Block Kong

21 Entrepreneurs and Financiers Leading Blockchain in Hong Kong

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the builders and the visionaries. Hong Kong has emerged as a global player in blockchain and the digital-assets economy. It is uniquely positioned between China--a massive font of innovation in this space--and the West, with close connections to Southeast Asia and beyond. But it takes more than geography and a financial industry to become a crypto leader. Behind this story are the entrepreneurs dedicated to reinventing rules and building the infrastructure of Internet 3.0. But how to capture their stories? How to introduce these people to an audience who may not be aware, or interested, in the complexities of blockchain? The answer was simple. What is Hong Kong known for? Dim sum! And what better way to speak with this great city’s blockchain talent than over a convivial breakfast? Thus was born the idea of Block Kong, as a series of conversations about our city’s blockchain ecosystem over breakfast, with the guest choosing the venue and me footing the bill. I wanted to limit these interviews to 21, in honor of Satoshi Nakamoto’s embedding the 21 million-Bitcoin limit in his famous 2008 white paper. Perhaps this was an elaborate excuse to discover some of the city’s hidden gems, the brilliant no-name cafes and cha chaan tengs that keep Hongkongers going every morning. It was also a great way to explore the diversity of our blockchain scene, from no-coiners, mobile gamers and insurers, to media stars, ex-regulators, and lawyers. And of course, traders and investors, this being Hong Kong. But I also met with philanthropists and dreamers. I already knew many of these leaders thanks to my time as head of Fintech with the Hong Kong government. In that role, from 2016 to 2019, I met with hundreds of startups. Many were building blockchain businesses and ventures. I have been an entrepreneur as well, so I knew that beyond the hyperbolic growth there were sagas, trials and risks. Those are the things that interest me the most. (Did I mention the dim sum?) Please join me now. Turn the page and you will find yourself sitting at the breakfast table with the personalities shaping the future of Hong Kong as a global financial hub. Featuring breakfast & interviews with: - Lionello Lunesu, Enuma technologies - Mark Wales, Galileo Platforms - Kris Marszalek, Crypto.com - Yat Siu, Animoca - Benedicte Nolens, SC Ventures - Leonhard Weese, Bitcoin Association - Angie Lau, Forkast.news - Chapman, Madden, Lo, BC group - Sandy Peng, Tezos China - Patrice Poujol, Lumiere - Jason Choi, Spartan Group - Henri Arslanian, PwC - Phil Chen, HTC - Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX - Urszula McCormack, K&WM - Fangfang Chen, Algorand - Julian Gordon, Hyperledger - Jehan Chu, Kenetic Capital - Terence Lam, Kwun Yeung, Forbole - Ben Delo, BitMEX - Alex Svanevik, Nansen Block Kong is a not-for-profit project. Connect to Block Kong website to discover how your book purchase contributes to up-skilling Hong Kong computer engineers and enable them to start their career in the Blockchain industry.