Matt Haldane

1 month ago | scmp.com | Matt Haldane

The Hong Kong Web3 Festival opened on Monday against a backdrop of plunging global markets and a sharp downturn in cryptocurrency prices, while local officials and industry leaders expressed optimism about the industry’s future given the recent policy pivot in the US. The event, hosted by crypto exchange operator HashKey Group and blockchain research organisation Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, comes as newly imposed US tariffs have roiled stock and crypto markets.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Matt Haldane

A decade after launching the Ethereum blockchain, co-founder Gavin Wood is maintaining his vision for a Web3 beyond cryptocurrency and creating a truly decentralised internet alive through Polkadot.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Matt Haldane

The growing strength of stablecoins as a bridge between Web3 and traditional finance could give an edge to markets like Hong Kong, which has its currency pegged to the US dollar (USD), but the Asian financial hub still faces challenges in attracting major blockchain businesses. The Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US currency is seen as a unique advantage for the city, as the majority of stablecoin trading activity happens through cryptocurrencies backed by the US dollar.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Xinmei Shen |Matt Haldane

Hong Kong is gearing up to compete for “global liquidity” in the virtual asset industry, the city’s regulators said on Wednesday at Consensus, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency conferences, as the Asian financial centre sees some success attracting international business.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Matt Haldane

The arrival of one of the biggest Web3 industry events in Hong Kong is testing the city’s resolve in becoming a virtual asset hub, while the organisers look to expand their footprint in Asia. Consensus Hong Kong, a three-day cryptocurrency- and blockchain-focused event that kicks off on Tuesday, is leaning heavily into the city’s reputation as a traditional financial hub.