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SPEAKER

Financial Services Agency (JFSA), Government of Japan

Masao SHIMAZAKI

Deputy Director-General of the Strategy Development and Management Bureau

- Masao SHIMAZAKI has been assigned to the current position since July 2025. His responsibility includes promotion of fintech and supervision of the fintech industry such as funds transfer services and crypto exchanges as policies for the financial sector.
- July 2023 Director of the Planning and Management Division, Strategy Development and Management Bureau, JFSA
- July 2021 Director of the Financial Markets Division, Policy and Markets Bureau, JFSA
- July 2020 Director of the Corporate Accounting and Disclosure Division, Policy and Markets Bureau, JFSA
- July 2017 Director of the (Regional) Banking Business Division 2, Supervision Bureau, JFSA
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Caroline D. Pham

Acting Chairman

The Honorable Caroline D. Pham, Acting Chairman, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission

The Honorable Caroline D. Pham is the acting Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and has been a CFTC Commissioner since her nomination by the President and unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate in 2022. Pham is an internationally recognized leader in strategy and innovation, with deep expertise in capital markets and regulatory policy. Her commissionership has focused on promoting access to markets, competition, and market liquidity and efficiency. Pham has worked in law and finance for 24 years, including over 10 years of experience in crypto and digital assets. She is the sponsor of the CFTC’s Global Markets Advisory Committee.
Pham’s experience spans prudential regulation, financial markets, fintech, and emerging issues. Her international engagement is across all regions, both multilateral and with senior policymakers and business leaders. Previously, Pham was a managing director at Citi with group-level senior executive roles in the chief administrative office, institutional clients group (banking and markets), legal, and compliance. As head of market structure for strategic initiatives, she worked on investments and new opportunities. Pham has a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

JVCEA (Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association)

Genki Oda

Chairman

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  • 東京大学法学部卒業
  • スタンフォード大学(Essentials for Business)
  • ハーバードケネディスクール(Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century)
  • 一般社団法人野菜ソムリエ協会ゼネラルマネージャー
  • 株式会社徳大寺自動車文化研究所CFO
  • 株式会社リミックスポイント代表取締役社長
  • 株式会社ビットポイントジャパン代表取締役
  • SBIホールディングス株式会社常務執行役員
  • Your Rights

    Makoto Kimura

    Producer

    ・2007年~フジテレビの深夜アニメ枠〝ノイタミナ〟でプロデューサーを担当
    ・2017年~ツインエンジンでプロデューサーを担当
    ・2018年~MAPPA でアニメプロデューサーの他、ファイナンス、ライセンスビジネス等をはじめとしたライツ事業全般を統括
    ・2024年~Your Rights 創業
    Hub71

    Aya Hamoodi

    Corporate Lead Value Creation

    Aya Hamoodi is the Corporate Partner Lead for Value Creation at Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem. In her role, she drives strategic collaborations between startups and corporate partners, enabling innovation, market access, and growth opportunities across Hub71’s community.
    Prior to Hub71, Aya worked at Strategy& (part of PwC Network) as an Associate, where she specialized in strategy development, operating models, governance frameworks, and benchmarking innovation-driven initiatives across the GCC. She also contributed to high-impact national projects during her time at the Dubai Future Foundation.
    Aya holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. With her background in consulting and strategy execution, she plays a vital role in empowering startups and strengthening corporate–startup partnerships within the UAE’s growing innovation ecosystem.
    Backpack Exchange

    Can Sun

    Co-Founder

    Can Sun, J.D., Ph.D., is the co-founder and general counsel of Backpack Exchange, a fully regulated global cryptocurrency exchange. Prior to this position, Can served as general counsel at FTX International, where he oversaw legal operations and regulatory strategies across all non-US jurisdictions, seeking licensure and managing interactions with international regulators such as the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, the Japan Financial Services Agency, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and others.

    Prior to FTX, Can co-founded and co-chaired the Blockchain Practice Group at Fenwick & West LLP, where he played a pivotal role in structuring and launching cryptocurrency projects globally and advising major exchanges (such as Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken, and more) on regulatory compliance. Can holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, and has authored numerous policy papers, and presented at many blockchain conferences worldwide.

    Laser Digital Japan

    Hideaki Kudo

    Representative Director

    Laser Digital Japan, Representative Director.

    He holds a Ph.D in Physics and had worked at research institutes in Japan and abroad.
    In 2007, he worked at Nomura Asset Management, where he had been involved in research analysis, quant/analytics, and equity investments in Japanese and foreign equities.
    From 2019, he started a project at Nomura Holdings to commercialize digital assets, mainly security tokens.
    In 2022, he assumed responsibility for business development in all digital assets, including crypto assets.
    He is in his current position at Laser Digital Japan, which was established in 2023.

    Solana Foundation

    Anna Yuan

    Advisor

    Anna is an advisor to the Solana Foundation and the founder of Perena, the leading stablecoin protocol on Solana. Previously, Anna was the stablecoin lead at Solana Foundation. She holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA from the University of Chicago.
    Animoca Brands

    Yat Siu

    Co-Founder & Executive Chairman

    Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Animoca Brands
    Founder and CEO, Outblaze

    Veteran technology entrepreneur/investor Yat Siu is the co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, a global leader in blockchain and gaming with the goal to provide property rights for virtual assets. Yat began his career at Atari Germany, then established Hong Kong Cybercity/Freenation, the first free web page and email provider in Asia. In 1998 he set up Outblaze, an award-winning pioneer of multilingual white label web services. After selling one of its business units to IBM, he pivoted Outblaze to incubate digital entertainment projects. One of those projects is Animoca Brands.

    Yat has numerous accolades, including Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the DHL/SCMP Awards, and recognition as one of Cointelegraph's top 100 notable people in blockchain.

    Bastion

    Nassim Eddequiouaq

    Co-founder and CEO

    Nassim Eddequiouaq is the Founder of Bastion Platforms US. He currently serves as the President and CEO. Nassim previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer for Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Crypto, led Custody and Blockchain Wallets for Facebook’s blockchain project (Novi), and was a lead engineer at crypto custodian, Anchorage Digital. He also worked on security teams at Docker, Inc. and Apple. He attended the EPITA school of engineering & computer science in France.
    bitFlyer Holdings, Inc.

    Yuzo Kano

    Representative Director & CEO

    After completing his graduate studies at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering, Mr. Kano worked at Goldman Sachs before co-founding bitFlyer, Inc. in 2014. Since the founding of bitFlyer, Mr. Kano has not only been devoted to the public discussion on regulatory reforms and the establishment of self-regulatory rules in Japan, but has also been contributing to the development of the crypto asset exchange industry from a global perspective, having served as CEO of bitFlyer USA, Inc. and Chairman of bitFlyer EUROPE S.A., both crypto asset exchanges. He was one of the founders of the self-regulatory organization Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (now Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association: JVCEA), established in 2018 and took part as industry expert in the Executive Committee for the Basic Plan for the Advancement of Public and Private Sector Data Utilization organized by the Cabinet Secretariat.
    Mr. Kano currently holds the roles of Representative Director & CEO of bitFlyer Holdings, Inc., Representative Director of bitFlyer, Inc., Representative Director of bitFlyer Blockchain, Director of bitFlyer USA, Inc. and Director of Custodiem, Inc. and is serving as Chairman of the Japan Blockchain Association (JBA).
    Beyond that, Mr. Kano is a member of the ISO/TC307 Domestic Deliberative Committee and an opinion leader for the Ministry of Defense. He has been actively involved in various activities for the development of the web3 industry to realize bitFlyer's mission since the company's founding: "Simplify the world with blockchain.”
    NOT A HOTEL DAO

    Ryo Watanabe

    CEO

    Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, and Warwick Business School (MBA). After engaging in research, analysis, and planning at the Bank of Japan, worked in strategy consulting and M&A business due diligence at Accenture. Following new web3 business promotion at a major telecommunications company, joined NOT A HOTEL in January 2025.
    Circle Internet Group, Inc.

    David Allan Katz

    Vice President, Strategy and Policy for Asia Pacific

    David Katz is the Vice President for Strategy and Policy for the Asia Pacific region at Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), a global financial technology firm and stablecoin market leader.

    As a member of Circle’s global and APAC senior leadership teams, his focus is on strategic planning for markets and engaging APAC governments and stakeholders on policies related to Circle’s signature USDC stablecoin and digital assets.

    Prior to his current appointment, David was the Managing Director of Public Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) based in Singapore. David led the corporate communications, government relations, corporate citizenship and sustainability functions for KKR across Asia Pacific markets. David was a member of KKR’s Asia Pacific leadership team. David also served as Director of Public Affairs Asia Pacific for Intuitive, the global leader in surgical robotics and manufacturer of the DaVinci surgical robot.

    Previously he was the Deputy Head of Global Government Relations and Head of Asia Pacific Government Relations for PayPal Inc. and sat on PayPal’s Asia Pacific leadership team. Prior to PayPal Inc., he worked at eBay Inc., where he managed Asia Pacific GR for both eBay Marketplace and PayPal - then owned by eBay Inc. Before joining eBay, David worked at Visa Inc. where he served as their first head of GR for the Asia region.

    David was Chief of Party of a USAID program in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat in Singapore, where he advanced policy and capacity building. David served in the Executive Office of the President for eight years as a Senior Director at the United States Trade Representative (USTR) with responsibility for Southeast Asia, APEC, China and Taiwan trade policy. Prior to USTR, David was an economic officer in the U.S. diplomatic service, with tours in Taiwan, Mongolia, and Singapore, and he was a special assistant to U.S. Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell.

    David earned an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and his BA from the University of California at Berkeley.

    Uniswap Labs

    Jon Fink Isaksen

    Head of International Policy

    Jon is the Head of International Policy at Uniswap Labs, engaging on blockchain and DeFi policy across the world. Prior to joining Uniswap Labs, Jon worked for the European Commission where he was the team leader on crypto-assets at the Directorate General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. Jon helped create, draft and negotiate the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which creates harmonized rules for crypto-assets throughout the European Union and has also been involved in much of the international work relating to crypto-assets and stablecoins through the G7, FSB, BCBS and FATF.
    SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

    Taisuke Isono

    Head of Innovation

    Taisuke Isono leads open innovation efforts at SMBC Nikko Securities and is currently focused on driving Web3 initiatives.
    In 2023, as part of his role at Nikko, he founded Proof of Japan Inc., a joint venture with the firm utilizing AI and Web3 technology to support Japanese culture. Representing Nikko Securities, he also serves as Secretary of the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association's (JCBA) Use Case Subcommittee (since 2023).

    He joined Nikko's Open Innovation Lab (NOIL) at its establishment in 2020 after participating in the internal venture pitch program. At NOIL, he coordinated 'Next-gen Tech x Regional Revitalization' projects and launched key initiatives such as the 'KOSEN Intercollege Challenge' (2021) and a Furusato Nozei-linked finance scheme (2022).

    Previously, he worked in SMBC Nikko Securities' Investment Banking division, which he joined in 2012, specializing in Consumer Retail & Healthcare M&A and financing after 2014.

    Hashed

    Simon Kim

    CEO & Managing Partner

    Simon Kim is the CEO and Managing Partner at Hashed, a prominent blockchain investment firm. As South Korea's leading blockchain thought leader and evangelist, he has spearheaded blockchain initiatives with major IT companies.

    Before founding Hashed, Simon co-founded Knowre, an innovative ed-tech startup in the US and Korea, where he served as Chief Product Officer. Under his leadership, Knowre was recognized by Fast Company as one of the World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education and was later acquired by Daekyo, South Korea's largest education company.

    Kim's expertise extends to policy-advising, having served as a member of the 4th Industrial Revolution Committee of the South Korean Parliament. He also held a position as a Director of the Korea Blockchain Association and a member of the Busan Blockchain Free Zone committee.

    With a strong technical background, Kim studied Computer Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).

    Hashed

    Baek Kim

    General Partner

    Baek Kim is the General Partner of Hashed, a leading global crypto VC fund and a team of blockchain experts and builders based in Seoul, Singapore, Bengaluru, Silicon Valley, and Abu Dhabi.

    Prior to his journey with Hashed, he was a software engineer at AWS working on IoT and Robotics. He was also the founder of a last-mile logistics startup. He graduated from CMU where he studied robotics and computer engineering.

    Hashed

    Jin Kang

    Global Head of Legal

    Jin Kang is the Global Head of Legal at Hashed, a premier venture capital firm shaping the future of blockchain and Web3 innovation. With deep expertise in regulatory strategy and legal infrastructure, Jin leads Hashed’s cross-jurisdictional legal operations and navigates complex frameworks across the United States, Singapore, Korea, and the UAE. A recognized leader at the intersection of law, policy, and emerging technology, Jin was formally honored in 2023 by the Mayor of Busan for his pioneering role in advancing a pro-innovation Web3 regulatory framework. He also spearheads Hashed’s flagship initiatives, including the Hashed Open Dialogue for Law’s Global Legal Symposium and Women-in-Tech, both dedicated to fostering inclusive, cross-border collaboration in the blockchain ecosystem. Jin is a sought-after speaker and moderator on the global stage. At Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2024, he led a high-level panel on the future of digital assets and regulatory harmonization. At Blockchain Central Davos 2025, he joined international policymakers in shaping frameworks for emerging technologies that prioritize transparency, accessibility, and resilience. Jin began his legal career at Davis Polk & Wardwell. He holds an Executive LL.M. in Business Law from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he was selected as the 2024 Commencement Speaker. He studied law at the University of Law, earned a FinTech certification from Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a BA in Comparative Literature and Society. He was awarded the Keiko Chevray Prize as the top graduate in Japanese studies. Jin served as a Squad Sergeant in the Republic of Korea Army and is a proud alumnus of Phillips Academy Andover.
    Tools for Humanity

    Tomoe Makino

    General Manager, Japan

    General Manager, Japan

    Since September 2024, Tomoe Makino has served as the Head of Japan at Tools for Humanity, the technology company supporting World.
    Prior to joining Tools For Humanity, he held leadership roles at Google, YouTube, and Twitter, and served as country manager for TripAdvisor and Activision Blizzard Japan. With over 20 years of experience in the US tech industry, Tomoe has a proven track record in innovation, growth strategy, and business leadership. He has also served as an advisor and committee member for various government and local government bodies.

    Sekai

    Kaiser Kim

    CEO

    Kaiser Kim is the co‑founder and CEO of Sekai, an AI storytelling platform that turns a handful of prompts into four‑panel comics. Since launching Sekai in 2024, he has raised $3.2 million in seed funding at a $14 million valuation, attracted 4,600 sign‑ups and 5,000+ creators within three months, and overseen the creation of more than 5,000 visual stories—all with a four‑person team operating between Los Angeles and Seoul. Prior to Sekai, Kaiser led product strategy at several early‑stage startups, honing the rapid‑iteration approach that drives Sekai’s momentum today.
    Concrete (Blueprint Finance)

    Dillon Liang

    Co-Founder / Chief Strategy Officer

    Dillon is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Concrete, a crypto asset management platform that powers yield generation for any asset through DeFi and CeFi strategies, while also enabling the creation of new derivatives. We have facilitated $800m in deposits across our tokenized vault infrastructure.
    We are led by a team from institutional finance and crypto, coming from Point72, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Coinbase, Eigenlayer, Consensys, and more.
    We are backed by Polychain, VanEck, Yzi Labs (FKA Binance Labs), Hashed, Decima Hyperithm, and other leading investors.
    The Sandbox

    Sebastien BORGET

    Co-Founder & COO

    Sébastien Borget is the Co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, a virtual platform where players can create, play, own, govern and monetize their experiences using NFTs & SAND, the main utility token of the platform.

    In addition to his role at The Sandbox, Sébastien serves as the President of the Blockchain Game Alliance in 2020, a non-profit organization comprising 600 key members within the industry. His contributions to the crypto and blockchain space have garnered significant recognition, including being ranked #4 on CoinTelegraph's Top 100 Most Influential People in Crypto for 2022: https://cointelegraph.com/top-people-in-crypto-and-blockchain/sebastien-borget

    The Sandbox extends beyond the gaming realm, earning recognition in TIME100's prestigious list of Top 100 Most Influential Companies in 2022: https://time.com/collection/time100-companies-2022/6159401/the-sandbox/

    Furthermore, Sébastien has been acknowledged by Forbes, where he was honored as one of the OC Top 100 Creators for 2024 in the Gaming category: https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/05/15/forbes-open-campus-animoca-brands-celebrate-success-of-oc100--web3-education/?sh=34f296a23b9b

    ShardLab

    Hojin Kim

    CEO

    Hojin Kim is the CEO of ShardLab, the innovation lab of Hashed, the leading Web3 venture capital firm in Asia. As part of the strategic partnership between Hashed and Thailand's No.1 financial group SCBX, he is leading experiment initiatives focusing on Southeast Asia that can innovate the existing industry by introducing Web3 technology.
    Hojin is also taking Chief Strategy Officer of UNOPND, a venture builder arm of Hashed. One of his incubating projects is Modhaus, a Web3 K-pop startup, where he led the overall operations and development of their NFT platform COSMO as a COO.
    Prior to joining the Hashed group, he was a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group(BCG). He also spent years as a quant analyst at Korea Asset Pricing, a subsidiary of Global credit rating provider Fitch Rating.
    Hojin received a BS in Computer Science from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

    https://x.com/harryhojinkim
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/hojinkim/
    https://shardlab.com/

    Sony Bank

    Kaya Kanamori

    Head of DX Business Planning Dept.

    Graduated from the Graduate School of Engineering at Kyoto University and joined Sony Corporation. Worked in product development, product planning and marketing. Launched new fintech businesses and promoted customer experience strategy at an internet securities company. Joined Sony Bank in 2022 and driving new web3 business planning as Head of DX Business Planning Dept. Chief strategist of SNFT, Inc.
    Humanity Protocol

    Terence Kwok

    Founder

    Terence Kwok is the founder of Humanity Protocol, a pioneering organization dedicated to amplifying human potential in the era of artificial intelligence. As a visionary technology entrepreneur from Hong Kong, Kwok is also the CEO and founder of one of Asia's first unicorns. His journey is marked by strategic partnerships with globally influential investors and partners, setting new industry standards. With expertise in blockchain, Web3, and technology integration, Kwok's mission extends beyond technological advancement. He aims to use technology to connect people and ensure its benefits are widely accessible. Kwok's entrepreneurial spirit was nurtured at the University of Chicago, and his journey from academia to tech entrepreneurship highlights his influential role in shaping the future of disruptive technologies.
    Aptos Labs

    HyunJeong,Lee (LJ)

    Partner Success Manager

    L J Lee is a Partner Success Manager at Aptos Labs, where she helps global partners build and scale in the Aptos blockchain ecosystem. She brings deep experience from prior roles at Animoca Brands, Google and Microsoft, focusing on product strategy and partner growth. At Aptos, she drives collaboration across DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and infrastructure partners on Aptos. L J holds a degree from Imperial College London and Waseda University. Her passion lies in making blockchain more accessible and impactful for builders and users alike.
    Modhaus

    Joseph Baek

    Co-founder

    Joseph Baek is a seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse background, including strategy development and M&A advisory at Bain & Company.
    A Korea University graduate in Business Administration, he has founded startups across various industries and served as a C-level executive in venture capital and private equity portfolio companies.
    Before co-founding Modhaus with Jaden Jung in December 2021, Joseph was the head of business for Playlist, a subsidiary of Naver, where he gained indirect experience in the entertainment industry.
    At Modhaus, he leads business, investment, and platform development, driving the company's success in the digital media and entertainment sectors.
    Factomind

    Nathan Lee

    CSO

    Nathan Lee is the Chief Strategy Officer at Factomind Technologies, a Web3 strategy firm providing business optimization and capital market solutions for Web3 builders. Factomind supports entrepreneurs in exploring diverse business opportunities through blockchain technology. Before co-founding Factomind, Nathan led a trading unit at Citigroup’s headquarters in New York, specializing in fixed income beta products and algorithmic executions, where he was a founding member of the newly established team.
    LayerZero

    Alex Lim

    APAC BD, Head of Korea @ LayerZero | Co-founder & Executive Director @ Asia Stablecoin Alliance

    Alex leads LayerZero Korea and plays a key role in driving the company’s growth across Asia, particularly in the stablecoin and gaming space. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Asia Stablecoin Alliance, where he works closely with major stablecoin issuers from eight countries across the region. Previously VP of BD at HAECHI LABS (Ethereum Foundation-backed Web3 infrastructure company), Alex brings 13+ years of global BD experience from giants like Google and Samsung, as well as scaling several SaaS/AI companies across six different markets in Asia.
    Chainlink Labs

    Jaewook Lee

    DevRel Engineer

    As a DevRel Engineer at Chainlink Labs, Jaewook specializes in creating opportunities at the intersection of Web2 and Web3 technologies. He is a strong advocate for the on-chain future of finance, believing its eventual transition is inevitable, and works to accelerate that evolution.aewook is a devrel engineer working at Chainlink Labs. Loves catalyst opportunities extracted via cross-section between Web3 and Web2. And ultimately has a convictionthat the future of finance lies in the blockchain industry and deems the transition inevitable.
    Berachain

    Ella Qiang

    APAC Lead

    Ella Qiang is the APAC Lead at Berachain, an EVM-identical Layer 1 blockchain powered by innovative Proof of Liquidity.
    She is responsible for expanding Berachain’s presence across the APAC region, driving ecosystem growth, strategic partnerships, and community engagement.

    Ella has been a veteran in the web3 industry since 2016. Prior to Berachain, she was Head of Ecosystem at Cronos, where she played a key role in the blockchain’s rapid adoption and growth. She also served as Director of Partnerships at Stellar Development Foundation and has held various roles in investment, advisory, and DeFi.

    Ella has a background in banking and corporate finance and holds an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

    Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Co., Ltd.

    Hiromitsu Shimoirisa

    Deputy General Manager

    After being assigned to the Derivatives and Fixed income Department, Engaged in the sales and development of derivatives and trust products for 18 years. In 2013, as the head of the Financial product development group, Developed hedging products for corporations and investment products using trusts. Developed investment products for institutional investors as a Deputy General Manager of the Distribution Department, which was launched in 2016 to promote the O&D (origination and distribution) business. Since 2021, he has been assigned to the Digital Strategy Department and is the head of the innovation team. Engaged in research and examination of advanced technologies such as digital currencies, tokenized securities, NFTs, metaverses, and quantum computers.
    Densan System Co., Ltd.

    Hiroyuki Kamata

    Senior Executive Officer, Chief of Business Design Planning Operational Headquarters, Division Manager of Collaborative Ecosystem Creation Division

    Starting career in 1994 at the current Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, mainly worked at Head Office, Net Business Banking Dept., E-Commerce Banking Dept, also during the carrier, seconded to Mitsui & Co. Media Business Dept. In April 2007, joined Rakuten Inc., worked as Senior Executive Officer and Head of Business Strategy Dept. at Rakuten Travel Inc. After leaving Rakuten in March 2014, held roles including Globe-Trotter CIO and Vice President of Crowdfunding Business. In January 2024, joined Densan Systems Co., Ltd., in charge of new business development in blockchain, stablecoins etc.
    DeFimans

    Taishi Sato

    Co-founder & CEO

    Co-founder & CEO , Messari Japan Lead

    After designing derivative products at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Taishi worked at EY Tax Co., providing international tax consulting related to finance before moving to Deloitte Tohmatsu where he handled similar services focused on financial institutions and funds. He was involved in launching and marketing the blockchain game JobTribes and NFT marketplaces, listing DEAPcoin on Japanese and foreign CEXs, supporting several DeFi projects through development of on-chain liquidity and alliances/economic structuring.
    In 2022, he founded DeFimans Co. Ltd. and is currently providing consulting services to various web3 projects, including those associated with publicly listed companies and global DeFi projects.

    IOST

    Blake Jeong

    Co-CEO

    Blake Jeong is the Co-CEO of IOST — building RWA-native blockchain infrastructure for institutional adoption, with a strong focus on compliance, scalability, and real-world use cases. With a background in consulting and startups, he is driving IOST’s evolution into a modular, developer-friendly Web3 platform.
    B Dash Ventures

    Ryuichi Nishida

    Director

    Director, B Dash Ventures

    Ryuichi joined B Dash Ventures in 2013. He led the growth and management of B Dash Camp, while also engaging in investment activities. He is now focused on blockchain-related investments, having stepped away from B Dash Camp operations.
    Prior to joining B Dash Ventures, he served as Editor-in-Chief at technology media outlets such as TechCrunch Japan and CNET Japan, where he was involved in media management and event planning.

    Presto

    Elena Kang

    Business Strategy Director

    Currently Director of Business Strategy and Strategic Partnerships at Presto, with over 7 years of experience in the industry, including strategic leadership roles since 2018 at Huobi. Career spans tradiFonal finance at Nomura and journalism at Korea Economy TV as a foreign correspondent and news anchor covering global markets. Brings a mulFdisciplinary perspecFve to insFtuFonal adopFon, crossborder ecosystem growth, and GTM execuFon across APAC, sharing insights through industry panels and media appearances.
    Mysten Labs/Sui

    Ken Kashiwagi

    Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives Lead, Japan

    Ken leads Japan Partnerships and Strategy at Mysten Labs, the original contributor to the blockchain Sui and the decentralized storage protocol Walrus. He has expanded Mysten’s presence in Japan, building a local partner network of over 20 companies, while also supporting ecosystem growth across Europe, APAC, and the Middle East.

    Prior to Mysten, Ken spent nine years in New York working across finance and entertainment with MUFG, Sony, and Warner Music. He most recently led the consultancy business unit at Utopia Music, a 1,000-person Swiss music fintech company.

    Born in Japan and raised in the UK, Ken holds a B.A. from Brown University.

    Blockdaemon

    Glenn Woo

    Head of APAC

    Glenn leads and drives operations in APAC for at Blockdaemon, prior to taking over the role in January 2025, Glenn was Head of Sales for APAC since April 2022. Blockdaemon offers institutional grade blockchain infrastructures connecting enterprises to blockchains.
    He joined the blockchain industry in 2018 as Managing Director, Head of APAC for Ledger.

    Glenn has an extensive career in the financial services and fintech, working for S&P Global Market intelligence as Head of North Asia based in Korea and Hong Kong for 9 years, and prior to that, at Shinhan Financial Group in asset custody and funds administration.

    Minto Inc.

    Kazuhiro Mizuno

    CEO

    After working as a producer in the mobile gaming and digital content industry, Kazuhiro Mizuno founded Quan Inc. in 2011. He launched an internet-born character studio business, partnering with chat apps around the world. Quan’s character stickers have been downloaded over
    6 billion times globally, making it the world leader in this space. He has created hit characters such as Betakuma and Usagyuuun!
    In 2018, he entered the blockchain/NFT field, with CryptoCrystal becoming a global trend. In January 2022, Quan merged with wwwaap, the No.1 social media manga company in Japan. Since 2022, he has been expanding the collaboration between Japanese iconic IPs (such as Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, and Attack on Titan) and blockchain-based metaverse platforms like The Sandbox.
    In addition to Web3 content, Minto is also growing a content studio focused on Webtoons and Short-Drama production.
    Ava Labs

    Roi Hirata

    Head of Japan

    Graduated from the Physics Department at the University of Melbourne. Former professional gamer. Launched a brand in the intersection of E-sports and lifestyle and successfully crowdfunded it. Entered the cryptocurrency industry in 2020. Served as the Asia/Japan region official advocate for Blockchain Oracle Chainlink until 2022. Joined the Head of Japan for Ava Labs, the development company behind Avalanche in January 2023.
    Azuki

    Yosuke Takeda

    Producer

    After working as an Account Executive at a marketing agency, he joined Dentsu, where he led the launch of multiple anime projects as a Producer. He later spearheaded new business initiatives in the content field, including launching a short-form drama content on YouTube, producing a metaverse event for a global anime IP, and co-developing an anime series in partnership with Azuki. Since 2024, he has been with Azuki, producing Azuki IP and a short-form anime series. In July, he announced the establishment of Studio Azuki.
    INTMAX

    Leona Hioki

    Co-founder

    After winning an award at the IPA Security Camp, he became involved in security and privacy from his university days. Since 2018, he has been part of the Plasma research community. Following an Ethereum Foundation Fellowship/Grant, he launched the INTMAX network based on his research achievements and continues to lead it to this day. INTMAX is Ethereum’s payment layer that can offer near-zero gas fees regardless of network congestion, while also providing privacy.
    Stacks Asia Foundation

    Kyle Ellicott

    Executive Director

    Kyle Ellicott leads the Stacks Asia Foundation as the Executive Director and is an Advising Partner for Bitcoin Frontier Fund. He is a seasoned executive, investor, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, having recently served as a Partner & Managing Director at Bitcoin Frontier Fund, a leading investor in 65+ Web3 startups on Bitcoin.
    Japan Open Chain / Japan Blockchain Foundation Co., Ltd.

    Hidekazu Kondo

    Founder

    After working at Sony Corporation, he founded Lunascape Corporation, which provides web browser services. In 2020, he established G.U. Technologies, Inc. and became its CTO. Recognized as a Super Creator by the IPA Exploratory Software Creation Project in 2004. Selected by AERA magazine as one of the "100 people to rebuild Japan" in 2011.
    Hashed

    Henry Key

    General Manager

    Henry Key is General Manager at Hashed, a global Web3 venture capital firm, where he leads global expansion and overseas fundraising. He has organized major industry events such as the first Blockchain Leaders Summit Tokyo and secured Hashed’s first Japanese LP investment, while managing institutional relationships in Japan and the UAE. Domestically, he has run Protocol Camp , a blockchain bootcamp with Hanwha Life, training over 70 graduates and expanding the program to Southeast Asia and Japan, alongside overseeing Platform Team operations and building internal portfolio management systems. Prior to Hashed, Henry worked at Samsung Electronics in financial management for the Mobile Division, improving profitability and strengthening financial controls, and gained experience at BNP Paribas , McKinsey & Company , and in the ROK Navy . He holds a B.A. in Economics from Seoul National University with a minor in Spanish Language and Literature, graduating with top honors. He is fluent in Korean, proficient in English, and conversational in Spanish.
    Hashed

    Edward Hong

    Partner & Chief Platform Officer

    Edward Hong is the Partner & Chief Platform Officer at Hashed, a leading global Web3 venture capital firm. Since joining Hashed in 2018, he has spearheaded platform initiatives that add value to portfolio companies, led overseas fundraising efforts, and played a key role in organizing major blockchain events such as Korea Blockchain Week, Blockchain Leaders Summit Tokyo, Eastpoint Seoul, etc. He also built and managed Hashed’s internal portfolio management system and oversaw the firm’s public relations and risk management functions.
    Nethermind

    Delane Foo

    APAC Regional Managing Director

    Delane Foo is a proven leader at the intersection of blockchain, AI, and innovation strategy.
    Currently serving as the APAC Regional Managing Director for Nethermind, she is driving growth, partnerships, and ecosystem development across Asia Pacific for one of the most prominent blockchain and AI software engineering and research firms.
    With a background spanning emerging technology adoption, decentralized finance and enterprise transformation, Delane has built a reputation for connecting technical excellence with real-world impact. In her previous roles, she expanded Ethereum infrastructure adoption across APAC, spearheaded key partnerships with wallets, DeFi protocols, and validators, and organized MEVday Asia, a first-of-its-kind event for the region.
    Her experience extends into corporate innovation, including previous roles at Johnson & Johnson and KPMG, where she led design strategy, emerging technology adoption, and collaborative programs for senior leadership. Delane’s ability to simplify complex technologies—whether blockchain, AI, or decentralized systems—enables institutions, enterprises, and innovators to harness them effectively for scalability and growth with people-first, solutions-driven approaches.
    Solayer

    Margie Feng

    Marketing Lead

    Margie drives global events and ecosystem activations at Solayer and serves as Marketing Director at Fuzzland, a Web3 security company acquired by Solayer. She previously led global influencer programs and campaigns at BITMAIN, the world’s leading crypto mining manufacturer. She began her career as a Senior Consultant at Hill & Knowlton, where she won three awards for the Genesis Year One Campaign. Margie holds a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Southern California.
    Bit2Me

    Koh Onozawa Martínez

    Co-founder, co-CEO

    Koh Onozawa Martínez
    co-founder of Bit2Me and droppRWA

    Trying his best to build on the principle of "leaving no one behind”, Koh is passionate about building businesses with purpose.

    A seasoned founder, Koh is the cofounder of Hub71-backed Bit2Me and former co-CEO, one of Europe’s most prominent digital assets service providers. He also cofounded droppRWA, Saudi-based tokenization-as-a-service company where he sits as CEO - both backed by Tether. He also co-founder and Chairman of Abu Dhabi based AI company eVoost AI.

    Koh also is Institutional Advisor at Tether.io, a once-in-a-century company that stands for a more open and resilient global financial system. At the intersection between Philosophy, Capital, and Technology,

    At a very young age, Koh was listed in the inaugural Forbes 30u30 Asia in 2016, EY Ernst & Young Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2015, and is currently on a mission of rewiring the current financial system as we know it.

    Elixir Capital, Hub71 Digital Assets Partner

    Maddy Bergen

    Program Manager

    Maddy Bergen is an operational leader and entrepreneur specialising in scaling Web3 ventures. She is the Program Manager for Hub71’s Digital Assets program with Elixir Capital, where she supports high-growth startups expanding into the UAE. As COO of Zephyr, she led the agency’s expansion into Web3 and oversaw growth for more than 30 clients across tech and Web3. Maddy also co-founded Elektra, where she partnered with Polygon, Solana, and Ethereum and worked with 10 funds to help them expand into Web3. With a background in growth and operations, Maddy now also mentors founders through the AWS Web3 Accelerator.

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