Recap of SmartCon 2024: Convergence of TradFi and DeFi

SNZ Assisted Chainlink to Land and Expand in Asia

On October 30-31, SmartCon 2024 successfully wrapped up at the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong, attracting over 2,000 participants from both the Web3 and capital market. SmartCon's debut in Asia was hosted by Chainlink, supported by SNZ, the strategic partner and other conference partners, also InvestHK and other sponsors.This is the very first SmartCon ever held in Asia and probably the most influential one in terms of number and quality of participants, speakers and influences.

SNZ Played Key Role in Shaping SmartCon 2024 while Strengthened the Business Relationship with Chainlink

SNZ played a key role in facilitating the Hong Kong government/InvestHK’s dialogue with Chainlink about hosting SmartCon in HK, as an extension of Hong Kong FinTech Week. This initiative laid the foundation for the launch of the “Blocktober" concept in Hong Kong, leading up to a series of related events.

SNZ was deeply involved in co-organizing the SmartCon and its surrounding activities, including high-level government engagement, securing key sponsors, inviting key speakers, media exposures, and promotional channels. By leveraging its resource network alongside the Chainlink team, SNZ helped ensure the success of SmartCon 2024.

Main Event Highlights: The Convergence of TradFi and DeFi

This year’s SmartCon marks a significant milestone. Chainlink unveiled the new Chainlink CRE (Chainlink Runtime Environment) platform, along with a series of exciting updates that expand its capabilities and reinforce its position as a leader in Web3 infrastructure.

Many distinguished speakers have addressed wonderful speeches and more to find on SmartCon official websites and below please find summaries of thoughts from some speaker representatives invited and coordinated by SNZ.  

1. Hong Kong Government Perspectives

Joseph Chan delivered the opening speeches at the main stage. He mentioned that he witnessed the enthusiasm of builders and users within the community last year, reminding himself that Asia and Hong Kong must recognize the opportunities arising from these evolving communities.

Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury; the Government of the HKSAR

Duncan Chiu delivered the opening speech on "Where TradFi & DeFi Converge" at the Capital Market Stage. In his address, he highlighted the transformative potential of Web3, noting that its impact on financial services could be profound and far-reaching. He emphasized that Hong Kong, with its robust financial ecosystem, offers a wealth of opportunities in both traditional finance and the emerging tokenization market, positioning the city as a key player in the future of digital finance.

Duncan Chiu, member of the Legislative Council for the Technology and Innovation functional constituency

Alpha Lau delivered a keynote speech titled "New Business Opportunities in the Hong Kong Financial Services Sector: 2024 Policy Address by the Chief Executive." She stated: "The Hong Kong government will continue to improve the market access system for the renminbi, solidify its position as the world’s largest offshore renminbi center, further promote the internationalization of the renminbi, enhance the renminbi infrastructure, and upgrade the renminbi central currency market unit to meet the demands of international investors for asset settlement in different currencies. "

Alpha Lau, Director-General of Investment Promotion, Invest Hong Kong

2. Industry Leaders Discussion on DeFi and TradFi Integration

Gavin Wang, CIO of SNZ led the first panel on main stage, featuring prominent industry leaders: Emilio Frangella, VP of Engineering at Aave Labs; Mike Kuehnel, CEO of Flow Traders; Jeannie Lim, Executive Director at Paxos; and Robert Porter, Director of Digital Asset Services at ANZ. The panel focused on the convergence of decentralized finance and traditional finance, exploring how crypto innovations are transforming the financial landscape. They highlighted the importance of collaboration between established institutions and emerging players in shaping the future of finance.

On the right, Gavin Wang, CIO of SNZ Capital

3. Industry Leaders and Academic representatives invited by SNZ

Hashkey Group, Chairman and CEO, Dr. Xiao Feng delivered a keynote speech titled 'On-chain vs. In-chain.' He discussed the evolution of the financial market, contrasting traditional finance with the emerging crypto financial market, which is driven by decentralized technologies like blockchain. Dr. Xiao outlined key trends that bridge the two systems, including the rise of stablecoins, the adoption of ETFs for crypto assets, and the tokenization of RWA.

Dr. Xiao Feng, Chairman and CEO, HashKey Group

Prof. Wen Yonggang,  President’s Chair in College of Computing & Data Science of NTU, delivered a groundbreaking keynote at Chainlink’s SmartCon 2024 titled “When AI Meets Blockchain.” Key insights from his speech included a vision of unifying AI and blockchain as transformative forces reshaping society and presenting Verifiable Computing as a unified framework through the Energy-Computing-Token model to create synergies between AI and blockchain.

Prof. Wen Yonggang, President’s Chair in College of Computing & Data Science of NTU

In total, this year’s event featured over 200 speakers from both the Web3 and traditional finance industries, attracted more than 2,000 attendees, and hosted over 40 side events. We deeply appreciate the support, collaboration, and participation of everyone who contributed to its success.

SNZ remains dedicated to growing alongside our portfolio projects and partners. We are committed to fostering a global blockchain community and making meaningful contributions to local ecosystems worldwide.