5200 people from around the world gathered in one place to talk about the future of cryptocurrencies. Over 200 speakers, dozens of panel discussions, events late into the night, and an atmosphere as if the entire crypto industry met in one place. This is Binance Blockchain Week – the largest annual event in the blockchain industry, which took place in Dubai.
What is Binance Blockchain Week?
This is the flagship conference organized by #Binance – the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. #BBW (as participants call it) is not an ordinary conference. It is a place where the most important partnerships in the industry are decided, key projects are announced, and where everyone who has a real impact on the development of #Web3 meets.
The event was held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai – a huge hall where concerts and sports events are usually organized. For two days (October 30-31, 2024), the arena transformed into the epicenter of blockchain innovation.
'Momentum' – the main theme of 2024
Each edition of BBW has its main theme. In 2024, it was 'Momentum' – acceleration. Why this theme?
Because the crypto industry has gone through hell and back over the past few years. The #FTX crash, bear market, regulations, media skepticism. And despite that – it continues to grow. #Bitcoin ETF approved in the USA, major institutions entering crypto, real asset tokenization, AI entering blockchain.
Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, in his keynote spoke about this: 'Momentum drives our industry, not only helping us overcome challenges but also leading us to greater achievements.'
Who appeared on stage?
This was not a conference full of anonymous speakers. At BBW, people who are actually shaping the industry appeared:
Richard Teng – CEO of Binance, who took over after Changpeng Zhao (CZ)
Lily Liu – from Solana Foundation, speaking about the future of fast blockchains
Jeremy Allaire – CEO of Circle (the company behind $USDC), about the future of stablecoins
Raoul Pal – renowned macro investor and founder of Real Vision, about how crypto fits into the global economy
Tom Lee – analyst from Fundstrat, with price forecasts for Bitcoin
Vincent Chok – Chief Compliance Officer of Binance, on regulations and the future of legal compliance
And dozens of others – developers, venture capital investors, founders of the largest DeFi projects, blockchain security experts, regulators from various countries.
The most important moments and announcements
Day 1: Opening and strategic visions
The first day started with a speech by Richard Teng, who outlined Binance's vision for the coming years. He spoke about three key directions:
Regulations – Binance is working with regulators worldwide to be fully compliant with the law
Education – a billion people should have access to crypto, but first, they need to understand how it works
Infrastructure – building solid foundations for mass adoption
After the keynote, it was time for panel discussions. Topics?
Tokenization of real assets (RWA) – how to put real estate, bonds, and stocks on the blockchain
DeFi 2.0 – what we learned from the mistakes of the first generation of DeFi
AI meets Web3 – how artificial intelligence is changing blockchain
The future of payments – will stablecoins replace traditional banks?
Day 2: Deep dive into technology
The second day was more technical. Less grand vision, more specifics.
Raoul Pal spoke about macro trends and his belief that crypto is at the perfect point in the cycle. Tom Lee presented his bull case for Bitcoin – a price of 150,000-200,000 USD by the end of 2025. Not much time left :)
There were also panels for developers – on scaling #Ethereum, on Layer 2 solutions, on cross-chain interoperability (how different blockchains can communicate with each other).
Lily Liu from #Solana talked about how their blockchain already handles millions of transactions daily and how blockchain technology can finally be as fast as traditional payment systems.
Side events – where networking happens
The official conference is one thing. But as anyone who has been to large industry events knows, the most happens outside the main stage.
BBW had dozens of side events:
Private dinners with venture capital investors
Networking parties in luxury hotels
Workshops for developers
Pitch sessions for new projects seeking funding
After-parties that went on until morning
This is where deals are made, new projects are born, and developers find their first funds to develop ideas.
#Dubai – the perfect place for crypto
Why is BBW taking place in Dubai? It's not a coincidence.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are betting on crypto. Dubai has a Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) – a regulatory body for cryptocurrencies. Binance has an official license there. It is one of the few countries in the world where crypto is fully legal, regulated, and supported by the government.
Dubai wants to be a global hub for Web3. They offer low taxes, clear regulations, infrastructure, and an ecosystem favorable to blockchain startups. Many cryptocurrency companies are relocating their headquarters there.
So when you're organizing the largest industry event – Dubai is the obvious choice.
What did we learn from BBW 2024?
If I had to summarize the main takeaways from two days:
1. The industry has matured
This is no longer the wild west of 2017. People talk about compliance, regulations, and security audits. This is good – it means the industry is growing.
2. Institutions are entering seriously
BlackRock, Fidelity, JPMorgan – the largest financial institutions in the world no longer ask 'if', but 'how fast'. Asset tokenization is not science fiction; it's the reality of 2024/2025.
3. AI + blockchain = the future
Artificial intelligence and blockchain are starting to work together. Decentralized AI models, blockchain as a verification of data authenticity, smart contracts managed by AI.
4. Regulations are not the enemy
The industry has stopped fighting regulations. Now it works with regulators. Clear rules are a good thing - they provide certainty and allow for mass adoption.
5. Education is key
Technology may be the best in the world, but if people don’t understand it – they won’t use it. That’s why Binance (and the whole industry) invests huge amounts of money in education.
Summary
If you want to know where crypto is heading – see what they say at BBW. If you want to be part of this future – you must be there. Because decisions made at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai impact the entire industry for the next year.
And if you can't attend – Binance publishes recordings of the main panels on YouTube. It won't replace being there in person, but at least you'll know what people who really influence what's happening in crypto are talking about.
And if you do not have an account on the Binance exchange you can create one here.
