NFT Paris, France, February 23-24

The third edition of the NFT Paris event, which was happening at the very heart of France’s capital, the Grand Palais Éphémère, gathered the brightest minds and innovators from finance, gaming, art, fashion, sport, and media industries to highlight the importance of the digital assets era. This year, the conference welcomed over 18,000 visitors, establishing the status of the largest Web3 event in Europe.

NFT Paris has become a European beacon for the Web3 industry’s future, coinciding with over 100 exhibitors, featuring immersive installations, merging physical and digital worlds, and hosting a hackathon with top-tier developers from all over the globe. The event has become a pivotal platform for builders, investors, brands, and artists to collaborate and shape the development of digital assets and blockchain technology, proving the necessity of intersectionality in different fields for future technological advancements.

Between Evolution and Revolution: Web3’s Impact on Finance

Among the most discussed topics at the NFT Paris this year was the role of Web3 development in the process of reshaping the world’s financial sector. One of the most noticeable panels at the conference, dubbed “Revolution or Evolution? Web3’s Impact on Finance,” included Petrix Barbosa, the CEO of Match Chain, and Christopher Lyons, General Partner at a16z, among others. The focus of the discussion was the next frontier of digital transformation: what will be revolutionized next? Petrix Barbosa, who captivated the audience with his unique perspective on the topic, addressed this debate by naming the most anticipated industries for the expected digitalization: from social networks and gaming to e-commerce and sports. Barbosa highlighted the transformative potential of blockchain technology and underlined the potential of digital assets to create more open, inclusive, and efficient financial systems. Moreover, unlike the Web2 industry, which is controlled by the financial and business elite, Web3 development is aimed at empowering users and bringing data control back to people, which makes it a revolutionary innovation. 

Photo by Bernardo Pavão

Barbosa’s input to the NFT Paris innovative discourse underscores Match Chain’s commitment to leading the charge in the Web3 (r)evolution, demonstrating the company’s innovative approach to leveraging blockchain technology to solve real-world challenges in the financial sector.

Gathering Minds for Innovations

The conference featured a highly curated lineup of speakers from various sectors, including blockchain, gaming, social media, fashion, and art. The assembling of such diverse representatives and brightest minds of every industry shows the significance of intersectionality of all spheres in the contemporary world, who came together to discuss strategies to reach the mass adoption of Web3 technologies. Notable speakers, already native to the decentralized world,  included Sandeep Nailwal of Polygon, Stani Kulechov of Aave & Lens, Yat Siu of Animoca Brands, Devin Finzer of the Opensea, and many others. 

One of the most notable intersections at the NFT Paris this year was the convergence of art and technology through the first curated art release by Europe’s largest Web3 event. In collaboration with artist Pindar Van Arman, the event unveiled “Reflection,” a landmark collection of 999 on-chain 1/1 artworks priced at 0.33 ETH each. This collection represents a new direction in generative AI art, inviting participants to explore the innovative fusion of art and blockchain technology.

Paris would not be Paris if there were no representatives from leading brands, which highlights the inevitability of digitalization of our daily lives. The variety of different industries was represented by Pär Helgosson of Paris Saint-Germain, Agnès Vissoud of Louis Vuitton, Mia Van of Mastercard, Mario Didonato of Prada, Alexandre Matsuo of Amazon Web Service, and Nelly Mensah of LVMH, to name a few. 

This diverse representation of different industries and their interest in decentralized technologies marks the inevitable: Web3 is the only future for the Internet, and blockchain technology is at the core of this future. As MATCH CHAIN’s CEO Petrix Barbosa noted in his speech, by fostering an environment of trust, transparency, engagement, and respect, Web3 will open a new era of the internet where empowered users are at the center of the whole ecosystem.

Setting new horizons  

By fostering an environment of innovative approaches, the NFT Paris 2024 celebrated the current achievements within the Web3 space, and it also pawed the roads for future developments and technological milestones. With a strong culture of an open and inclusive forum for the exchange of ideas where the disruptive thoughts of industry leaders come from their experiences and expertise, the conference provided invaluable insights and inspiration for every attendee. Leaders like Petrix Barbosa, who share their unique insights and vision for the impact of Web3 space on global finance, embrace the innovative spirit of this event. As the digital asset era continues to disrupt the world, NFT Paris will remain at the forefront, championing the convergence of technology, art, and finance in shaping a new digital future for humanity.

Photo by Bernardo Pavão

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