Blockchain technology promises a lot, from decentralization to transparency, automation of processes to data protection. But how many successful, non-blockchain-based use cases are out there for us to refer to and actually bag in all the claims of what blockchains are able to deliver?
One of the main concerns in blockchain adoption is how “normal” people or businesses could be part of this technology without having to meet the various barriers to entry, nor rocking too much of their existing comfort zone – nope, we are not talking about creating a bunch of NFTs for novelty purposes. There are many aspects of challenges that we are already seeing right now, especially when there isn’t much knowledge on hand, or tangible results to weigh upon. And humans, being creatures of habit, we hope what works today, will probably work for the next 20, 50 years - venturing into uncharted waters is daunting.
Without facilitating “normal” people like your cousins and the owner of that pet shop down the lane to onboard what blockchain’s got to offer, it would be difficult to achieve the mass adoption that every single project is claiming as its ultimate goal. But one thing is for sure, blockchain is set to disrupt what we know and are used to today, it is inevitable whether we are ready or not, it is just a matter of how soon we will reach that finishing line.
Panelists:
Marc Robinson, Head of APAC Market Operations Coinbase
Marc Robinson is an industry veteran with over two decades of experience, an angel investor, and an avid snowboarder. He is head of APAC Market Operations at Coinbase, where he leads a team focused on building digital assets ecosystems and digital investment tools. Prior to Coinbase, Marc was the Global Head of Custody at BitMEX. He also served as COO at SBI, spearheading their Digital Asset Holdings business after leaving the TradFi services space to work for a number of renowned banks across APAC.
Michael Heaney, Web3 & Blockchain Leader McKinsey & Company
Michael is an associate partner at McKinsey & Company with over 20 years of experience. He has led and designed a broad spectrum of global initiatives from robust strategies and developing agile business functions to more recent innovative, digital and disruptive-based strategies. Michael supports his clients to identify and implement effective solutions within the Metaverse, Web3, Cyber and Blockchain ecosystems.
Toby Gilbert, CEO & Co-Founder Coinweb
Toby Gilbert attended London College University (UCL) and went on to focus on the tech and telco spaces. With a proven track record, including having successfully invested in and exiting three telecommunications companies operating in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 2018, Toby invested in Coinweb, a cross-chain computation platform and solution for retail and enterprise. Toby also co-founded the Blockfort and OnRamp DeFi projects.
Darren Makarem, CFO of APAC & LATAM Binance
Darren has a long background of working in finance and operational roles across a multitude of industries in Europe, the US and Asia. He has recently joined Binance to look after their APAC and Latam finance function, having previously spent the last 5 years working at Agoda, the global OTA, responsible for payments facilitation, and then CFO.
(Moderator) Hikaru Kasai Managing Partner Elevate Ventures
Hikaru is the Managing Partner of Elevate Ventures, an early-stage VC and advisory firm specialising in Web3. He has helped dozens of blockchain projects since 2016 with advisory, research, networking, content and marketing. As an advocate for blockchain education, Hikaru creates informative content on The Human & Machine, a multichannel podcast simplifying Web3 concepts.
