Upbit D Conference explores how to bridge crypto with real world
Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, hosted the Upbit D
Conference on Thursday, discussing how blockchain technology can bring changes into the real world.
This year’s event, in its seventh edition, was held under the title of "Blockchain: Powering Real World
Change."
“Blockchain is no longer an invisible technology. Just a few years ago, blockchain was considered
unfamiliar and complex, but now we can see that perceptions in Korea have significantly changed,” Dunamu
Chairman Song Chi-hyung said in his opening speech.
“As a leading company in digital assets and fintech, Dunamu will continue to spearhead the development
of the blockchain sector, a key industry of the future.”
Michael Casey, former chief content officer at CoinDesk, delivered a keynote speech, addressing how the
price of bitcoin had surged to its highest ever $93,000 following Donald Trump's victory in the US
presidential election.
"We are seeing the immediate response in terms of how people feel as if the new administration coming
into the US is going to remove a lot of the regulatory barriers," Casey said.
"But we need to be thinking about the long-term implications and the current policy framework. There are
still big questions as to whether the Trump administration is going to be constructive in the long run
for everything that we care about in this space."
A panel discussion led by Keith O'Callaghan, head of Asset Management & Structuring at London-based
digital asset exchange Archax Capital Limited, followed. The panel discussed how the boundaries between
digital and real-world assets can be blurred through investment vehicles such as exchange-traded funds.
“Traditional banking institutions have to join hands with crypto-native firms,” said Alex Kim, director
of digital asset security at blockchain infrastructure provider Blockdaemon.
“To this day, traditional banking institutions are yet to fully understand the nature of digital
assets,” he said, highlighting the need for the institutions to develop a skill set to deal with new
assets through cooperation.
More sessions followed, inviting industry officials and experts from around the world to the stage. The
speakers included Ross Edwards, senior director of global financial institutions at Ripple, Keith Yeo,
head of the Asia-Pacific region at crypto market data provider Kaiko, Jeong Jae-uk, deputy vice
president at Hana Bank, and more.
Sascha Rowold, an executive adviser at LVMH, participated in the event as well, delivering a lecture on
why luxury brands are using blockchain to enhance the consumer experience and how they are working to
leverage the blockchain for provenance management.
