DICT and DTI join forces to support Philippine Blockchain Week 2023

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have announced their support for the Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW) 2023. The highly anticipated follow-up event will take place from September 19 to 21, 2023, at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Resorts, Manila, Philippines.

DICT Director Emmy Lou Delfin and DTI Director Jo-Dann Darong spoke at the conference and discussed how the Philippine Blockchain Week will help the government fulfill its pledge to drive collaboration, innovation and digitization in the country.

Currently, 6.13% of the total population, or nearly 7 million Filipinos, own cryptocurrency and 32% of Philippine internet users say they own non-fungible tokens (NFTs). With this, the founder of the Blockchain Council of the Philippines (BCP) and the leader of the Philippine Blockchain Week, Dr. Donald Lim, said that the Philippines is on its way to becoming a global blockchain capital.

The event will attract thousands of attendees from various industries and regions around the world and will bring together some of the most influential leaders in the blockchain and crypto industry.

This year’s Philippine Blockchain Week is themed “BRKOUT”, with the aim of encouraging everyone to break out of conventions and comfort zones, break old habits to embrace new opportunities, and break out of the pack to become leaders in the blockchain industry. become space.

Reflecting the current state of the industry, the event features immersive discussions on blockchain, fintech, the metaverse, regulation, artificial intelligence, privacy, and DeFi among several other thought-provoking topics.

Aim. Delfin said DICT will lead Blockchain 101, which will educate thousands of students in NCR about industry opportunities, and conduct focus group discussions for government officials to promote the use of blockchain technology in storing government data.

DTI Dir. Darong also expressed support for promoting a society-wide approach to the integration of blockchain technology in the industry.

“At DTI, we pledge to support all initiatives aimed at achieving the vision of making the Philippines not only innovative and creative, but also more competitive through blockchain,” he said.

Darong shared that Philippine Blockchain Week is a perfect venue for cultivating creativity and innovation, in line with the department’s vision for the inaugural celebration of Philippine Creative Industry Month in September.

Lim stressed that securing government support and cooperation will strengthen the adoption of blockchain and innovations in the country.

“Government intervention and support has always been critical to the adoption of blockchain technology in any country. For the Philippines, the open-minded attitude of our government will play an important role in positioning us to become the blockchain capital of Asia,” said Lim.

In addition to government partnerships, Philippine Blockchain Week announced a unique collaboration with world-renowned Dubai-based Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco as he makes his debut in the blockchain space. Known for dressing Hollywood celebrities and royalty, Cinco will partner with PBW in hosting a Metaverse Fashion Gala to showcase the fusion of fashion and the metaverse. Cinco’s participation brings excitement to the event as it signals the immense potential of tapping into various industries that have yet to venture into blockchain technology.

Other highlights include a VC startup matchmaking event in partnership with CNN Philippines business reality show, “The Final Pitch,”; a gaming expo in partnership with Tier One Entertainment, which will attract gamers, streamers, cosplayers for meet and greets and gaming exhibits; and the live global announcement of the finalists of Web 3’s prestigious global awards show, the NFTY Awards.

The NFTY Awards were created by tech entrepreneur/investor Chris J Snook and E! Entertainment founder Larry Namer who formed their partnership after meeting in Manila in November 2022 at the inaugural PBW.

At the local awards ceremony, the Philippine Block Awards will return to honor leaders in the financial, technology and business sectors for supporting and promoting blockchain adoption in the country.