launch-of-countercraft-the-pulse-redefines-threat-intel-feeds

Launch of CounterCraft The Pulse™ Redefines Threat Intel Feeds

 

CounterCraft, the global leader in cyber deception-powered threat intelligence and active defense technology for organizations worldwide, including the U.S. Department of Defense and other global defense forces, announced the launch of CounterCraft The Pulse™. The Pulse™ is a threat intelligence feed of prepared incident data from CounterCraft. It uses powerful deception technology to capture threat intel around the latest exploits and vulnerabilities on the web before delivering it via API in real time.

A threat intel feed with impact

Generic, out-of-context threat intel feeds are interesting but rarely impactful, with an average delay between an incident and its reporting clocking in at 21 days. That is simply too long to be relevant. CounterCraft The Pulse™ brings you a real-time source of Machine Readable Threat Intelligence (MRTI) with an unbeatable signal to noise ratio.

“We always say that threat intel is broken,” says David Barroso, co-founder and CEO of CounterCraft. “With The Pulse, we use cyber deception to gather valuable intel about the latest exploits. The ability to observe a threat actor’s moves and provide the most detailed threat intel out there is unique within the market.”

CounterCraft is the most recent deception technology to receive Cool Vendor status, and is currently named as the only deception vendor in Gartner threat intel reports.

How The Pulse is different

The intel in The Pulse is gathered using deception campaigns designed by CounterCraft’s team of experts. Detailed telemetry is collected from the deception farms in the Pulse central system and enriched to create in-depth event data.

The Pulse allows users to

  • Identify exploits before they affect your organization
  • Get the details and the context you need to make security decisions
  • Prioritize risk mitigation
  • Download the complete attacker playbook
  • Know exactly how threat actors would exploit their vulnerabilities

With incident tags that allow classifying by CVEs, tech stacks, and more, unlimited API queries and a RESTful API that offers continuous monitoring and incident data in a standardized JSON format, The Pulse is a game changer.

tom-clancy’s-rainbow-six-siege-opens-up-for-beginners-with-visegrad-community-cups

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX® SIEGE OPENS UP FOR BEGINNERS WITH VISEGRAD COMMUNITY CUPS

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Starting Saturday, August 20th players from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary can compete in weekly Rainbow Six Siege tournaments on PC

Today, Ubisoft Poland announced that – through their collaboration with global esports platform Challengermode – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege will be joining a series of weekly PC tournaments dedicated to beginners from Visegrad Group starting August 20nd. Expanding on its previous work with Challengermode on the V4 Masters – Nationals level tournaments – Ubisoft continues its efforts to develop Rainbow Six Siege’s grassroots competitions – open to all with weekly tournaments.

Kamil Ściana, Brand Marketing Manager CEE at Ubisoft said: “Our main goal with this new series of tournaments is to further open up the Rainbow Six Siege esports scene to players of all levels, bridging the gap between casual multiplayer and the more professional esports space where players can regularly compete for real prizes. Working with Challengermode has made the set-up and participation in these tournaments seamless and easy to scale for as many players as want to compete from the Visegrad region, and we look forward to working with them further on tournaments that will keep players coming back to enjoy Rainbow Six Siege in the months and years ahead.”

Patrik Jackiewicz, Senior Partnerships Manager at Challengermode added: “We’re delighted to be working with Ubisoft to bring Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege grassroots esports initiative to life on Challengermode. Together with one of the most popular IPs in the world we are creating a bedrock ground for players looking to ascend to higher tiers of Ubisoft-endorsed tournaments, which aligns perfectly with Challengermode’s goal of making esports truly accessible for all. We look forward to working closely with Ubisoft on this series of weekly competitions and other collaborations in future.”

Players from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary can register now through Challengermode’s esports platform, and prepare to compete for in-game credits to purchase newest operators, uniforms, weapon skins, charms and more. These weekly competitions will give the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege esports hopefuls the chance to level up their skills by playing like the pros in a structured competitive experience – all on one centralized platform.

augmented-reality-and-artificial-intelligence-art-experience-company-cupixel-raises-$5m-led-by-joann-stores

Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence Art Experience Company Cupixel Raises $5M Led by JOANN Stores

 

Cupixel, an experience start-up that brings the joy of creating art to everyone, announces today that the company secured $5M in seed funding led by JOANN (NASDAQ: JOAN).

The Cupixel app harnesses state-of-the-art AR and AI technologies and pairs it with innovative content, premium art materials, interactive tools, and live or on-demand artist-led experiences, enabling people to easily create striking works of art. People who have never before made art can create spectacular paintings and drawings in limitless styles, with limitless subjects, choosing from an extensive gallery of images and fonts. Cupixel offers people a creative outlet and all the benefits that go with that—wellbeing, mindfulness, and joy. The Cupixel app is available on Google Play and the App Store for $12.99/month, and Cupixel offers a limited experience to users for free.

“JOANN is committed to bringing our customers the best tools and assortment available and has been investing in the latest craft technology over recent years,” said Rob Will, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer at JOANN. “We believe that Cupixel is at the cutting edge and is providing users of all skill levels with the unique and significant rewards that come from creating art.

Cupixel’s AR-powered smart tracing technology casts outlines—either from its gallery of images or of users’ own design—onto any surface for people to trace. Cupixel’s AI-powered photo to outline conversion technology allows users to upload their own photographs and convert them into image outlines that people can turn into art. And Cupixel’s text editor technology lets users design text-based artwork that can stand alone or be added to another piece of art, while its time-lapse tool captures the entire process so people can watch their art come to life and share it on social media.

“Cupixel offers daily live and on-demand art experiences that continually provides value for our users and their families —whether they are making greeting cards, uploading their own photos and drawing them, or more — everyone can produce their own masterpiece,” says Elad Katav, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Cupixel.

In addition to the AR app’s interactive tools, Cupixel offers physical art sets with all the premium materials users need to create art. The Cupixel Acrylic Art Set includes high-quality paints, brushes, and canvases for paintings, while the Greeting Card Set includes art supplies for creating personalized greeting cards, including premium blank card stock and envelopes, 12 dual-tipped markers, and a selection of greeting card covers.

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Openbox Gaming offers gateway to Asia

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New provider will deliver fresh content opportunitues to both operators and suppliers

Openbox Gaming, a fast-growing distributor of iGaming content across Asia and other markets, has been issued an IOM OGRA Software Supplier licence by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC).

Having secured the Software Supplier licence, one of the industry’s newest iGaming distributors with a unique USP will be in a position to supply a portfolio of online casino games from a variety of internal and external suppliers, to licensed B2B gaming partners and B2C operators.

Richard Hogg, CEO of Openbox Gaming, commented: “We are excited to be able to continue in our mission to deliver gaming content to regulated jurisdictions worldwide and see this as a major step in achieving those objectives. We selected the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission due to its established and proven reputation and its robust licensing process, which provides the ideal platform for our expansion into regulated markets.”

Tony Ure, Head of eGaming, Digital Isle of Man added: “It is a pleasure to welcome Openbox Gaming to the Island. Ensuring that the Island has a supportive ecosystem for gaming companies to operate their business, whilst maintaining our reputation as a highly regulated jurisdiction that prides itself on player protection is key to continuing the growth of this sector on the Isle of Man. I wish Openbox Gaming every success with their future ventures.”

ezugi-launches-royal-poker-and-strengthens-an-already-strong-poker-offering

Ezugi launches Royal Poker and strengthens an already strong poker offering

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The new game release from Ezugi moves the company into its next phase by adding unique features and several rules to the standard Poker game

Ezugi has today announced the release of Royal Poker. Since becoming part of the Evolution Group in 2018, Ezugi has moved into new geographical markets, and continues to build its reputation as a bold and agile provider.

Royal Poker is an exciting game played against the dealer using standard Poker rules for ranking and comparing hands. The game aims to beat the dealer’s five-card Poker hand by creating a stronger Poker combination. The game is hugely popular in Eastern and Central European markets, offering multiple opportunities during the game for players to make decisions such as: exchanging cards for a stronger hand, buying an additional 6th card, buying the dealer an extra card to help the dealer qualify, or taking out insurance for a strong hand.

The dealer needs a hand that contains at least an Ace+King combination to qualify. If a player has a strong hand, they can help the dealer qualify by buying an additional card. Players can even make a double Poker combination if the second combination contains at least one card that is not part of the first combination.

Royal Poker is streaming live from our state-of-the-art studio, run by highly trained and engaging dealers.

“While the roots of our new Royal Poker game have come from Eastern Europe, there’s no doubt that this Poker variant is becoming more and more popular across other parts of the world,” says Pang Goh, Business Development Director at Ezugi.

“Players are always on the lookout for something different, and with Royal Poker we wanted to adopt a live casino game based on poker hands, in which a player is playing against the house. This ramps the excitement around the game, encouraging players to experience a new spin on a classic variation. The choices that players must make during the game add an additional layer of complexity and challenge. These twists make the game such a joy to play, and we hope that players are going to appreciate the unique experience this game presents.”

medicalgorithmics-secures-fda-approval-for-deeprhytmai-technology

MEDICALGORITHMICS secures FDA approval for DeepRhytmAI technology

 

It is a cloud-based Artificial Intelligence algorithm that classifies ECG signals. Without excessive human involvement, DeepRhytmAI is able to recognize a wide range of arrhythmia disorders for a more quick and accurate patient diagnosis. DeepRhytmAI is designed for use with the Company’s devices but can be integrated with solutions of other providers, as well.

Based on the Company’s data, once DeepRhytmAI is integrated with the next generation of PocketECG system (under development) it could cut down the work needed to classify ECG signal by about 50%.

“Our technology which we use to diagnose arrhythmias based on analysis of ECG signal data collected through our PocketECG device has so far been recognized as providing the highest arrhythmia detection rate. The cloud-based artificial intelligence algorithm DeepRhytmAI, allows us to take advantage of our proprietary technology to create an even better tool for both doctors and patients. In terms of technology our goal continues to be a new ecosystem that will integrate devices and software. The new platform called NextGen will provide patients and doctors with cloud solutions, new devices, technology and algorithmics that will enable faster and cheaper ways for patient diagnosis,” says Maciej Gamrot, Board Member and CFO, Medicalgorithmics S.A.

“Currently, technicians still need to be heavily involved in the key parts of the analysis process and that lengthens the analysis and increases its cost. However, thanks to DeepRhytmAI technology we will be able to automate an even greater part of the ECG analysis process to make it quicker. Perhaps it will not eliminate the human factor entirely from the ECG data analysis, but will significantly reduce human involvement and that certainly pleases our customers and business partners, and ultimately leads to better and faster patient diagnosis,” says Jaroslaw Jerzakowski, Board Member, Medicalgorithmics S.A.

DeepRhytmAI will be accessible to business partners who use its devices together with the next generation PocketECG system not earlier than in the second half of 2023.

Medicalgorithmics operates in the industry of advanced telemetry for medicine. The Group provides solutions for cardiac diagnostics, especially in the area of ECG signal analysis. Its services are available in several countries and continents of the world, including North AmericaAsiaEurope and Australia.

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Veloce breaks half a million monthly views

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Veloce, the UK-based next-gen sports ecosystem, has recorded over half a billion views across its YouTube channels in one month for the first time. The landmark continues the growth of the Veloce’s fanbase that can watch and support their favourite gamers and drivers as they compete around the world within one ecosystem.

  • In four years, monthly viewers have grown from 27,000 to 500m
  • In the last year alone, monthly viewing has grown 150% from 200m to 500m
  • Veloce’s new TikTok channel alone has 140m monthly views
  • 35m subscribers across Veloce channels on YouTube

Rupert Svendsen-Cook, CEO of Veloce Group, said: “To hit half a billion monthly views in under four years is special. With other channels like TikTok we are going over 640 million a month. That just shows you the appeal Veloce has but also the growth of Esports and other future focussed sports.

“We are talking about a huge, young audience, engaging with sports, both physical and digital, in a new and different way. We think it is the future of how fans will consume sports in the future, around the world. We are going to keep building that ecosystem for our fans and giving them the great content they want.”

Veloce, based in a studio in West London, have grown from their founding in 2018 as an Esports team with three employees to one of the fastest-growing modern media and sports rights holders in the UK with over 40 employees and teams competing at the cutting edge of the future of sports.

Veloce Group’s teams compete in future focussed sports, both physical and digital, championing sustainability and gender diversity. In motorsports, Veloce compete in Extreme-E – attracting partners like E.ON – and won the W Series last season with Jamie Chadwick.

In Esports, Veloce operates over 10 teams, both under the Veloce umbrella itself and across partner and joint venture operations, including Mercedes F1, McLaren, Quadrant (with F1 driver Lando Norris) and Yas Heat. Further, Veloce has over 60+ gamers competing across titles such as Official F1 Game, Forza, GT Sport, DiRT Rally and Project Cars.

merkle-science-announces-extension-of-series-a-to-over-$24-million

Merkle Science Announces Extension of Series A to Over $24 Million

 

Merkle Science, the predictive crypto risk and intelligence platform, announced an extension of more than $19 million to its Series A funding round, bringing the total raised to over $24 million. BECO Capital, Susquehanna affiliate (Darrow Holdings), and K3 Ventures co-led the extension, with participation from new investors including Republic Crypto, Summer Capital, 500 StartUps APAC and US, Aspen Digital, HashKey Capital, and Coinhako. They were joined by existing investors Kraken Ventures, Digital Currency Group (DCG), Kenetic, Uncorrelated Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, Lucy Gazmararian of Token Bay Capital, and Libertus Capital.

Several key market vectors have converged to drive exponential global demand for the company’s solutions. These include the rapid adoption of blockchain technology across the financial services industry, including on the part of many large institutions; the escalating impact and cost of hacks and exploits, such as the Nomad and the Ronin Bridge exploits; and increased regulatory scrutiny, such as NYDFS’s Virtual Currency Guidance, FINCEN’s Advisory on Illicit Activity Involving Convertible Virtual Currency and the sanctioning of Tornado cash and Blender.io by the US treasury. These developments, together with the government’s enforcement-first approach and enormous penalties recently issued to companies such as Robinhood and BlockFi, have made clear the need for stronger and more widespread compliance, risk management, and forensics solutions in the space.

“We’ve seen over 300% growth over the past year, despite the onset of a severe bear market in crypto and throughout the broader global economy,” said Merkle Science Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Mriganka Pattnaik. “Web3 companies, financial institutions, and regulators are continuing to invest heavily in crypto compliance and forensics. Recent high-profile events in the space, including the failure of large companies and massive hacks, are a clear indicator of the need for much more robust risk management, forensics and compliance for digital assets.”

Merkle Science meets this need by providing next-generation crypto threat detection, risk mitigation, investigations, and compliance solutions to financial institutions, crypto businesses, DeFi participants, NFT platforms, and government agencies. Its platform provides cross-chain analytics that allows compliance teams and investigators to conduct analysis seamlessly across multiple blockchains. Merkle Science’s solution suite screens over 3 million digital assets per month and covers cryptocurrencies representing 96% of the current $1.13 trillion crypto market cap. It uses machine-learning to drive transaction monitoring and risk mitigation for AML compliance, offers a crypto forensics tool that tracks stolen funds and enables investigations, enhanced due diligence and entity reporting, and crypto compliance and investigations training.

The new investments will accelerate the company’s global growth and will be used for expansion across the U.S. and Europe, as well as for R&D in emerging segments such as analytics and forensics across NFTs, DeFi, and cryptocurrency bridge protocols.

Dean Carlson, Head of Digital Asset Investments at Susquehanna and Merkle Science Board Member, said “Merkle Science’s cutting-edge solutions provide unmatched security, ease of use, and transparency and give compliance officers and investigators from financial institutions the confidence to understand and deal with risks associated with DeFi liquidity pools, bridge protocols, and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. Their unique risk mitigation goes beyond blacklists by combining a unique machine-learning approach for attribution and highly customizable behavior-based rules which helps uncover a large amount of risks that were previously undetected. We are thrilled to continue supporting Merkle Science as they grow to become the leading challenger and innovator in the predictive crypto risk and intelligence platform.”

Dany Farha, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at BECO Capital, added: “The blockchain industry and its regulatory landscape is maturing rapidly across the world. We’re seeing a lot of activity in the UAE, where a large number of businesses are relocating to our jurisdiction to benefit from the robust digital assets regulatory regime and ecosystem. Crypto risk mitigation and intelligence solutions form a critical component of this ecosystem. When we evaluated the space, Merkle Science’s focus on predictive transaction monitoring, cross-chain analytics and DeFi analytics clearly demonstrated that they have the vision to become a global market leader. We are delighted to support them as they build the next generation of Web3 risk management and forensics solutions.”

Meng Xiong Kuok, Founder and Managing Partner at K3 Venturessaid: “Merkle Science is expanding the definition of blockchain analysis. The company takes a unique approach to new and increasingly complex challenges, such as the growing number of crypto bridge exploits, de-risking DeFi and empowering their customers to prevent increasingly sophisticated and previously undetectable crypto crime. We are excited to support their journey to the peak of the blockchain analytics industry.”

To support its ambitious goals, Merkle Science recently augmented its leadership team, which features talent from Paypal, Luno, Bank of America, the FBI, and the DOJ, with new Chief Revenue Officer Fernando Castellanos – a veteran New York-based sales leader and former Forter VP experienced in scaling high growth organizations.

startmeuphk-festival-2022:-a-week-long-showcase-of-hong-kong’s-dynamic-and-thriving-startup-ecosystem

StartmeupHK Festival 2022: A week-long showcase of Hong Kong’s dynamic and thriving startup ecosystem

 

The annual StartmeupHK Festival returns in a hybrid format on 5-10 September following last year’s success. Curated by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and guided by the theme A Future Unlimited, the 2022 Festival will explore the latest topics ranging from the metaverse, NFTs, gaming, HealthTech, PropTech to sustainability and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). As the leading startup event in Asia, last year’s Festival engaged 806 speakers and attracted some 39,000 attendees from 103 countries and regions, with more than 470 successful business matchings made.

Featuring seven main events and several diverse community events, the week-long festival will comprise keynotes from global business leaders, thought-provoking panel discussions with entrepreneurs, startup pitches, investor matching, competitions, exhibitions and job fairs, giving attendees a chance to exchange ideas, make new connections and define the future of startups.

“The StartmeupHK Festival 2022 will be more exciting than ever as we deep dive into trending topics on the latest tech advancements and innovations to make doing business easier, communication faster and lives better, engaging the minds of both young and experienced leaders from around the world,” says Charles Ng, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK. “Hong Kong continues to foster a thriving startup ecosystem which has remained strong despite unprecedented times. The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic helped to fast-track the city’s development into an international centre for innovation and technology. As the pandemic changes society’s habits, digitalisation has accelerated, resulting in numerous advancements in artificial intelligence technology, robotics, and healthcare.”

He continued, “Hong Kong has proven itself as a gateway to unlock limitless potential, where the city’s entrepreneurs have continued making technological breakthroughs and discovering award-winning innovations over the past two challenging years. With steadfast support from the Government, Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development will only continue to accelerate, establishing a world-class I&T powerhouse to be reckoned with. We look forward to welcoming new talent and creative minds into our resilient, ever-expanding ecosystem with the StartmeupHK Festival 2022, encouraging all attendees and stakeholders to make use of Hong Kong’s fantastic links to the GBA and beyond, whilst influencing all kinds of connections.”

Day 1 (5 Sep) – As the opening event of the Festival, the GBA Innovation Summit 2022 by TusPark will provide an invaluable glimpse at the vast potential of the GBA, e.g. the development in FinTech and green finance, its roadmap for automation and sustainability, and more. Business matching, startup pitching and virtual exhibitions will also enable innovators, governments and stakeholders to connect and share ideas. Held concurrently on Day 1, the hybrid 1.5°C Summit – The Defining Decade for Impact with Tech, hosted by Eureka Nova and New World Development, will focus on how technology can reduce climate change and build a more sustainable future. Topics to cover include net-zero electricity innovation, energy-saving technologies in green buildings, greener transport solutions and reimagining waste reduction.

Day 2 (6 Sep) – Hosted by Brinc, the Asia Healthcare Innovation Summit 2022 will bring together members of Asia’s expansive healthcare ecosystem to explore BioTech, HealthTech, MedTech, and blockchain adaptation. What’s more, the Asia Healthcare Innovation Pitch Competition will showcase startups with innovative life-science solutions addressing some of the latest issues in the sector.

Day 3 (7 Sep) – All worlds collide at Scaleup Impact Summit 2022 – Universe x Metaverse, a two-day event by WHub spanning across Day 2 and 3 of the Festival. Attendees may join either in person, virtually or via the metaverse, to hear from world-class speakers on web 3.0, industry 4.0, quantum computing, FoodTech, GameFi and other next-gen disruptions, bearing witness to exciting Scaleup Showcases as they pitch to investors, and perhaps even mint exclusive NFTs.

Day 4 (8 Sep) – A new addition to the Festival, Game On! 2022 is a 1.5-day event hosted by MaGESpire celebrating the essence of gaming, art, music, and entertainment (GAME) industries. Passionate gamers, artists, developers and investors will come together to explore the realms of DeFi, GameFi, NFT ecosystems, IP rights and other latest tech that is transforming the entertainment space. Also kick starting on Day 4 is Asia PropTech Beyond 2022 by Asia PropTech, a 1.5-day event which will be livestreamed from Hong Kong on 8 and 10 September, during which forward-thinking leaders, corporates and startups at the forefront of the PropTech evolution will discuss issues such as immersive retail experiences, real estate in the metaverse, NanoTech in eco-friendly building, and ClimateTech.

Day 5 (9 Sep) – Hosted by KPMGThe Connected Cities Conference will showcase innovations for the next generation of city living. Global and regional speakers will showcase examples of different smart and connected cities around the world, and how IoT, AI, data analytics and other PropTech could enhance a city’s liveability, workability, and sustainability.

Day 6 (10 Sep) – Youth engagement is the predominant focus of the Festival’s final day of events. Asia PropTech Beyond 2022 will resume under the theme “PropTech for Youth” which places emphasis on its youth outreach programme. Meanwhile the accompanying community event Young Pioneers Forum will bring together more than 500 teenagers from 30+ countries and regions to innovate and act towards a more sustainable future through six youth-led programmes.

StartmeupHK Festival is also proud to present a selection of other community events. Our brand new Women Scale-Ups event (5 Sep) will highlight how local entrepreneurs and global businesswomen can succeed in Hong Kong and beyond. On the other hand, participants will also be introduced to the HK Tech 300 – Pitching Arena (6 Sep) by the City University of Hong Kong, a component of the school’s large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme which facilitates startups as they embark on their business journeys.

yahoo-finance-all-markets-summit-extra-asia-live-studies-the-paradigm-shift-brought-by-cryptocurrencies,-decentralized-finance-and-the-great-virtual-migration

Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit Extra Asia LIVE studies the paradigm shift brought by cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance and the great virtual migration

 

The Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit Extra Asia returns to Hong Kong! Since its event last year, the global economy has been on a rollercoaster ride as new technologies have shifted the way we interact, transact, and live in both real and virtual worlds.

Hosted on Wednesday 10 August, 2022 from 10am – 12pm Hong Kong time, this year’s Yahoo Finance! All Markets Summit Extra Asia 2022 brings together the pioneers, creators and industry forerunners from across Asia to further explore hot topics like digital assets, NFTs, Metaverse, Web3 and how these applications will shape on the economy of tomorrow.

The Paradigm Shift of the Future

Kicking off the event is John Tsang, former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR and founder of NGO Esperanza, who lays out a blueprint of Hong Kong’s future with blockchain technology. He foresees more start-ups and collaborations with international partners. In his talk, he also shines light on his Choi Yeah NFT, through which he hopes to not only spread joy to everyone in the city but also to raise the awareness of the digital future that’s currently unfolding.

“The government can implement innovative policies to encourage the growth of the private sector. This can really help make better use of the innovations that we have. Collaborations are essential for the connection with the world at large,” says Tsang.

Hong Kong excels in international business: we need to continue doing that even in the 21st century, with Web3 and the Metaverse.”

Following his Keynote Speech, Tsang joins Fred Ngan, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Bowtie insurance and Stephanie Leung, Director of Group Co-CIO & Head of StashAway HK to discuss how blockchain technology has democratized insurance, investment, and startups plus the implementations within.

Offering more detailed investment perspectives on cryptocurrency and NFTs are Kinetic’s Co-Founder & Managing Partner Jehan ChuEddie LauChief Executive Officer and Executive Director of ARTA TechFin as well as Alfian Sharifuddin, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, Managing Director & Head of Technology and Operations Hong Kong and Mainland China. They all agree that though cryptocurrency and the blockchain are revolutionary technologies, the industry still has a long way to go as traditional institutions – such as banks – explore such a volatile commodity and realize decentralized finance. They also shared their thoughts on DAO, tips on surviving the current bear market and NFTs’ profound function in protecting data privacy in the future.

Sébastien Borget, Co-Founder of digital company The Sandbox, reveals his insights on the metaverse’s skyrocketing influence in the way we live as well as its role in democratizing the playing field for creators who may not all have equal programming skills.

“If the whole society has accepted that it’s normal to interact, date, work, learn and earn on these virtual spaces, I feel like we will move into a true digital economy that will overcome the real-world economy,” says Borget. “We will no longer be constrained by the same restrictions of the traditional world. It will bring true inclusiveness and equality.”

In another Fireside Chat on the future of the blockchain, Sean Rach, Co-Founder of Hi – an app for trading both fiat and cryptocurrencies; Gavin Ho, CEO of Axion Global Digits and Brooks Entwistle SVP Global Customer Success and Managing Director for APAC and MENA for Ripple discuss blockchain’s boundless potential in making banking a universal privilege; a new-found mindset towards blockchain security and network risk management; plus the transition and balance between centralized and decentralized finance.

Trends to Watch amidst the Paradigm Shift towards a Virtual Economy

Trend 1 – Mass Adoption

From finance to insurance, gaming to NFTs, the adaptation of blockchain technologies and the metaverse have stripped away the risks and restrictions prevalent in traditional spaces.

Gavin Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Axion Global Digits, says, “The application of these technologies brings down the participation barrier. They take away some of the risks that are traditionally inherent in this space. We’re expecting mass adoption in the future.”

Trend 2 – Increased Regulation

As blockchain technology revolutionizes every aspect of our lives, governments worldwide are nudged to set standards so to create levelled playing fields for every involved party. The challenge, however, is to balance blockchain security and network risk management while ensuring the market remains competitive.

Brooks Entwistle, SVP Global Customer Success and Managing Director for APAC and MENA of Ripple, says, “Predictability is much better than an environment where we’re all trying to figure out where the line is ourselves. In the digital world of cryptocurrency, we’ve had downturns already, and we’ve learned a little more each time. I love the notion ‘the genie is out of the bottle’ because we aren’t going back. We’re getting a little better every time. This is an amazing time to build, but you must be very focused on what you’re after and limit your chase after bright shiny things.”

Trend 3 – Slow Migration

Albeit the swift acceleration and popularity of blockchain technology, all expert speakers agree that the future of digital will remain a hybrid one as traditional spheres decipher how to make the shift without hurting their bottom line.

John Tsang, former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR and founder of NGO Esperanza, says “The traditional to digital transition is a continuum. We are now in a hybrid form – more traditional than digital – but this shift will continue to benefit consumers because blockchain technology lowers the barrier and costs all the while democratizing the whole process of participation. I think the transition will be a gradual one that’ll take time at the beginning.”

Fred Ngan, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Bowtie, and Stephanie Leung, Director of Group Co-CIO & Head of StashAway HK, say education and transparency are paramount to advance to the next milestones.

“A lot of people think that a virtual business means that there’s no human touch, but in fact our representatives are on phones, live chats and emails always,” says Ngan, adding that transparency in the fine print and ample educational content are core brand pillars at Bowtie.

Eddie Lau, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of ARTA TechFin, agrees and urges companies to help Web 2 creators migrate to Web 3.

Trend 4 – Diversity in Security Models and Consensus

To make a decentralized blockchain realistic for regulated institutions like governments and banks, Kinetic’s Co-Founder & Managing Partner Jehan Chu says variations of security models have emerged such as the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and, within it, the Spartan Protocol. While financial institutions do not have the same freedom as other trading platforms, Alfian Sharifuddin, Managing Director & Head of Technology and Operations Hong Kong and Mainland China of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, says banks must be especially active in setting policies and reaching out to clients who are completely aware of the risk landscape.

“We have to take a slower speed than what’s out there in the wild – those guys can push the envelope out there,” says Sharifuddin. “The precautions are huge for a regulated entity like us; but that’s not to say we can’t allow small sandboxes and pilots to go on in a controlled environment.”

Trend 5 – Future of NFTS – Data

The ubiquity of NFTs in art, gaming and entertainment is undeniable. Yet, the future, says Kinetic’s Co-Founder & Managing Partner Jehan Chu, is in data, whereby browser-based cookies will be replaced by data NFTs that users can own and share at their discretion.

“We look for fundamental value and utility in NFTs. What’s more useful than to be able to establish user profile, preferences and privacy in the Web 3 space. It will revolutionize and rethink the way data structures had existed in Web 2 and into a more distributed, more transparent world.”