Crypto, Blockchain & Decentralized Finance

Blockchain began as rebellion: a challenge to centralized finance and opaque intermediaries. Fifteen years later, the sector is still balancing between revolution and regulation. What started as an experiment in peer-to-peer money has become a global contest over who defines trust, who controls digital assets, and who owns the infrastructure of value.

​

The crypto ecosystem has matured: tokenization, smart contracts, and decentralized finance (DeFi) now form a complex parallel system that moves trillions in assets. Yet fundamental questions remain unresolved, including scalability, governance, sustainability, and the boundary between privacy and accountability. The promise of decentralization persists, but so does the tension between innovation and oversight.

​

This track examines whether crypto and DeFi can evolve from speculative markets into the backbone of a new financial order, or whether the state, through regulation and digital currencies, will reclaim control.

 

Session 1: The Frontier of Crypto

14:00 – 15:30             

The crypto frontier is no longer defined by price charts, but by infrastructure: interoperability, Layer-2 scalability, and real-world asset integration. This session explores the technology’s true maturity and its limits, from energy-intensive consensus mechanisms to the emerging use of blockchain in identity, logistics, and governance.

​

Key questions:

• Has blockchain solved any real-world problem at scale, or is it still searching for purpose?

• Can decentralization coexist with state-backed digital currencies?

• What trade-offs are acceptable between privacy, efficiency, and compliance?

 

4 Speakers (15 minute presentations) + 30 minute round table

 

First Break (Afternoon)

15:30 – 16:00             

 

Session 2: The Regulatory Challenge

16:00 – 17:00             

Crypto regulation is entering a decisive phase. The EU’s MiCA framework, FATF standards, and emerging CBDC projects signal the end of regulatory ambiguity and the start of a new alignment between States and code. This session explores whether oversight will legitimize digital assets or domesticate them.

​

Key questions:

• Can regulators meaningfully govern decentralized protocols and DAOs?

• Are CBDCs the evolution of money — or the end of financial freedom?

• How can transparency be enforced without eroding privacy and innovation?
   

4 Speakers (10 minute presentations) + 20 minute round table

 

Session 3: Investing in Cryptocurrencies & DeFI

17:00 – 18:00

Investment in crypto is shifting from speculation to strategy. Institutional players are returning as tokenization, digital custody, and compliance technology mature. The next wave of capital will seek infrastructure and interoperability rather than hype. We will hear from four investors in crypto, blockchain and decentralized finance. 

​

Key questions:

• Where is sustainable value being created in crypto today?

• What risk frameworks can institutional investors rely on in a decentralized market?

• Is DeFi a financial revolution or a replicant of traditional finance without oversight?

 

4 Speakers (10 minute presentations) + 20 minute round table​