Future Blockchain Summit builds on previous edition's success

The second annual edition of Smart Dubai's Future Blockchain Summit played host to the GCC region's largest gathering of blockchain experts and reinforced Dubai's position as a global hub of innovative technologies.
The event brought together technology visionaries, government bodies, the world's biggest brands and industry first-movers to push blockchain forward, championing the conversation beyond theoretical use-cases and into real-life opportunities.
In a global first, du brought a blockchain-powered society to life at the summit with the walk-through 'City of the Future' experience. The feature - enjoyed by thousands of show attendees - allowed visitors to earn and spend tokens while coming to grips with the true potential of the new technology, learning how it can impact every single aspect of our lives. The unique experience featured 'hubs' hosted by local businesses and government entities including Dubai Police, Dubai Culture, Be'eah, Careem, Evoteq and Takaful Emarat, all demonstrating how they will utilise the blockchain through real-life examples.
"We are building on the success of last year's inaugural Future Blockchain Summit. While the industry continues to grow at a phenomenal speed, it has also experienced volatility and market correction in the past year. Resultantly, it is vital to bring all key stakeholders in the blockchain ecosystem together year-on-year to cooperate, learn and grow real business relationships. We designed the summit with this in mind, as the world's foremost platform shaping the future of the industry. We look forward to seeing how the UAE, and all smart cities, will be impacted by the way this technology is implemented," said Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai.
The event also saw regional debuts from Phil Chen, the man responsible for the world's first native Blockchain phone, Exodus 1, and currently the decentralised chief officer at HTC.
Speaking from the summit about how blockchain can give people back control of their online data, Phil Chen said: "The Internet today is very centralised - it keeps track of everyone, with more predictive power and surveillance capabilities than ever before rested in the hands of handful of companies. In today's digital-age, anybody can have access to your email and use it to transfer, for instance, money. In order for such things to not happen, we need to own our digital identities."
- business@khaleejtimes.com