PANDA LAW reposted this
Pranay Agrawala and I attended recently attended the India Blockchain Summit 2024 at Delhi, organized by MeitY Startup Hub at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium. The event brought us face to face with the raw ambition latent in Digital India, and the rough edges of an emerging #web3 industry. There were approximately 1500 attendees at one time or another. The event was in two parts, the stage inside- hosting panel discussions, presentations and awards, and the kiosks outside, where conversations flowed. The discussion on ‘Trusting the trustless technology' was particularly interesting, as Mr. Dilip Chenoy from Bharat Web3 Association and the panelist explored the paradoxes of the web3 industry as it stands today. Outside the stadium, some promised to change the world, others focused on practical solutions, and a few left their intentions a bit… vague. Yet, each project brought a unique perspective on blockchain’s future. We connected with teams from Kalp Studio, AltVision Technologies, TRST01™-01, Qila.io, Anuvadini AI, amongst many more. Clearly a lot of diversity in the industry, some superb work being done. Unlike other overly optimistic web3 gatherings, this summit focused on hands-on engagement with the present. Maybe because of the absence of entry fee. Open source deserves free entry, as far as I’m concerned. When we spoke to the teams in attendance, we found them grappling with the complex, messy reality that is a web3 businesses. A sampling of our conversations: -How can one plan their business differently for issuing tokens versus one that helps others issue tokens? -Are #BaaS businesses any different from #SaaS business? Hype, marketing mystique? Is there a ‘there’ there? -Web3 & privacy, all hail the DPDP? -What's the complete addressable market of RWAs? Winner-takes-all or distributed outcome? Finternet? -Whats the difference between #DPI and #DPG? -Do we need tokens to solve the deep fake/misinformation problem? -Is there still value in private chains over public ones? Is this like the Intranet vs internet? -Can blockchain solve AI problems, and can AI solve blockchain problems? Technologies in silos = bad? -How does one run a compliant business that tokenizes batches of diamonds versus one that tokenizes carbon credits? Different carbons, different rules? -Corporate structuring versus product structuring. What's that about? -How many geographies do you need to spread yourself in if you want a global footprint with a global user base? Can you do it from only one country? -Which jurisdictions are the best for what activities, and what is the real cost of regulation or non-compliance? -Do you have to pay 1% TDS withholding if you are transferring derivative contracts and not the #VDA itself? It was discussion rich. Here's to more such discussions and actioning them.