Day two of the Cardano Summit 2024 focused on adoption, infrastructure and education, with Cardano Foundation’s CTO, Giorgio Zinetti taking the stage. He provided an overview of Cardano’s technological roadmap. From the Byron phase to the age of Voltaire, he explained how each phase of Cardano informs the future direction of Cardano. Zinetti also discussed ongoing research topics, including quantum resistance, post-quantum enhancements, and computation/data availability segregation.

Giorgio's opening remarks were followed by a panel titled “From Concept to Reality: Charting the Course for Decentralised IDs.” The discussion emphasized how personal identity can be securely managed on blockchain. Jason Jian, CBO of CertiK, highlighted the impact of decentralized identity on the health sector, while Lance Byrd, Co-Founder of Verifiable Legal Entity Identifier, outlined its transformation of the supply chain, emphasizing the essential role of trust in every transaction.

On a panel moderated by CNBC’s May Ben Khadra, panelists discussed the future of blockchain sustainability. Alexis Pappas, CIO of GuildOne, highlighted the potential for carbon emission data to transition on-chain and be automatically mitigated. While Maher Al Kaabi, Advisor to Alserkal Group Chairman and Independent Board Member, highlighted that regulators need a deep understanding of the technology to avoid stifling innovation, with all panelists agreeing on the importance of global regulatory harmony for blockchain technology.

On a panel moderated by Cointelegraph’s Gareth Jenkinson, speakers affirmed how open-source drives blockchain progress through transparency and collective problem-solving. Christina Gianelloni, COO of Blink Labs, noted that open-source is a natural fit for blockchain, with community contributions pushing the industry forward. Yevheniia Broshevan, Co-Founder of Hacken, added that in such a young industry, open source is key to gaining essential knowledge.

Next, a Masterclass presented by UNDPEurasia and Switzerland4UNHCR described the many compelling ways blockchain could support development and refugees. Robin Hellman, Project Manager and Consultant of Stahlo/Disruptive Elements discussed the opportunities offered by the Cardano ecosystem to ensure transparent, SDG-compliant, and impact-driven distribution of funds.

The session, titled “Unlocking the Future: Transparent and Efficient Decentralized Treasury Management,” saw Henri Arslanian, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Nine Blocks Capital Management and CNBC Arabia Contributor, moderate a compelling discussion on transparent and efficient treasury management. On it, Amandeep, Growth Lead at DAOstar discussed sustainable governance models, explaining that decentralization must prioritize transparency and community involvement to ensure long-term success.

Edan Yago, CEO and Co-Founder of BitcoinOS, discussed the future of cross-border finance and announced the company’s work to extend the benefits of Bitcoin’s $1.3 trillion in capital to Cardano DeFi users without intermediaries. Edan stated, “We are thrilled to reach this milestone with near-trustless BTC in one of the most distributed blockchains in the industry.” He continued, “This collaboration has the potential to unlock new cross-chain capabilities and further strengthen Cardano’s interoperability, granting Cardano users, projects, and developers secure, trustless access to the Bitcoin ecosystem.”

Next, Omar Bawa, Co-founder and COO of Goodwall, announced Goodwall’s third Global Impact Challenge, in partnership with the Cardano Foundation and NMKR for the challenge Art Beyond Borders. This initiative showcases the work of 25 talented young artists from across the globe, offering them a platform to showcase their creativity while supporting meaningful causes, specifically the support of displaced people through an impact-staking partnership with UNHCR.

In the panel “Fueling the Disruptive Innovation of Web3 through Fundraising and Acceleration,” panelists discussed how strategic collaborations between established blockchain entities and forward-looking venture capital firms can drive sustainable growth in the Web3 space. Nikkil Joshi of EMURGO emphasized the need to build a comprehensive financial stack that includes a wide range of projects with a focus on real-world use cases. Saurish Basu of McKinsey & Co, added that the next major breakthrough will be the tokenization of intangibles.

Mathew Vaerwyck, Systems Engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, explained how AI and emerging technologies are transforming mission design. NASA uses AI to streamline space flight applications, reduce costs, and improve efficiency, while Cardano's blockchain enhances real-time part tracking. The goal is to integrate AI and blockchain to accelerate research and mission timelines.

In the final presentation, Cardano Foundation CEO Frederik Gregaard discussed how combining emerging technologies like AI and blockchain can help solve the world’s most complex problems. He emphasized that while the full potential of blockchain is still unknown, expanding our understanding of it will unlock new possibilities. Gregaard highlighted the importance of education in the blockchain space, noting that it fosters questions and ideas that will drive the ecosystem’s growth. By learning and collaborating, we can enable industries and society to thrive in ways once thought impossible.

Following the final day of the summit, The Cardano Foundation hosted a gala dinner where attendees, key contributors and fans of the Cardano ecosystem celebrated the final night of the Cardano Summit 2024. 

We had the pleasure of inviting key members of our network such as Intersect, EMURGO and Goodwall to announce the winners of the Cardano Summit Awards 2024 – the takehome winners were as follows:

• Best infrastructure platform: NMKR

• Best DAO tooling and governance: Minswap

• Best blockchain for good: Empowa

• Best innovation and standards: Anastasia Labs

• Best NFT and digital collectibles: Hosky

• Best developer and tooling: Aiken

• Best DEX: Minswap

• Best DeFi platform: FluidTokens

• Best SSPO: Vietnam Cardano Community

• Best ambassador: Ha Nguyen

• Best educational influencer: Cardano Whale

Finally, we announced the winners of the “Battle of the Builders,” the competition for early-stage Cardano startups who were given the opportunity to speak to industry experts and potential investors. After a tough competition, the panel of judges were able to narrow it down to four key startups – Landano, DeltaDefi, Althea Analytics and Socious with Landano taking home the first prize. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us both in-person in Dubai and virtually all over the world. An even bigger thank you to our sponsors and media partners who we couldn’t have made this possible without. We’re excited to share what we have in store for Cardano Foundation events in 2025 – stay tuned, we’ll see you soon!