Europe’s biggest blockchain-focused event, Paris Blockchain Week once again turned the ‘City of Light’ into the epicenter of web3 innovation, where entrepreneurs, thought leaders, developers, and enthusiasts met to collaborate, share insights, and shape the future of Web3.
The fifth edition of the Paris Blockchain Week was held at the Carrousel du Louvre in the heart of Paris. This year’s event attracted a record number of over 9,000 attendees and over 500 speakers, underlining the growing interest in blockchain technology.
The hugely successful PBW 2024 demonstrated the rapid progress and maturity of numerous sectors in Web3, showcasing exciting progress in areas such as DeFi, gaming, entertainment, NFTs, tokenization, and more.
Casper proudly sponsored PBW 2024 and reinforced Paris as the hub of blockchain innovation. Here are the highlights and key takeaways from Paris through the lens of Casper
Let’s start by stopping at the Casper booth, which was a vibrant hub where our team welcomed visitors and provided information on Casper's ecosystem expansion as well as the future direction and the vision we set for Casper.
We also invited entrepreneurs to pitch their Web3 projects right at our booth for a chance to secure a spot in the upcoming second season of Killer Whales, the Shark Tank of Web3. The pitches brought forward various brilliant ideas, showcasing the potential to propel Web3 forward.
Stay tuned for Season 2 of Killer Whales, where some of these groundbreaking projects made their mark at the Casper booth!
Casper Association Board Member Ralf Kubli gave an insightful presentation titled: “Blockchain, Tokenization, Smart NFTs and New Digital Frontiers” touching upon some of the most crucial focuses of Casper and blockchain in general.
His presentation began with a simple yet intriguing question: Why are we here? The answer was nuanced and beautifully delivered by Ralf through several focus areas addressed in the title of his presentation.
Ralf introduced the transformative potential of blockchain in reshaping the economy, markets, and the way we authenticate identity and ownership. He emphasized the impacts of blockchain on traditional and decentralized finance, highlighting their fundamental similarities despite apparent differences.
The presentation covered several key topics including tokenization, smart NFTs, and their significance in creating new economic models and business paradigms. Those who didn’t think NFTs were big enough left the room with a new perspective on how smart NFTs will greatly enhance authentication and ownership.
In this exciting episode of the Casper Podcast, we revisit the electrifying atmosphere of Paris Blockchain Week, capturing the essence of innovation and progress within the blockchain community.
This year, the event was buzzing with groundbreaking developments, and we've cherry-picked the most impactful discussions and revelations to share with our listeners. From the rapid adoption of Rust in developing smart contracts to the unveiling of Casper's latest infrastructure advancements and strategic onboarding of new exchanges, this episode dives deep into how these enhancements are shaping the future of decentralized finance.
Whether you're a seasoned developer or a blockchain enthusiast, this recap offers a comprehensive overview of the industry's dynamic evolution and the exciting road ahead for the Casper ecosystem.
During the hackathon event on April 6th, Mell Padden, Director of Developer Relations for the Casper Association, demonstrated the deployment of a lottery application and tradable lottery tickets deployed to mainnet in under 30 minutes. Mel’s demonstration attracted great interest and once again showcased how easy it is to bring a project to fruition on Casper.
We hosted a VIP dinner on a private rooftop boasting a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower. Casper Association Board Member Ralf Kubli and Director of Strategy & Ecosystem Development Alizée Carli attended the dinner. Guests enjoyed pizzas and drinks, which fueled creativity and fostered a spirit of networking that set the tone for the days ahead.
On April 10th, we held a corporate breakfast at the Hotel Westin Paris Vendôme. The event featured a keynote speech by CasperLabs CEO Mrinal Manohar on “Mitigating AI Risks with Web3,” with Ralf Kubli, Alizée Carli, and Ross Mackay also in attendance. Guests gained valuable insights and had the opportunity to network with fellow professionals over a delightful breakfast.
We kicked off the day with an exclusive event on Thursday, April 11th, at our Institutional Morning Banquet featuring guest speaker Tim Draper. Participants explored the current landscape of liquidity and digital assets while engaging with key industry players. This gathering provided a valuable opportunity to connect with thought leaders, delve into innovative solutions, and stay ahead in the blockchain space.
Also on April 11, Alizee Carli participated in a panel titled “The Creative Renaissance: Empowering Innovators in the Web3 Spher
🎤 Building on Casper: Mel Padden, Director of Developer Relations for the Casper Association
“Why should you try developing on Casper? We have an end-to-end solution now. We have an excellent smart contract framework in Odra, It’s intuitive and works out of the box. We have the new MAKE middleware which makes connecting the components in your application much easier and you’ll get good support from MAKE and us in anything that you want to build.”
Learn more here.
🎤 Technical Updates & Protocol Upgrades: Piotr Dziubecki, Program Director for Casper Association
“The source code for the Condor upgrade is 99% complete and we are spawning the test phase. This means we will start with a smaller version of Casper, called DevNet, to make sure that all applications, dApps, systems, and infrastructure are running smoothly in the new environment. We have a perfect track record of no downtime and we aim to keep it that way during the Condor rollout.”
Learn more here.
🎤 Roblox x Casper: Javier Vicente Gonzalez, Ecosystem Growth Manager at Casper Association
“Gaming is the easiest way to understand how blockchain integrations work. It is easy to understand for anyone because everyone has been trading skins, and buying and selling tokens in games for the past 20 years. The integration of Roblox, the immensely popular game with 72 million active users, with Casper via the CrossX platform. This groundbreaking development opens the door for potentially millions of players to utilize NFTs minted on the Casper Network.”
Learn more here.
As always, Paris Blockchain Week was a phenomenal experience that has further fueled our drive to push the boundaries of innovation. We bid you au revoir for this year, departing both inspired and motivated. Each year, PBW surpasses its previous achievements, setting new standards of excellence. We eagerly look forward to participating in an even more spectacular event next year, continuing this tradition of exceptional growth and innovation.
Ralf Kubli at Paris Blockchain 2024
Matt Schaffnit at Paris Blockchain 2024
Paris Blockchain Day3 with Casper
