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Malta Blockchain Summit 2018
Held on 1-2 November, InterContinental Arena, St. Julian’s – Malta
The inaugural edition of the Malta Blockchain Summit has been a resounding
triumph. Held on the 1st to 2nd November, at the Intercontinental Hotel, St.
Julian’s – the Summit saw intense interest, from both local and global quarters,
with 8,500 attendees turning up for the event.
The success of the show means the Summit will likely move to a larger venue
better equipped to handle the scale of a growing Summit.
The Summit marked its entry as a key player on the island’s blockchain calendar,
with the official launch of Malta’s DLT regulation acts announced during the
Regulatory Conference. The three pieces of legislation moved swiftly through
parliament, with approval conferred in July and August, before officially coming
into effect on the first day of the Summit.
The new DLT regulation bills to mark Malta’s induction to a global hall of fame as
the Blockchain Island are: the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Bill, Innovative
Technology Arrangements and Services Bill, and the Virtual Financial Asset Bill.
The launch of the bills comes in tandem with relocation from major players in
the crypto sphere, such as Binance, OKEx and ZBX, and government promise to
make the aptly dubbed Blockchain Island a hub for blockchain excellence.
With notable denizens of the industry, such as cryptocurrency evangelist and
business guru, John McAfee, blockchain father and co-founder, W. Scott
Stornetta, Hanson Robotics creation, Sophia the humanoid robot, and the
Honourable Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, addressing riveted
audiences, the summit carried an aura of prestige and quality.
“I came to talk about the early work that we did, laying the foundations pre-
Bitcoin for the blockchain. It is a little frenzied and very crowded. I think they
succeeded a little too well in attracting people here.” said W. Scott Stornetta.
“I think it is an excellent summit. The quality of the attendees and the people
presenting is excellent, it is well organised. Eman Pulis, the Founder of the Malta
Blockchain Summit, is tremendous. But basically I came, so that I could talk,
which I did. I want to tell the world, as I see it.” said John McAfee.
A competitive Hackathon for developers was overseen by a panel of some of the
most influential movers and shakers in the industry. The judging table made
place for esteemed individuals such as Scott Stornetta, Charles Hoskinson, Ilya
Smagin, and Lucas Park.
Blockchain Charity Lottery took first place and a coveted prize of €25, 000, with
TPass and Tensegrity coming in at second and third place and winning €15,000
and €10,000 respectively.
A heated ICO Pitch lit up the stage on both days of the Summit, as 35 ICO’s
battled it out for invaluable mentorship from a line-up of savvy investors,
industry exposure and a share of the $100,000 prize. Startups Rise and AEToken
took first and second place on Day 1 and Tatau and GoMama grabbing the
crown on the second day of the Pitch.
A new government AI strategy was announced during a press conference held at
the Malta Blockchain Summit. The Junior Minister for Financial Services, Digital
Economy and Innovation, Hon. Silvio Schembri launched a task force which will
design a national strategy on AI and explore a citizenship test for robots –
placing Malta amongst the top 10 nations in the world to do so. Malta.ai will
work in collaboration with SingularityNet, the company behind Sophia, the
humanoid robot’s AI.
An elegant Halloween-themed awards night launched the two-day summit with a
slew of prizes being handed out to companies who have made their mark in the
industry – with winners being recognised for a plethora of achievements, from
ICO of the year to AI of the year.
The full list of winners included the ICO of the Year: ChiliZ; Affiliate of the Year:
ICObench; Lawfirm of the Year: Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates; CSR of the Year:
Binance; Careers program of the Year: DQR; Start-up of the Year: ICO Launch;
Mining initiative of the Year: Genesis; Investor of the Year: Exante; Crypto
Exchange of the year: OKEx; Media Agency of the year: Cointelegraph; Innovator
of the year: Revolut; IoT of the year: Greenspider; AI of the year; SingularityNET,
and Outstanding contribution to the Blockchain Island: Steve Tendon.
The Summit ended with a number of lavish dinners, a spectacular closing night
event and a grand evening tour of Malta’s fortified harbour during the Crypto
Cruise.
“I wish to thank everyone who attended the Malta Blockchain Summit for the
overwhelming feedback! This week the Blockchain community accepted me and
my team as part of the family. I look forward to contribute and help drive this
technology forward by doing what I love the most – events!” said Eman Pulis
commenting on the monumental success of the Malta Blockchain Summit.