Taipei, Taiwan, December 16th, 2024,
Chainwire
VALR, Africa’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, capped off the
year by partnering with Taipei Blockchain Week, where the exchange
made a significant impact on discussions around the future of
digital assets.
At the well-attended conference, VALR’s Chief Marketing Officer,
Ben Caselin, participated in a high-profile panel titled "Unlocking
Web3 Potential in Emerging Markets: Asia and Africa on the Rise."
The panel also featured Jen Bilango from Coins.ph and was moderated
by Stefan Piech, Founder of Amagi. During the session, Caselin
emphasized the pivotal role of stablecoins in markets like South
Africa and highlighted the innovative potential of emerging markets
in both Asia and Africa.
Caselin projected key trends for the upcoming year, including
the rise of countries exploring Bitcoin mining, corporate adoption
of Bitcoin for treasury management, and banks expanding access to
digital assets like US dollar stablecoins. He also addressed
critical challenges in the industry, cautioning against the
proliferation and endless issuance of new tokens, which he argued
distract from the primary mission of optimizing global finance and
ironically mirrors the very act that this industry is so critical
of, namely, money printing by Central Banks.
“It is crucial to remain focused on what truly matters,” Caselin
stated, emphasizing the need to cater to the financial needs of
households and businesses in emerging markets, where it’s mostly
about wealth preservation and financial inclusion. He shared, “The
purpose of life is not to make money,” adding that “maybe some of
you like Lambo’s, but you can also not buy a Lambo and just help a
lot of people around you — there’s a different perspective on
life.”
In addition to participating in the conference, the VALR team
hosted a VIP event for some of the region’s leading traders and
partnered with BlockTempo to organize a gathering of over 150 Web3
traders and enthusiasts. These events provided opportunities to
explore the burgeoning growth potential in Taiwan and beyond.
Notably, VALR, referred to locally as "Wei Le" (威樂) – meaning
"powerful and happy" in Chinese – is making strides in connecting
with the Asian market.
Reflecting on the atmosphere in Taipei, Caselin remarked:
"On the back of Bitcoin reaching new highs above $100,000 per
coin and the explosive rise of meme coins alongside more
utility-driven projects, Taipei truly came alive. Similar to
conferences in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Dubai, we are
seeing how Web3 conferences, accompanied by numerous side events,
can infuse vitality into a city. These gatherings not only align
jurisdictions with the future of finance but also create an
environment that fosters innovation and attracts significant
business opportunities.”
About VALR
VALR provides a comprehensive suite of cryptocurrency products
and services, including Spot Trading, Spot Margin, Perpetual
Futures, an API for high-frequency traders, Subaccounts with
governance features, OTC Trading, Staking, Lending, Simple Buy/Sell
Swap, and VALR Pay.
Founded in 2018, VALR is Africa’s largest crypto exchange by
trade volume, serving over 1,100 corporate and institutional
clients and more than 1 million users globally. Headquartered in
Johannesburg, VALR is licensed by the FSCA in South Africa, with
regulatory approvals in Europe and initial approval from Dubai’s
VARA. The exchange has secured $55 million in equity funding from
top investors, including Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, GSR,
and F-Prime, affiliated with Fidelity Investments.
For more information, visit valr.com.
Contact
VALR
press@valr.com