Hong Kong, renowned as a global financial hub, offers unique advantages that make it a prime location for cryptocurrency ecosystems. As a gateway between the East and West, it provides unparalleled access to Asian markets while maintaining robust connections to the rest of the world. This locale is complemented by a world-class legal and regulatory framework (crucial for emerging technologies), a favorable tax regime (with low corporate taxes and no capital gains tax), and a culturally diverse talent pool (with the resources and capacity needed for innovation).
Given the aforementioned, and with Waffle Capital’s experience, network, and deep understanding of the local economic landscape, we sought it best to partner with Genius X and SIDAN Lab to establish a strong Cardano community here. Our third collective event and first Waffle Capital event to continue bootstrapping this community was the ‘Why Cardano?’ panel discussion on Wednesday, April 24th. Initiatives like this one not only leverage Hong Kong's financial and cultural prowess but also align with Waffle Capital’s commitment to positioning Cardano well at the city forefront of blockchain and financial innovation.
From this first event alone, we have identified a palpable hunger to learn among Hong Kong high net-worth individuals. This only underscores the need for education and raising awareness about how, where, and when to get involved effectively with the Cardano ecosystem.
Event Recap
The evening was filled with insightful discussions, networking, and a shared enthusiasm for the future of cryptocurrency and Cardano in Asia. It kicked off with a warm welcome from our moderator and DeFi analyst. He introduced the panelists: Waffle Capital CEO Youry Brauner; Kinson Cheung developer from SIDAN Lab; and Adrian Briones, growth strategist from Minswap Labs, setting the stage for a night of deep dives into the Cardano ecosystem.
From left to right: Kinson Cheung, Youry Brauner, Roshan Golani, Adrian Briones
The conversation covered several key topics. Youry addressed common misconceptions about Cardano, such as the 'ghost chain' narrative and perceptions of low transactions per second. Kinson discussed the challenges and benefits in developing on Cardano, particularly highlighting the enhancements in developer tooling and security. Adrian from Minswap Labs provided insights into the growth of decentralized finance on Cardano, emphasizing the organic expansion of dApps and the crucial role of community funding. The panel also explored the benefits of Cardano's proof-of-stake mechanism, its governance model, and scalability prospects, which are pivotal for attracting the next wave of users. From the engagement during the discussions, there seems to be an absence of the tribalism that is common on Crypto twitter. Instead, given Hong Kong’s background where 1 in every 7 is a millionaire, the interest followed a core theme of money-making opportunities via Cardano.
Conclusion
It was inspiring to bring together a room of passionate individuals (some representing crypto institutions), all eager to learn about and contribute to the Cardano ecosystem. This gathering marks just the beginning of our journey; we recommend that more people, especially those in Asia, take initiative and educate the relevant people in their area. As for the wider Cardano ecosystem, we are grateful for the funding from Catalyst and are optimistic about the treasury being further funneled into marketing and social development.
Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us. Your enthusiasm and participation are fundamental to our success. We look forward to hosting more events and fostering a thriving ecosystem together!
Catch the full panel discussion in the video below: