The Blockwall Investor Summit 2024 brought together some of the sharpest minds from both inside and outside our industry for real conversations about where this space is headed.
Big themes? The future of digital assets, the role of venture capital in crypto, and how technologies like Zero Knowledge (ZK), Augmented Reality (AR) and AI—and their intersection with Web3—will reshape everything.
In this recap, you’ll find executive summaries of each panel, highlighting the most critical insights—along with links to the full discussions.
See the Teaser here.
1 | Welcome by Blockwall
Speaker:
Dominic Briggs | Blockwall
Executive Summary
In his opening speech, Dominic emphasizes Web3’s potential to reshape the internet by restoring digital ownership through transparency and decentralization. He highlighted how Web3 enables scalable financial systems, real-world asset tokenization, and new digital economies, reducing reliance on big tech.
Announcing the launch of Fund 3, he underscored Blockwall’s commitment to early-stage Web3 startups, integrating equity and token investments to back the next wave of digital innovation.
See the full Speech here.
2 | Venture Capital in Web3
Speaker:
Amos Meiri | Node.Capital
Mathijs van Esch | Maven 11
Ivan de Lastours | Bpi France
Executive Summary
Web3 venture capital is increasingly focused on infrastructure, real-world asset tokenization, and privacy, as the space matures beyond speculation.
Tokens dominate investment strategies due to their liquidity and ability to capture network value, challenging traditional equity models. The future lies in on-chain finance, AI-blockchain convergence, and eliminating intermediaries, with a growing push for self-sustaining decentralized ecosystems that reduce reliance on legacy financial systems.
See the full Panel here.
3 | How Will Web3 Shape the Future of Finance?
Speaker:
Ambre Soubiran | Kaiko
Valerio Cicco | Banca Sella
Michael Elalouf | Tranched
Executive Summary
Web3 is transforming finance by integrating crypto into traditional financial systems through regulated products like ETFs and on-chain asset tokenization.
While banks are cautiously adopting blockchain for custody, payments, and lending, the shift requires regulatory clarity and infrastructure improvements.
The biggest opportunity lies in automating financial processes with smart contracts, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding investment access—though institutional trust and compliance remain key challenges.
See the full Panel here.
4 | Why Privacy and Security Matter
Speaker:
Anthony Day | Midnight & IOHK
Kurt Hemecker | Mina Foundation
Dr. Jonas Groß | Digital Euro Association
Executive Summary
In a world where big tech profits from user data and AI-generated content blurs reality, privacy, and security will become urgent priorities.
Zero Knowledge proofs (ZK), fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), and privacy-enhancing technologies offer solutions by enabling verification without exposing sensitive data, reducing reliance on centralized data storage.
As AI and digital identity systems evolve, these technologies will be essential in preventing fraud, enabling secure financial transactions, and protecting personal and corporate data while ensuring compliance and selective transparency where needed.
See the full Panel here.
5 | Exploring the Future Web’s Interface
Speaker:
Jens Hilgers | BITKRAFT
Dr. Jürgen Sturm | ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Prinz | Fraunhofer FIT
Executive Summary
The evolution of the internet is reshaping how we interact with digital spaces, with metaverse, extended reality (XR), and gaming playing central roles.
While metaverse remains a concept rather than a single product, industries are integrating digital twins, AI-driven virtual environments, and blockchain-based ownership models to enhance experiences.
The next frontier lies in improved hardware (lightweight AR/VR wearables), AI-generated virtual worlds, and scalable compute power, making immersive digital interactions seamless and ubiquitous.
See the full Panel here.
6 | Is Crypto the Future of Payments?
Speaker:
Adeoye ‘Oye’ Ojo | Busha
Axel Cateland | Kulipa
Alex Nwaka | Validation Cloud
Executive Summary
Crypto is rapidly transforming payments, especially in emerging markets, where stablecoins offer an alternative to volatile local currencies and inefficient banking systems.
Traditional financial institutions are cautiously integrating crypto, and major players like Mastercard and Stripe are making strategic moves, signaling a shift toward adoption.
The key drivers for crypto payments are lower costs, faster cross-border transactions, and financial inclusion, but interoperability, regulatory clarity, and user-friendly integrations will determine the pace of mainstream adoption.
See the full Panel here.
7 | The On-Chain Financial Revolution
Speaker:
Mike Silagadze | EtherFi
Executive Summary
On-chain finance is set to disrupt traditional financial systems by offering lower costs, increased efficiency, and greater transparency, with liquid staking and re-staking unlocking new yield opportunities.
The long-term vision is fully programmable finance, where capital flows globally, intermediaries are minimized, and users gain greater control over assets.
See the full Fireside Chat here.
8 | Artificial Intelligence and How it Will Influence Our Digital Future
Speaker:
Sebastian Heinz | AI Hub Frankfurt
Executive Summary
AI is at a critical juncture—despite massive hype, its measurable economic impact remains unclear, with 2025 expected to be a decisive year.
Key near-term innovations include AI-driven automation, software engineering breakthroughs, and advancements in scientific discovery, though concerns about control and job displacement persist.
Long-term, the biggest question is who will own and govern AI, with Europe facing the challenge of breaking free from U.S. tech dominance.
See the full presentation here.
9 | The Intersection of AI and Web3
Speaker:
Illia Polosukhin | NEAR Protocol
Executive Summary
The combination of AI and Web3 has the potential to redefine digital ownership, monetization, and trust, shifting power away from big tech toward user-owned AI models.
NEAR Protocol is pioneering decentralized AI by enabling open-source AI models with built-in monetization, ensuring privacy, transparency, and fair compensation for contributors.
The future vision sees AI agents replacing traditional middlemen, conducting direct commerce and contracts via blockchain, creating a more open, efficient, and user-driven digital economy.
See the full Fireside Chat here.
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