Record-Breaking Token2049 Brings Crypto Industry to Singapore

The crypto industry converged on Singapore last month for the record-breaking 2024 edition of Token2049, with 20,000 attendees taking part in the main conference and over 800 side events.

Billed as the world’s largest Web3 and crypto conference, this year’s edition of Token2049 saw speakers from across the industry taking part in panel discussions and fireside chats, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko and noted whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Highlights of the event included a glimpse at the new Solana Seeker cryptophone and the launch of BitGo’s USDS stablecoin, together with appearances by Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez from Oracle Red Bull Racing, and Lando Norris from McLaren Racing.

In a press release shared with Decrypt, Token2049 co-founder Alex Fiskum said that, “the energy and collaboration we saw exceeded all expectations.” He added that, “The positive feedback has been overwhelming, and I’m truly grateful to our team, whose dedication made it all possible.”

In a talk, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin argued that, “We need to satisfy the needs of mainstream adoption, and we need to hold on to open source and decentralization values, at the same time.”

He advocated for the use of smart multisig wallets as a middle ground between decentralization and convenience, noting that it’s possible to create multisig wallets that only require one signer for small transactions, or that use zero-knowledge (ZK) wrappers linked to existing services like email.

“You can literally today make an Ethereum account which is a smart contract wallet from which you can only send transactions if you generate a proof that you control a particular email address,” Buterin said, adding that, “you can take Web2 trust anchors and pull them into the Web3 world.”

Edward Snowden took aim at the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, calling it  “well-coordinated effort by the old powers to gain control over Telegram by taking its founder Durov as frankly a hostage.” Snowden added that, “You have to design your app so that there will never be a head that the state can point a gun at, or they will do it.”

Rapper Iggy Azalea dove into her foray into meme coins with her MOTHER token, explaining that meme coins can, “become a bigger brand or persona that somebody can identify with.”

Memes are “so much more” than the funny pictures that have come to be associated with meme coins, she added. “A meme is a unit of culture—that could be language, that could be playing hopscotch, that could be a catchy song.”

She argued that, “If you’re thinking about starting a meme coin project, I think that it would be really beneficial to you to look to a broader definition of what a meme is, what memetics are, and how you can incorporate that in your token.”

Following the event, attendees celebrated at After 2049, the official afterparty, hosted at the Marina Bay Sands’ SkyPark Observation Deck. With elevated views of the Formula 1 evening session, guests enjoyed performances from headlining DJs WhoMadeWho and Da Capo, elevated by Polygon Productions’ immersive 360° sound system.

Looking ahead to the next Token2049 event in Dubai, which takes place at the 5-star Madinat Jumeirah resort from 30 April to 1 May 2025, Fiskum said that, “We’re excited to build on this momentum and offer an even more immersive and engaging experience for the crypto community.”