Markets Can’t Stop US Regulatory Optimism: Reflections from The Week at TOKEN2049 Dubai
With contributions from Senior Liquid Analyst Dmitry Lapidus.
Crypto markets have experienced massive price swings and daunting volatility over the past month. But you couldn’t tell at the TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai – the palpable optimism around crypto’s continued journey toward regulatory clarity and mainstream adoption dominated the tone of the event.
Similar to its counterpart in Singapore, TOKEN2049 Dubai felt like a party, and the city was well equipped for a high caliber of showmanship. More than half the attendees I spoke to purchased a ticket to the main event, but not for the camels and zip line – they filled packed rooms to listen to speakers including Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), Investor Balaji Srinvasan and BitMEX Co-Founder Arthur Hayes. Between sessions, they navigated through bumper to bumper traffic to head to side summits, pitching competitions, happy hours, and of course, yacht parties. Major ecosystem players including Solana and TON held a strong presence at TOKEN2049, and in addition to the typical startups and VCs like ourselves in attendance, there were more traders present at the main event than I’ve observed at past conferences. This was likely driven by the concentration of exchanges and market makers at the event.
It was important that CoinFund attend TOKEN2049 Dubai because as one of the major crypto conferences of the year, it’s a great opportunity to spot new entrants into web3 and catch wind of early trends that may unfold throughout the rest of the year. Crypto is global, and in an international crypto hub such as Dubai, there were many opportunities to connect with founders from around the world who kicked off their fundraising processes at the event. NYC may be considered the crypto capital of the world, but Dubai serves as a hub for many cryptonatives building startups in the Middle East and Asia, and will continue to foster innovation in this region.
Still, it’s clear that the worldwide industry is enthusiastic about crypto’s growing regulatory acceptance in the US and how it will help kickstart global adoption. Folks at the event showcased strong interest in DeFi products and stablecoin payments – both of which have already caught the eyes of institutional players entering crypto. With clear regulation, these areas will flourish, helping accelerate crypto adoption across the world. Leaving Dubai, the outlook for cementing these footholds in coming years of crypto appears better than ever.
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George Christopher is an Investor at CoinFund, applying his experience evaluating, investing in, and supporting best-in-class technology companies. George was formerly at Battery Ventures where he focused on investments in growth-stage software.
Prior to Battery, he worked as an investment banking analyst at AGC Partners. George graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.
