Sayonara Singapore
Walking into Token2049 in Singapore felt less like a conference and more like a pilgrimage. Everyone who’s anyone in crypto was there. The Marina Bay Sands was buzzing with energy, five floors of people, events, and conversations. The vibe was electric. I’ve been to a lot of conferences, but this one stood out. It felt like a moment where crypto wasn’t just talking about the future, we were living it.
The big message that came through loud and clear was that prime time is now. For me, that was hammered home by the news about SWIFT partnering with Ethereum’s Layer 2, Lynéa. For years we’ve been told that the old world of banking and the new world of blockchain would never connect. And here it is, finally happening. It’s not perfect, there are still trade-offs with KYC, controls, and regulation, but it’s historic. This is the closest crypto has ever come to being truly mainstream.
One of the most awesome moments was sitting in on a fireside chat between Joe Lubin from ConsenSys and Neal Stephenson, the sci-fi author who basically inspired the metaverse with Snow Crash back in the 90s. Listening to them talk about crypto not just as money or assets, but as a civilization-shaping force, was inspiring. They spoke about independence for individuals, a world built on positive-sum interactions instead of zero-sum scarcity. That’s the kind of big-picture thinking that reminds me why I got into this space.
There was also a noticeable cultural split that I haven’t seen so clearly before. On one side, you still had the extractive energy, meme coins, shilling, short-term grabs, centralized exchanges chasing attention. But on the other side were the builders, the people here for the right reasons, genuinely creating long-term value. The private, invite-only conversations were where the real excitement was. That’s where I felt aligned with people on the same wavelength, building toward something bigger.
For me personally, it felt like confirmation that we’re in the right place at the right time with Rewarded TV. Media needs attestation, proof of what’s real, and a way to reward creators and communities fairly. That was the heartbeat of so many conversations, how to make this technology serve people rather than extract from them. I came away pumped up, inspired, and honestly grateful to be part of this.
Token2049 wasn’t just another conference. It was a pilgrimage, a historic moment, a reminder that the future is arriving faster than we think.
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