5 Trends That Will Define The Conversation At Korea Blockchain Week 2025
In Brief
Korea Blockchain Week, Asia’s premier Web3 festival, returns to Seoul in September, bringing together experts, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts to promote crypto adoption and AI innovation.
Asia’s premiere Web3 festival Korea Blockchain Week returns to Seoul in September, where it’s expected to build on its legacy as one of the crypto industry’s most pivotal calendar events. This year’s edition is highly anticipated as an occasion where “Washington meets Seoul”, and where “Crypto meets AI”, bringing together leading experts, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts from two nations simultaneously spearheading crypto’s mass adoption and driving innovation in artificial intelligence.
The intersection of crypto and AI is a forceful combination that promises to revolutionize finance with the creation of more intelligent, secure and highly automated economies, opening the door to new possibilities for personalized financial services and investment opportunities.
With numerous influential U.S. and Korean policy voices in full attendance, we could be about to see the beginnings of a unified regulatory framework that unlocks a new wave of decentralized innovation.
1: Washington Meets Seoul – Policy Takes the Spotlight
KBW 2025 will welcome dozens of political heavyweights onto one of the crypto industry’s most prominent stages, in one of the strongest signs yet of its growing acceptance by the world’s elite. One of the headline keynotes will be delivered by none other than Donald Trump Jr., co-founder of American Bitcoin and eldest son of the U.S. President, and one of the most influential voices behind America’s new pro-crypto policy.
He’ll be joined by Harry Jung, deputy director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets and Bo Hines, Executive Director of the White House Digital Assets Working Group, while on the Korean side we’ll hear from Do Geol Ahn, a member of South Korea’s National Assembly, who sits on the country’s Strategy and Finance Committee and Special Committee on Budget & Accounts. Also in attendance is Pakistan’s Minister of Crypto and Blockchain Bilal Bin Saqib, while from the blockchain industry, Maelstrom CIO Arthur Hayes and other thought leaders will provide their perspectives on the future of crypto policy.
The event will host some of the first high-level regulatory discussions that bridge East and West, giving rise to the prospect of a meeting of minds and, perhaps, even a unified, global framework for digital assets, which could help foster innovation and enhance market stability.
2: Title Sponsors Reflect a Broader Market
As always, dozens of leading Web3 brands have come together to ensure the success of this year’s event, and they highlight the growing diversity of blockchain applications and their impact on different industries. They also underscore South Korea’s rising prominence in crypto development and its status as a global hub for blockchain startups.
Donald Trump Jr.’s American Bitcoin leads the lineup of sponsors, and will use the opportunity to highlight its mission to expand the U.S.’s influence in the Bitcoin mining industry and accelerate the broader trend of institutional interest in digital assets.
Another key sponsor is Peaq, the Layer-1 blockchain that’s fueling the emerging machine economy through the growth of decentralized physical infrastructure networks, highlighting the potential of real-world machines and devices to operate autonomously and earn revenue on behalf of their owners. Meanwhile, the venture capital firm Hack VC will be on hand to shine the spotlight on innovative early-stage startups building AI on-chain.
Others include Gaia and Spacecoin, drawing attention to their decentralized solutions for AI agents and DePIN-powered satellite networks, while DogeOS will update us on the latest developments in the Dogecoin ecosystem. Finally, the L1 blockchain network Ton has just added its name to this year’s sponsor list, and should offer some intriguing insights into how the Telegram app is evolving through its embrace of digital assets.
3: AI @ Crypto on the Main Stage
South Korea has emerged as a hotbed of AI innovation in the last few years, with a huge segment of its population embracing AI solutions. Thanks to a culture that embraces adaptability and change, it has become the largest market for OpenAI outside of the U.S., while giving birth to innovative AI startups of its own, looking to advance automation in areas such as healthcare, finance and smart cities.
Many of the sessions at KBW 2025 will focus on the pivotal role of blockchain in decentralized AI and its potential to level the playing field for smaller innovators. Expect to see dozens of new foundational models revealed and numerous examples of how cutting-edge on-chain AI and decentralized intelligence is making its presence felt.
For instance, Michael Heinrich of 0G Labs will take to the stage to showcase his company’s decentralized operating system for on-chain AI and its efforts to make the technology more accessible by creating an economy where anyone can provide data and code or computing resources. Stable founder and CEO Joshua Harding will highlight the possibilities for AI’s integration with the stablecoin economy, while Sui ecosystem developer Yeongin Lee’s talk will demonstrate how no-code tools such as Sui Move AI can simplify smart contract creation to enable everyone to build decentralized applications.
4: Institutional Access and Capital Convergence
The convergence of capital from traditional finance and DeFi is another of the leading themes at KBW 2025, with lots of focus on stablecoin innovation and how financial institutions such as banks and hedge funds are leveraging blockchain technology.
Representatives from the TradFi world will be able to mix with some of the leading Web3-focused venture capitalists and regulators expected to be in attendance at KBW 2025, positioning Seoul as a key meeting point for the convergence of code, capital and compliance.
We’ll also be treated to a series of keynotes addressing the opportunities for TradFi in crypto, with speakers from Sui, Stable, Bybit, Animoca Brands, Dragonfly, BitGo and other prestigious speakers. Moreover, there will be numerous panel discussions involving industry leaders, centered on topics around enterprise adoption, CeDeFi and regulatory clarity, sharing ideas that can help to broaden the impact of these key trends.
5: Star Power, Media and Cultural Buzz
The sheer number of big names expected to be present at KBW 2025 speaks to the rising influence of the crypto industry and its increasing cultural relevance. In addition to the likes of Donald Trump Jr., Arthur Hayes and Bo Hines, other leading political personalities gracing the event include Caroline Pham, Acting Chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
She’ll be joined by crypto-native media voices such as the Hong Kong-based entrepreneur Yat Siu and ByBit founder and CEO Ben Zhou. The latter has become one of crypto’s poster childs after winning plaudits for his expert handling of the crisis that enveloped his company when it was hacked earlier this year. The episode has become a prominent example of crypto’s growing maturity and its increased resistance to scandals.
Adding to the star-studded lineup, we can expect to see leading personalities from the NBA world and from Hollywood, with the Taiwanese model and actor Mike Ho sharing his own thoughts on the impact of blockchain during a keynote speech.
The long list of big names in attendance at KBW 2025 will help to shine the spotlight on blockchain’s growing momentum. In addition to the wall-to-wall coverage from crypto publications like The Block, Hackernoon and Finbold, don’t be surprised to see mainstream media paying some attention too, boosting the industry’s visibility and accelerating its path towards mass adoption.
Seoul Takes Centerstage As Crypto’s New Capital
It’s easy to see why KBW 2025 has emerged as one of the most hotly anticipated events on this year’s crypto calendar. Such a momentous collision of influential voices in blockchain, AI and regulation holds the promise of concrete ideas and actions, resulting in more crypto-friendly regulation, greater investment and accelerated creativity.
The organizers promise that there’s much more to look forward to than what’s been revealed so far, so as the countdown to this year’s KBW begins, be sure to keep your ears to the ground and listen out for more signals coming from Seoul. The South Korean capital is about to emerge as the epicenter of cutting-edge blockchain innovation, hogging the limelight for six action-packed days of nonstop crypto buzz from September 22-28.
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About The Author
Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
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Victoria is a writer on a variety of technology topics including Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her extensive experience allows her to write insightful articles for the wider audience.
