Malta Blockchain Summit round-up

Malta Blockchain Summit kicked off at the Intercontinental Hotel on Thursday, bringing in a wealth of knowledge and expertise from all over the globe.

Day one

Anthony David Gatt, Manager at the Investment Promotion Department within Malta Enterprise, provided an insight into the scope of Malta’s growth over the coming years, touching on issues of tax incentives and connections around the world.

Coin Rivet then caught up with Digitex Futures CEO Adam Todd, who explained that his upcoming exchange will rival BitMEX, which is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily trading volume.

There was a speech by Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who praised his nation’s innovative approach to emerging industries like blockchain and AI. Muscat claimed that Malta is a land of opportunity with an ‘amazing future’.

In order for Malta’s ambitious plans to come in fruition, it must ensure the regulatory and tax framework continues to be suitable for companies moving their business to the island. Josef Mercieca of BDO Malta outlined a number of interesting points in terms of tax, stating that traders will not be taxed when buying and selling utility-tokens, as only securities are taxable.

Coin Rivet also conducted a number of interviews throughout day one. John McAfee, Charles Hoskinson, Scott Stornetta and the creator of Sophia the robot, Ben Goertzel, all expressed their views on cryptocurrency and the blockchain space in general. The John McAfee interview is live on Coin Rivet, while others will be published moving into next week.

Day two

Things didn’t slow down on day two. Developers and CEOs were still being interviewed at break-neck speed, while Sophia the robot held her very own press conference.

The day started off with blockchain’s founding father Scott Stornetta, who spoke candidly to the audience about being a part of the inception of blockchain and where it will go in the future. For an in-depth interview with Stornetta about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and all things blockchain, keep an eye on Coin Rivet’s homepage this afternoon.

Sally Eaves also spoke on a panel, discussing the relationship between the blockchain and AI alongside Vince Vella, Dr Joseph Dureau and Angelo Dalli.

Elsewhere, John McAfee followed up on his interview with Coin Rivet by speaking on a panel alongside Brandon Smietana and Monty Munford.

We also got insight from Marc Taverner and Hartej Sawhney before a series of ICO pitches and discussion surrounding ‘blockchain-able businesses’, centralised vs decentralised exchanges as well as the concept of ‘multiple coins and multiple chains’.

Summary

Malta Blockchain Summit was a collaboration of innovative minds, eager to learn more and teach others about the fascinating world of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

To read further Coin Rivet coverage of the event, visit our homepage where articles will be posted daily moving into next week.