Consensus 2023 Wraps Up in Austin, Texas
Consensus 2023 offered its share of highlights, despite a tough past year for the crypto space
Summary: The world's largest crypto conference, CoinDesk's Consensus 2023, brought developers, investors, founders, policymakers, and other stakeholders from the crypto, blockchain, and Web3 ecosystem to Austin, Texas this past week. With thousands of attendees, the event featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and private workshops focused on finding solutions to the many challenges facing the industry.
Consensus 2023 by CoinDesk took place from April 26–28 in Austin, Texas, bringing together developers, investors, founders, brands, policymakers, and other stakeholders from across the crypto, blockchain, and Web3 ecosystem. Here we discuss Consensus and its history, details of this year's event, and what Consensus 2023 says about the current state of the crypto space.
(Click to Shop Your Next Favorite Artwork!)
What is Consensus?
As the largest and longest-running crypto conference in the world, Consensus has offered a yearly meeting for influential figures and companies from across the blockchain space since 2015. According to CoinDesk, “Consensus brings the freewheeling, innovative community together to confront its differences, grapple with its challenges, and find agreement on how to best seize the opportunities this technology presents.” In years past, Consensus has served as not only a gathering event for the crypto community, but also an ideal opportunity for product launches, company updates, and the release of major news and developments.
The History of Consensus
Consensus has evolved over time from a small affair into one of the highest-profile events for the crypto and Web3 communities. The conference is organized by leading crypto and blockchain media company CoinDesk, and supported by a long list of industry sponsors. Past Consensus conferences have proven notable for a variety of memorable moments. For example, in 2020, though Consensus was held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference took place during the Bitcoin halving event of that year, which officially occurred in the middle of a panel discussion.
Consensus 2023
Consensus 2023 brought together many thousands of attendees, including but not limited to developers, investors, founders, brands, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the crypto and Web3 worlds. This year’s event featured keynote speeches and panel discussions from a wide range of industry leaders, including Daniel Alegre, Jeremy Allaire, and Caitlin Long, along with legislators such as Patrick McHenry and Cynthia Lummis, as well as other notable figures like William Shatner and Edward Snowden.
As always, the conference covered a wide range of topics, from the future of U.S. crypto policy and to artificial intelligence to crypto derivatives to Web3 gaming. And Consensus 2023 wrapped up with a “Lawmaker Town Hall,” featuring both McHenry and Lummis.
More About This Year’s Event
Overall, Consensus 2023 unfolded smoothly, with many praising the event online for its informative and engaging content, along with its networking opportunities. As it has each year, the conference provided a platform for industry visionaries to share their views on the current state of the crypto and Web3 ecosystem, as well as to discuss the challenges and opportunities presently facing the industry.
One main topic at this year's event was how the traditional-finance world should regard its relationship with crypto moving forward. And the fact that major figures from the world of traditional finance, regulation, and policymaking attended and presented at the event remains a positive sign that the industry continues to gain greater mainstream acceptance and legitimacy.
As for other specific highlights of Consensus 2023: PayPal announced that, beginning in May, it will enable on-chain transfers from Venmo accounts; Polygon revealed a new partnership with Google Cloud; and William Shatner officially released his own NFT collection, Infinite Connections.
Consensus 2023 and Solana
In addition to buzz about the upcoming public release of the Solana Saga smartphone, plenty of NFT-driven panel discussions, and some Solana-specific presentations, Mastercard also announced its cross-border Crypto Credential service at the event, which will work to ensure that its transactions will be verifiable and compliant across different countries. In addition, Mastercard further divulged that it is currently working with blockchain platforms, including Solana and Polygon, to use the service for NFT transactions—which landed as major news for Solana and its already-robust NFT ecosystem.
What This Year’s Event Says About the Crypto Space
Because this past year has proven a particularly tough one for the crypto space—from the wider market downturn to the collapse of FTX—this year’s event showed the ongoing resilience of the industry and a continuing belief in its larger potential from some of its most influential figures.
Consensus 2023 offered an indication that the crypto ecosystem is alive and well, despite the challenges that it has faced over the past year. And the event provided a platform for industry leaders to share their views on the opportunities ahead for the space as well.
Additional Recommended Content
Conclusion
Consensus 2023 by CoinDesk ultimately proved a successful event that brought together thousands from the crypto and Web3 worlds to discuss the current state of the industry, its challenges, and its future. It was a particularly important event given the challenges that the industry has faced over the past year, including regulatory crackdowns and price volatility. However, the event demonstrated that the industry remains optimistic—and that it continues to attract investment, innovation, and interest from stakeholders across the globe.
The event also provided an opportunity for the community to engage with policymakers, regulators, and mainstream business leaders, and to demonstrate the potential of blockchain technology to transform industries and societies. On the whole, Consensus 2023 showcased the continued strength and vibrancy of the crypto and Web3 ecosystems, despite it all, and provided plenty of valuable insights into the future of this rapidly-evolving industry.
If you have any questions or perhaps would like to contribute to our blog, please use the form on this website’s contact us page. Be sure to also check out our YouTube channel for sensational content covering all the latest happenings in the cryptocurrency world. If you are interested in growing revenue by joining an incredible affiliate network, make sure to visit our affiliate relations page to learn more about partnering with us!
Legal Disclaimer : The information provided on this crypto website is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. This website does not provide investment, legal, or tax advice, and the content provided is not intended to be relied upon for making financial decisions. Any investment decisions made by the reader based on the content of this website are solely their responsibility. This website does not endorse or recommend any particular investment, product, or service. The reader should always do their own research and seek professional advice before making any investment decisions. This website will not be held responsible for any losses incurred by the reader.
Conclusion: Consensus 2023 by CoinDesk has wrapped up, bringing together thousands from across the crypto, blockchain, and Web3 ecosystem. The yearly event provides a platform for industry leaders to share their views on the current state of the crypto space, while discussing its current challenges, as well as its future. Consensus 2023 proved yet another key rallying moment for the crypto space and demonstrated the industry's ongoing resilience. As always, feel free to share your thoughts on Consensus 2023, Solana, and other trending cryptotopics in the comments section!
(Amazon Affiliate Link)
Consensus 2023 offered an indication that the crypto ecosystem is alive and well, despite the challenges that it has faced over the past year. And the event provided a platform for industry leaders to share their views on the opportunities ahead for the space as well.