Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone

I went to the Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit. Here’s what happened.

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January 20, 2020 – I consider it the first major blockchain conference this 2020 in the Philippines. Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit by Block Tides, Asia Token Fund, and Blockchain PR Asia at Conrad Manila. It was also my first time at Conrad and I marveled at the seaside view.

BitPinas and I promoted it on our social channels and I was surprised that even the day before the event, there were still inquiries. I counted and there were 47 of them. Apparently registration has already closed but the organizer said walk-ins are available. One highlight of the event – you won’t see a lot of empty seats. Different communities have brought along their members, including OKEx and Elastos. Schools like the University of Makati and Asia Pacific College also participated.

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone
A.k.a my favorite picture of the event

The event started just before 2 pm and kicked off with the hosts Mike Abundo and Myrtle Ramos (main organizer) actively involving the audience to try answering questions about blockchain and crypto (which of course have prizes if they answered correctly).

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone

There were a number of speakers and panel discussions during the event. Emerson Fonseca of NEM PH and Paylance talked about the current fintech/crypto landscape, how Paylance and Orbit – 2 companies under 8Ventures Pte can help in buying cryptocurrency securely. WorldKYC talks about using offline and online private trusted keys and how to share with other merchants when they are cross-border. There was also a Women in Blockchain panel (I left just after this one started.) Winstant Pay also donated $100,000 worth of tokens to Taal victims.

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone

Isabel Laurel of Coinfemme and now PR Director for BTSE talked about the impacts of affiliate marketing for blockchain and crypto companies. She highlighted the role of micro-influencers and their importance to brands and companies. According to Isabel, brands trust micro-influencers because even if their reach is smaller, their audience is highly targeted, making them desirable to spread the brand or company’s messages. She also talked about the different affiliate systems of crypto exchanges and she summed it up with this:

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My favorite part is (when Cbucks raffled Php6,500 worth of tokens) the discussion about blockchain and crypto legal landscape by Atty. Edsel Tupaz (Gorriceta Law Firm), Atty. Mike David (CEZA), Herve Lacorne (WinstantPay), and Jay Demafeliz (Gamecorp). Atty. David touched upon the topic of how the government is trying to come up with regulations that will satisfy all parties involved. At the end of the day, he said, the government just wanted to protect its citizens. That’s why at least for them at CEZA, they came up with security measures and checks to ensure all their offshore crypto licensees are following the rules. A student from the University of Makati asked about how to ensure that everyone understands blockchain, particularly in a university setting. The panelist recommended involving everyone and that those who know must take the lead in spreading awareness.

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone

The event also posed an opportunity to meet many familiar faces again in the blockchain community. I’m not sure about the others but for me, I only see them during meetups, hackathons, and conferences. Being a writer, I consider myself a sector-over arching person as well in this industry. I don’t have any motive apart from making sure I recorded what is happening here, good or bad. I chanced upon Miko Ilas from Binance, Veronica Andrino from VibePh who is organizing a major event as well. Emerson, Julius, and Danrei and the folks at NEM PH, which by the way, were the first people to support what we are doing here at BitPinas. Joy from BTSE informed me of their latest activities. Ms. Gail Macapagal from DynaQuest talked to me more about situp.ph, a new umbrella initiative for all things “emerging tech”. I briefly chatted with Tina Gallano from blockJuan and Tracy from Blockdevs Asia, which is organizing a major hackathon soon. I also finally met Carlos Tapang who shared with us what he sent to the Philippines SEC months ago and I appreciated the things he told me about what BitPinas is doing. I wished I talked more with the folks at the OKEx and Elastos communities but I had to leave.

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone
Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone
I left already at the time Mr. Alex Timbol of Elastos/Cyber Republic presented. This picture was taken by Michael Lance.

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for EveryonePhoto for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone

Photo for the Article - Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone
Photo by Michael Lance

Overall, the event is a success because it offered something for everyone. Some speakers were not present at the event but I’m sure the rest got everything covered. Conrad Manila is too far for me though but I got distracted and spent around 10 minutes looking at Manila Bay before I entered the conference room and just before I left. It was magnificent.

This article is published on BitPinas: [Recap] Blockchain 2020 Kick-Off Summit Has Something for Everyone


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4 Comments

  1. It was a success. There were plenty of students and the raffle prizes surely made them happy, I bet.
    Hope to see you again and appreciate your mention on Affiliate Marketing being fundamental for community building and brand awareness. Next time ulit and more power!

  2. It was a success. There were plenty of students and the raffle prizes surely made them happy, I bet.
    Hope to see you again and appreciate your mention on Affiliate Marketing being fundamental for community building and brand awareness. Next time ulit and more power!

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