Over 1,700 people are attending events and conferences on topics including DAOs, stablecoins and EU regulation
The two-day Paris Blockchain Week Summit (PBWS) 2020 begins today. The summit takes place at Station F—the world’s largest startup campus in Paris’ 13th arrondissement—and will also be streamed live. PBWS is the flagship event of Paris Blockchain Week (PBW), the largest Blockchain & Digital Assets gathering in Europe.
Organized by Woorton, Chain Accelerator and Datalents, PBW provides a platform for professionals in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors to discuss key issues and build international connections through meetups, hackathons, workshops and social events. The week is supported by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, and aims to promote the blockchain ecosystem in France.
This year the summit is also hosted on PBWS’s dedicated online platform, where companies and individuals can take part in digital panels, keynotes and startup presentations with a virtual pass.
PBWS co-host Michael Amar explained: “We recognize that the current situation requires an extraordinary level of caution and the safety of all participants is our highest priority. To give attendees greater flexibility, we decided to adapt the event into a hybrid format. Our goal has always been to advance the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, and we look forward to welcoming participants to the second edition of PBWS in the format they prefer.”
The summit is backed by 70 blockchain companies and startups, including Polkadot, Tezos, Stellar and Bitpanda, and will bring together 170 speakers, 100 media representatives and more than 1,700 attendees. The event aims to support blockchain development and highlight France’s regulatory framework by hosting leaders from global companies to share market insights and present recent industry advancements.
This year’s program focuses on four main tracks: Blockchain Enterprise, Open Finance, Tech Builders and Public Policy. Other topics on the agenda include EU regulation, stablecoins, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), collectibles and recent progress in consensus mechanisms.
Speakers come from a wide range of countries and sectors and include Dr. Marion Laboure, Macro Strategist at Deutsche Bank; Changpeng Zhao, Founder and CEO of Binance; Cédric O, French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs; Ryan Selkis, Co-founder and CEO of Messari; and Valérie Fasquelle, Director of Infrastructure, Innovation and Payments at Banque de France. PBWS aims to position France as the first G20 country to adopt a business-friendly environment for the fast-evolving cryptocurrency industry.