International Defi Conference Puts Future of Fintech in Focus

The second edition of the international Web3 Tales conference, organized by volunteers from the nonprofit association Alice in Blockchains, has concluded.

This year’s topic was dedicated to decentralized finance (DeFi). Around 400 attendees and 26 speakers and experts from around the world gathered in the heart of Zagreb, discussing topics such as blockchain, finance, security, tokenization, stablecoins, and CBDC (central bank digital currency), making these concepts more accessible to a broader audience.

“We deliberately and boldly chose the niche topic of decentralized finance, which is discussed too little in Croatia. Globally, there are only a few conferences fully focused on this area. This is our contribution to the community, as we wanted to bring the perspective of global experts to Zagreb. The conference is also unique because it is organized by a female volunteer team, of which we are very proud, as we are primarily a tech association dedicated to blockchain and fintech education and to including more women in this field,” said Magda Milas, one of the organizers and president of the association.

Speakers from Switzerland, Canada, the UAE, Austria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, England, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, and Croatia shared their knowledge and experience through interesting lectures and interactive workshops, as the conference once again featured two different stages. Amber Ghaddar, founder of DeFi company AllianceBlock and 200bnClub, was also scheduled to join the conference this year but was unable to leave Lebanon due to the ongoing conflict there.

Belma Gutlić, Vice President of Engineering at the Canadian blockchain company ChainSafe and head of the conference’s program, emphasized that we cannot talk about the future of Web3 or fintech without considering a global perspective. “I believe we managed to achieve diversity and attract a broader audience, so we want to commend everyone who participated today and those who are open to learning something new.”

In a relaxed atmosphere, unusual for the financial industry, discussions focused on opportunities, risks, and threats, with attendees having the chance to ask direct questions to the speakers during all presentations.

This year’s keynote speaker, Sanja Kon from Circle, pointed out that for mass adoption, blockchain must be integrated into everyday life and that within 5-10 years, people won’t even realize that blockchain is being used in the background – what matters is enabling the transfer of information.

Canadian Consensys, the company behind one of the most widely used virtual wallets in the world – Metamask, and the Infura product, was represented at the conference. Jacqueline Robinson concluded that the ultimate goal is for users not to notice the difference between traditional and decentralized finance. The global and transparent nature of blockchain has great application in countries like El Salvador, as presented by Anita Erker and Ana Lukner Roljić in an interesting lecture. Their decentralized NAKA payment cards address the issue of financial inclusion in Latin America, using blockchain as the primary technology.

It was also interesting to hear how traditional financial institutions such as Raiffeisen Bank International and Visa, as a global payment institution, are gradually introducing blockchain-based solutions.

Vid Hribar from the Austrian branch of RBI provided insights into blockchain from the perspective of a traditional bank, noting that although DeFi may seem like a threat, some banks recognize its advantages, such as lower costs and innovative financial products. RBI is focused on asset tokenization and the custody of crypto assets, with projections that the market could reach €16 trillion by 2030.

One articulated issue regarding DeFi’s potential is security, as explained by Emilie Raffo, founder of the global company ChainSecurity and one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 for the Swiss market, during a fireside chat moderated by journalist Dina Hrastović. She also noted that the company is expanding and hiring: “Web3 security offers countless business and career opportunities. With options for remote and pseudonymous work, this is a sector that won’t discriminate, as your technical skills and personal branding are key!”

The closing debate panel was particularly interesting to the audience, divided into two teams aiming to present their views on three different hypotheses, all within a set timeframe. On the traditional side of the debate, Linardo Martinčević, a representative of the Croatian National Bank (HNB), was excellent, while Swiss attorney Anne Grace Kleczewski dominated the DeFi side. The key and shared message of the debate panel was that the future lies in the coexistence of traditional and decentralized finance, combining the best of both worlds to create a more efficient and inclusive financial system.

“The second edition of the Web 3 Tales conference connected innovators and professionals from all over the world. I hope Web 3 Tales continues to contribute to the industry and community by providing a relevant platform for idea exchange and preparing for everything that lies ahead,” said Hanan Nanić, an Al Jazeera journalist and moderator of the debate panel.The conference was organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Finance, with support from the Embassy of Canada in Croatia and major assistance from global and local tech and payment companies such as Base58, Neuralab, Studio Size, Circle, A1 Hrvatska, Lost Hex, ChainSafe, Infobip, Woom, NAKA, BitGet, Go2Digital, Aircash, Monri, ASEE, Zg Holding, Blockchain Alliance Europe, and many others.

More information about the conference can be found at website.