Tag: Paris

Paris Hilton, a16z back IP ownership network Story Protocol

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The new blockchain-based IP ownership network Story Protocol closed a $54 million funding round on Sept. 7, which included investments from big names like Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, and Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z.  The platform uses blockchain technology to help content creators oversee and monetize their content in the face of fakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI). It plans to serve as a blockchain-based IP ownership repository for all types of content including text, image and audio. If artists eventually register with the protocol they can use connected…

French authorities investigate Worldcoin’s Paris HQ

France’s and Germany’s data regulators are jointly investigating Worldcoin’s data collection methods, specifically focusing on iris scans. France’s data protection regulatory authority, CNIL, has recently focused on Worldcoin. With a probe into the company’s Paris office this week, Worldcoin is the latest digital currency platform to find itself under stringent regulatory scrutiny in the European Union. First flagged by CNIL in July, Worldcoin’s data collection methods have been under the spotlight. Concerns revolve around whether the platform’s approach to gathering iris scans for digital IDs aligns with the EU’s General…

Reddit Engineer shares strategy behind NFT onboarding at EthCC Paris

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Mirela Spasova, a Reddit senior engineer on the Collectible Avatars project, took to the master stage at the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) event in Paris to shed light on Reddit’s strategy for onboarding millions of users to its blockchain-backed digital collectibles. In her presentation, Spasova said that the primary motivation behind running Collectible Avatars on-chain is to empower users with freedom of use. By adopting an on-chain approach, users gain the ability to make their own choices, including the option to resell the avatars on popular non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces like…

Optimism reigned at Paris Blockchain Week

Expectations for Paris Blockchain Week were relatively low considering the downbeat market conditions. However, Paris can always surprise you. Indeed, conference halls at the event were not nearly as empty or depressing as Consensus after the big crypto meltdown of 2018. People were present, and conversations were fruitful. (And yes, the croissants were, as always, delicious.) In 2022, the conference was held symbolically in Palais Brongniart, a building known for hosting the historical Paris Stock Exchange until 1987. This time, organizers managed to outsoar themselves and held the event right…

Keeping the faith in crypto amid TradFi crisis: Paris Blockchain Week 2023

Paris Blockchain Week 2023 (PBW) was buzzing with talk of innovation in blockchain technology and the future of the Web3 industry. However, the conference occurred amid a major banking crisis in the United States, which shuttered crypto-friendly Silicon Valley Bank (SBV) and continues to affect many others worldwide. While it was not the central theme of PBW; for many, it was a moment to emphasize the utility of decentralized finance (DeFi) when traditional finance fails.  Cointelegraph reporter Joe Hall was on the ground in Paris catching up with some of the leaders…

Paris Blockchain Week 2023: summit discussions and highlights

The fourth Paris Blockchain Week, held at the Carrousel du Louvre, covered web3 art, open finance, enterprise blockchain, public policy, and investing in web3, among others.  In addition, other events such as a hackathon, startup competition, investor events, and others took place. The 2023 PBW also featured over 400 speakers from some of the top players in the industry, such as Ledger, Algorand, Reddit, Amonica Brand, and more. Over 10,000 people attended the event this year, higher than the above 3,000 attendees last year. Let’s recap what has been discussed and…

Ethics of Web3 Discussed at Paris Blockchain Week

Web3 technology is becoming increasingly pervasive in mainstream industries, raising important questions about the ethics needed to operate in the space. During the second day of Paris Blockchain Week 2023, a panel of professionals from the Web3 ecosystem took to the Venus de Milo stage to discuss the “Ethics of Web3.” The panel was moderated by Moojan Ashghari, co-founder of Thousand Faces Web3 investment club. Ashghari opened the discussion by stating that the ethical framework or standard of technology will always lag behind the introduction of the technology. He emphasized…

Regulation still key for the evolution of CeFi: Paris Blockchain Week

Centralized finance (CeFi) will continue to be an important avenue to drive the adoption of decentralized finance (DeFi) services in the future, but regulatory considerations remain a significant part of the process. This was a key theme that emerged during a panel titled ‘How to Do CeFi Right – the Balance Between TradFi & DeFi?’ at Paris Blockchain Week. A handful of industry experts weighed in on the current state of CeFi and DeFi, their relationship and importance for the future of the space. Eric Turner, vice president of market…

Traditional banks rely on ‘tiny buffer’: Paris Blockchain Week 2023

The first day of Paris Blockchain Week (PBW) is bringing more thoughts on the ongoing crisis in the global banking system, with industry executives comparing the collapses of major cryptocurrency firms like FTX with the fall of banks like Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). On March 22, PBW hosted a panel discussion titled “FTX, Luna, Celsius, 3AC: From Hero to Zero,” bringing together industry executives from the blockchain venture firm Node Capital, crypto-friendly SIX Digital Exchange, Delta Growth Fund and crypto liquidity provider Woorton. The panel took place on PBW’s Mona…

EU MiCA crypto regulation is a ‘balancing act’: Paris Blockchain Week 2023

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Regulators and industry players highlighted a number of implications and potential impacts of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation at the Paris Blockchain Week 2023. A panel titled ‘MiCA: How is the EU Regulating Crypto?’ delved into the proposed MiCA regulation which is expected to take effect in 2024. The 400-page regulatory guideline for cryptocurrencies and digital assets has been a major talking point across the continent. Unpacking MiCA and its implications – a panel discussion featuring industry experts and regulators at Paris Blockchain Week 2023.  Gundars Ostrovskis…