroll apart in a competitive rollup landscape. From zkEVM advancements, faster proving times, and the role of brand moat in L2 dominance, to Scroll Sessions, user incentive models, and the future of on-chain identity and RWA integrations—this chat is packed with insights for anyone building or investing in Web3 infrastructure. 00:00 Intro: Sandy Peng & Scroll at 1-Year Mainnet 00:43 What Went Well & What Didn’t After Launch 03:06 What Scroll Would Do Differently Post-Launch 04:47 Scroll’s Edge: Fast Finality and L2 Interop 06:24 Understanding Finality vs Proving Time 07:33 Designing Scroll Sessions Incentive Programs 09:12 Incentives as Liquidity GPS for Ecosystem 10:25 Scroll’s Learnings on Capital & User Behavior 11:36 ETHery Credit Card Campaign & On-Chain UX 13:19 Reaching Beyond DeFi: RWA & TradFi Onboarding 14:29 African USDT Arbitrage as On-Chain Yield 15:33 Popular Apps & Tech Trends on Scroll 16:46 ZK Builders vs Biz Growth: Finding the Balance 17:54 Scroll Protocol Upgrades & Mathematician Naming 19:49 Thoughts on New zkVMs and Future L2 Design 21:30 How Scroll Competes in the Evolving L2 Race 22:34 Why Brand Is the Lasting Moat for L2s 23:45 Scroll as a Brand: Nike vs Adidas Analogy 24:18 Closing Remarks & Scroll’s Future Vision _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Sandy Peng* X: https://x.com/sandyzkp ✅ *Follow Scroll* X: https://x.com/Scroll_ZKP ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dominic Williams, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Join Dominic Williams, Founder of DFINITY and Chief Scientist of the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), in this fascinating fireside chat at Pragma Singapore 2024. This session explores the future of AI on-chain, the evolution of blockchain technology, and how smart contracts on the Internet Computer are redefining decentralization, security, and scale. Discover how ICP enables secure, scalable, and tamperproof AI models to run as smart contracts, and why traditional Web2 infrastructure falls short. Dominic breaks down key innovations like chain-key cryptography, deterministic GPU execution, and chain fusion, allowing seamless, trustless interoperability with Ethereum and Bitcoin. 00:00 Intro to Dominic Williams & Internet Computer 00:51 Origins of DFINITY and Vision for a World Computer 03:01 Smart Contracts as Next-Gen Software 04:10 Properties of Tamperproof Smart Contracts 05:25 Why AI Needs Blockchain Security 07:10 The “Hot Wallet” Problem for AI Data 08:19 Running AI Models as Smart Contracts 09:13 ICP's Execution Environment & Memory Limits 10:23 Scaling to Run LLMs on Chain 12:15 SIMD, Optimizations, and Llama 3 on ICP 13:13 Current Limits and GPU Delegation Challenges 14:47 Inference vs. Training for On-Chain AI 15:47 Vector Databases and On-Chain Prompt Engineering 16:59 Challenges of GPU Determinism for Blockchains 18:31 AI Use Cases: Smart Wallets, Law, Autonomy 19:55 AI-Generated Web Apps and Autonomous Upgrades 21:57 The Ultimate Platform for AI Agents 23:29 Chain-Key Crypto and Chain Fusion Overview 24:38 Interoperability with Ethereum and Bitcoin 26:13 Fully Autonomous DApps and Decentralized Governance 26:43 Closing Thoughts on Fully On-Chain AI & DApps _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow DFINITY* X: https://x.com/dfinity ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pedro Gomes

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Pedro Gomes, co-founder of WalletConnect and Director at the newly launched WalletConnect Foundation, joins Pragma Singapore 2024 to share major updates shaping the future of wallets, Web3 connectivity, and decentralized infrastructure. In this exclusive fireside chat, Pedro unveils the launch of the WalletConnect Network and $WALLET token, along with the formation of Reon—a rebranded company focused on SDK innovation. Discover how WalletConnect evolved from a single SDK to a global protocol powering billions of connections between wallets and dApps. Learn about their new governance model, roadmap to full decentralization, node operator incentives, token distribution on Optimism, and the future of wallet UX across ecosystems like Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, and Polkadot. 00:00 Intro to Pedro Gomes and WalletConnect 00:41 WalletConnect Foundation Launch Announcement 02:01 Why Decentralize WalletConnect Now 03:09 The 2023 Protocol Upgrade That Made It Possible 04:19 Introducing Reon: The New Wallet SDK Brand 05:59 SDK Ecosystem Growth and Node Operator Roles 07:05 Foundation’s Role in Setting Wallet Standards 08:05 Signing, Smart Sessions, and UX Optimization 09:39 Wallet SDK Collaboration vs. Competition 10:44 Neutral Standards and Foundation Governance 11:47 Lessons from Building and Rebuilding WalletConnect 13:25 How the WalletConnect Network Will Be Decentralized 15:00 Why Wallets Need Sustainable Business Models 16:04 Why the Token Is on Ethereum + Distributed on Optimism 17:49 How Node Operators Will Join the Network 18:56 Governance Strategy and Phased DAO Control 20:34 Final Goals: Staking, Transferability, App Fees 22:12 Closing Thoughts and What to Expect in 2025 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Pedro Gomes* X: https://x.com/pedrouid ✅ *Follow WalletConnect* X: https://x.com/WalletConnect ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sergey Nazarov, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Join Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, in an engaging fireside chat with Kartik Talwar of ETHGlobal at Pragma Singapore 2024. Sergey reflects on Chainlink’s evolution over the past seven years, detailing its early days powering DeFi through decentralized price feeds and exploring its future role in cross-chain interoperability, institutional adoption, and real-world assets (RWAs). Discover how CCIP and Chainlink oracles bridge traditional finance (TradFi) with decentralized finance (DeFi), Sergey’s vision for blockchain beyond crypto, and his predictions on global financial markets moving onto blockchains. 00:00 Introduction & Chainlink's 7-Year Journey 01:55 Early Days: ETH/USD Price Oracle & DeFi Foundations 03:37 Expansion of Chainlink Oracle Networks & Use Cases 05:18 Chainlink Computation: Beyond Price Feeds 05:59 Example: Random Number Generation for Gaming 06:27 Chainlink Functions & Arbitrary Computation 06:59 Cross-Chain Bridging as Data Transmission 07:35 Integrating AI Models with Chainlink Oracles 09:56 Oracle Networks: Consensus Beyond Blockchains 10:28 CCIP Development & Cross-Chain Interoperability 12:14 Bridging Security & Reliability Issues in DeFi 14:02 TradFi Adoption & Institutional Interest in Blockchain 15:44 Asset Management & Institutional Demand for RWAs 17:38 Dedicated Digital Asset Teams in TradFi Institutions 18:44 Real-World Assets (RWAs) vs. Cryptocurrency Market 21:16 Blockchain's Evolution: Beyond Cryptocurrencies 23:44 Timeline Predictions: TradFi & Institutional Adoption 26:00 RWAs Reducing Systemic Risks in Crypto 28:17 The Future Role of Blockchain: Powering Global Economy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore* Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Sergey Nazarov* X: https://x.com/SergeyNazarov ✅ *Follow Chainlink* X: https://x.com/Chainlink ✅ *Follow Kartik Talwar* X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Uma Roy

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Explore the future of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology with Uma Roy from Succinct Labs as she introduces SP1, a revolutionary ZK Virtual Machine (ZKVM), at Pragma San Francisco 2024. Learn how SP1 simplifies ZK application development, making it accessible for all developers through Rust programming, enabling powerful blockchain scaling, cross-chain interoperability, privacy-preserving solutions, and verifiable real-world applications. Uma shares practical examples, innovative hackathon ideas, and insights into how SP1 is transforming Ethereum rollups, blockchain ecosystems, and beyond. 00:00 Intro: Uma Roy & Succinct Labs on SP1 ZK Applications 00:54 What is Zero-Knowledge (ZK)? Simple Explanation 01:27 Understanding ZK Proofs: Succinctness & Efficiency 02:01 ZK for Blockchain Scalability & Ethereum Rollups 03:04 Privacy Applications of ZK on Ethereum & Bitcoin 03:38 Using ZK for Privacy in Real-World (Web2) Scenarios 05:07 Verifiability & Regulatory Compliance Using ZK 06:08 Introduction to SP1: A Powerful ZK Virtual Machine 06:38 How SP1 Works: Rust Programming & RISC-V Compilation 07:13 Old ZK Development: Complex Circuits & Limitations 08:10 SP1 Advantages: Simple Rust Code & Easy Integration 09:13 SP1 Code Example: Fibonacci Number in Rust 09:48 SP1 Performance: Fastest ZKVM for Ethereum Rollups 11:25 Ethereum Rollups & ZK EVMs Built with SP1 12:35 Converting OP Stack Rollups into ZK Rollups with SP1 13:08 Cross-Chain Interoperability: ZK Light Clients & SP1 14:14 Hackathon Ideas: ZK Applications to Build with SP1 14:47 Building ZK Light Clients & Modular Security Bridges 15:18 Bitcoin Chain State Verification using SP1 15:47 ZK for Alternative VMs (Move VM, SVM, Cosmos SDK) 16:21 Fun Onchain Games & Provable Video Games with SP1 16:55 Advanced NFTs & Conditional Minting with SP1 ZK 17:27 Onchain Machine Learning (ML) Models Using SP1 17:57 Real-World ZK Applications & Use Cases with SP1 18:28 Authenticity Verification for Images (ZK Attestation) 18:57 Running SP1 & ZK Proofs on Mobile Devices 19:29 Verifying Emails & Passports Onchain with SP1 ZK 20:27 Selective Data Disclosure & Identity Privacy with ZK 20:59 Conclusion & Resources for SP1 ZK Development _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow the Uma Roy* X: https://x.com/pumatheuma ✅ *Follow Succinct Labs* X: https://x.com/succinctlabs ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Join Dieter Shirley, Chief Architect of Flow Foundation, and Kartik Talwar from ETHGlobal, in a deep dive into Flow's major Crescendo upgrade. Learn how Flow now supports EVM compatibility within Cadence, dramatically enhancing blockchain interoperability, developer flexibility, and user experiences. Dieter shares insights from his extensive experience with CryptoKitties, smart contract scalability, and designing blockchains for mainstream adoption. Discover how Flow's architectural innovations offer unmatched speed, scalability, and decentralization. 00:00 Introduction: Dieter Shirley & Flow's Major Upgrade 00:41 Celebrating ETHGlobal's Impact & History 01:58 Exploring Trade-offs in Blockchain Development 02:25 Flow's Major Crescendo Network Upgrade 03:18 How Flow Built an Early Data Availability Layer 03:55 Flow's Improved Speed & Scalability Metrics 04:23 Cadence 1.0: The Next-gen Smart Contract Language 04:52 Introducing EVM Equivalence on Flow Blockchain 06:30 Why Flow Adopted EVM Despite Cadence Advantages 08:06 Technical Approach: Running EVM Inside Cadence 09:49 How Flow EVM Uses Efficient Native State Storage 10:27 Impact on Cross-chain Infrastructure Providers 10:57 New Opportunities for EVM-first Developers 11:27 Enhancing Solidity with Cadence Extensions 12:34 Advanced Features Exclusive to Cadence vs. Solidity 13:38 Example: Atomic Multi-call Transactions in Cadence 15:06 Benefits for Native Cadence Developers from EVM 16:38 How Flow Attracts Mainstream Crypto Adoption 17:40 Advice on Building Consumer-friendly Blockchain Apps 20:03 Balancing User Friction & Motivating Features 20:42 Flow EVM: Implications for Ethereum Ecosystem 22:23 The Superior Developer Experience of Cadence 22:56 Flow Foundation's Long-term Vision & North Star 24:35 Decentralization as Core Promise of Flow Blockchain 25:45 Conclusion: Building Sustainable Apps on Flow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Dieter Shirley* X: https://x.com/dete73 ✅ *Follow Flow Foundation* X: https://x.com/flow_blockchain ✅ *Follow Kartik Talwar* X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

David Sneider

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Discover how Lit Protocol is redefining the management of secrets and identities on-chain with decentralized cryptographic solutions. In this insightful talk from Pragma San Francisco 2025, David Sneider, founder of Lit Protocol, explores programmable secret networks using threshold cryptography, secure hardware (TEE), and multi-party computation. Learn how decentralized secret management enhances interoperability across blockchains, platforms, and AI systems, empowering individuals with secure, privacy-preserving control over their data, identity, and assets. 00:00 Introduction: David Sneider on Decentralized Secrets 00:46 Agenda: Problems, Solutions, Implementations & Future 01:24 The Big Problem: Fragmented Digital Systems 02:01 Why Secrets Are Key for Digital Interoperability 02:37 Lit Protocol: Decentralized Secret Management Overview 03:13 Technical Architecture: Secure Hardware & TEEs 03:51 Multi-Party Computation & Threshold Cryptography 04:56 Cross-Platform Interoperability Using Lit Protocol 06:05 Lit as a New Primitive: Smart Contract Comparison 06:42 Case Study: Verify & On-chain IP Licensing 07:54 Identity-Based Encryption Explained (Verify Example) 09:00 Case Study: Nebula & On-chain Life Insurance 10:10 Privacy-Preserving Risk Scores for Insurance 10:49 Healthcare Data & Privacy in Web3 11:28 Case Study: Genius Terminal & Cross-chain Swaps 12:37 Real-time Cross-chain Trading with Programmable Wallets 13:11 The Future of AI & Decentralized Secret Management 13:49 AGI & the Need for Decentralized Data Control 14:22 Vitalik's Defensive Techno-Optimism Framework 14:59 Empowering Users with AI & Decentralized Data 15:34 Opportunities for Developers with Lit Protocol 16:11 Closing Remarks & Invitation to Innovate Together _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow David Sneider* X: https://x.com/davidlsneider ✅ *Follow Lit Protocol* X: https://x.com/LitProtocol ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Simon Baksys

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Simon Baksys, VP of Business Development at LayerZero Labs, explores why crypto interoperability must prioritize decentralization, permissionlessness, immutability, and censorship resistance. From Bitcoin and Ethereum to LayerZero, Simon discusses the critical principles necessary for blockchain innovation to thrive. Learn about the challenges of fragmented blockchain ecosystems, why interoperability matters, and how LayerZero’s protocol is bridging 90+ chains with true decentralization and security. 00:50 LayerZero Overview & Personal Reflections 01:50 Why Principles Matter in Blockchain Innovation 02:36 Bitcoin's Revolutionary Impact & Adoption Journey 03:59 Ethereum's Decentralized Smart Contract Revolution 05:18 LayerZero: The Internet of Blockchains Explained 05:55 Vitalik's Core Principles for Decentralization 07:03 Importance of Permissionless & Censorship Resistance 07:46 Lessons from Mt. Gox, FTX & Wormhole Failures 09:19 The Reality & Challenges of Multi-chain Ecosystems 10:30 Fragmentation Issues in Today's Blockchain Landscape 11:11 Solving Crypto Fragmentation with True Interoperability 12:19 Why Crypto Needs Strong Opinions on Technology 13:22 Building Interop Standards & User Experience in Crypto 14:00 LayerZero's Customization & Decentralization Vision 14:30 The Need for Unified Blockchain Standards 15:12 Final Call: Prioritize Principles, Care, and Innovation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Simon Baksys* X: https://x.com/Bakxys ✅ *Follow LayerZero* X: https://x.com/LayerZero_Core ✅ *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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

DC Posch

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Curious about simplifying cross-L2 payments and multi-chain user experiences? Join DC Posch, co-founder of a DAO, as he unveils intent addresses—a new Ethereum primitive that lets users accomplish arbitrary actions across different networks with a single transfer. Discover how Create2, escrow contracts, and minimal bridging steps eliminate confusing flows, reduce counterparty risk, and streamline DeFi interactions. Learn how to enable fast finish on cross-chain transactions, explore real-world demos (like prediction markets and hardware wallet orders), and see how these ideas could become a future ERC for broader adoption. Topics Covered: • Chain fragmentation & the push for a “one Ethereum” experience • Universal accounts, 4337, and the inspiration behind intent addresses • Bridging with CCTP and adding escrow for faster settlements • Real-world demos on Base, Optimism, and more • Bonus: Gasless transactions, permit flows, and self-destruct for ephemeral contracts • Stay tuned to discover how these concepts reshape UX for multi-chain payments, enabling an interoperable future with fewer pop-ups, less friction, and maximum flexibility. 00:00 Introduction & Welcome 00:53 The L2 Fragmentation Problem 01:26 Universal Accounts & Create2 Overview 03:09 Introducing Intent Addresses 04:55 Single Transfer to Trigger Any Action 05:59 UX Benefits & Fewer Pop-Ups 07:21 Towards a “One Ethereum” Vision 08:03 Demo: Bridging & Chain Abstraction 09:43 Handling Slow Bridges with CCTP 10:52 Using Escrow Contracts for Fast Finish 11:32 Comparing Non-Custodial vs. Trusted Relayers 12:16 Real Deployments & Game Demo 13:38 Hardware Wallet Pre-Order Example 14:25 Minimizing Wallet Popups on Mobile 15:01 Gasless Transactions & Permit Flows 15:38 Future ERC & Progressive UX 16:09 Self-Destruct for Ephemeral Contracts 17:11 Conclusion & Final Thoughts _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🎤 *Pragma Bankgkok* Pragma Bangkok 2024 closed out a year of exceptional Pragma events held around the world, and offered the global Web3 community a chance to hear from founders and builders as they reflect on the past, and look to the future of Web3. Pragma Bangkok 2024 was held on November 14th at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand. Watch the full YouTube Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4JNkhnsv5F95OqxT_IjCEl&si=6Tv3CvB6vrQIIjBA ETHGlobal's Pragma series, which began in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, has been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. You can learn more about Pragma and upcoming events in the series here: https://ethglobal.com/pragma _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow DC Posch X: https://x.com/dcposch ✅ Follow Daimo X: https://x.com/daimo_eth Website: https://pay.daimo.com ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ 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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Anna Kazlauskas

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2025

Join Anna Kazlauskas from Vana at the Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit to explore the future of decentralized data and its powerful impact on AI. Discover how self-sovereign data, proof of contribution, and data DApps enable privacy, ownership, and better AI models. See real-world examples of data DAOs, how users can legally own and contribute data from walled-garden platforms, and why structured, high-quality datasets are key to advancing AI agents. Learn how the Vana protocol ensures security with TE compute and encrypted storage—paving the way for a truly decentralized AI ecosystem. Whether you’re a developer, researcher, or enthusiast, this session offers a comprehensive look at unlocking web3 data for game-changing AI innovation. Stay tuned for insights into privacy-preserving data, building your own data DAO, and how to leverage user data across platforms for more powerful machine learning. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more talks on agentic governance, AI-driven solutions, and blockchain breakthroughs! 00:00 Introduction & Decentralized Data Overview 00:53 Why Data Quality Matters for AI Models 02:34 The Data Wall: Limitations on Public Internet Data 04:18 Scraping vs Curating: Approaches to AI Training Data 05:25 User-Owned Data and Emerging Data Markets 07:00 Legal Ownership: Exporting Data from Walled Gardens 08:08 Introducing Vana: Self-Sovereign Data Layer 09:41 Data DAOs and Proof of Contribution 11:21 Examples of Data DAOs & Private Data Use Cases 12:30 Verifying Data Integrity with TE Compute 16:51 Privacy-Preserving Data & AI Training 20:00 How to Start a Data DAO: Key Steps 23:08 Accessing Data Sets for AI Agents 24:14 Q&A: Building AI Solutions with Vana _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🤖 *Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit* Join the official Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit for an in-depth look at AI agents, smart contracts, and how they converge to power the next era of decentralized intelligence. This is more than just a summit—it's a gathering of the brightest minds in our ecosystem, and we're honored to have Andrew Miller, Anna Kazlauskas, Davide Crapis, dcbuilder, Ed Felten, Erik Voorhees, Illia Polosukhin, Jasper Zhang, Karl Floersch, Ken Ng, Kevin Owocki, Linda Xie, Shaw, Tomasz Stanczak, Chase Allred and Vitalik Buterin and on stage for this virtual summit focused around AI Agents and Blockchain! Watch the full Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6DrYO4ORk8wzQ5wCZDs0mW&si=ARqB9gaXAqehWH1_ 🤖 *Agentic Ethereum 2025* Agentic Ethereum is an online, async hackathon that runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 12, 2025. With over $175,000 USD in prizes, Agentic Ethereum is a great way to dive into the world of autonomous AI agents and explore how they can revolutionize projects on Ethereum. Start the year with groundbreaking innovation! Watch the full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7jxP_flgRf5nZ_WDgFpBy3&si=RZozbd9C5KrG6Bf3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Anna Kazlauskas X: https://x.com/anna_kazlauskas ✅ Follow Vana X: https://x.com/vana Website: https://www.vana.org ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ 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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _