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2025-12-03
Main Takeaways
Day 1 of Binance Blockchain Week 2025 kicked off with packed sessions at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena, featuring global leaders in policy, markets, and Web3 innovation.

The program delivered high-energy insights across Bitcoin, stablecoins, real-world adoption, next-gen infrastructure, and institutional growth — with standout moments from Michael Saylor, Richard Teng, Brad Garlinghouse, Lily Liu, and many more.

Don’t miss Day 2 tomorrow on Binance Live — including Raoul Pal’s 2026 market outlook and the headline debate between CZ and Peter Schiff.

The action-packed Day 1 of Binance Blockchain Week 2025 has concluded, and what a day it has been!

Returning once again to Dubai’s iconic Coca-Cola Arena on December 3 and 4, this year’s conference brought together the biggest names in crypto, the wider technology and financial industries, as well as top policy minds from around the world. Binance’s own leadership set the tone: The day opened with the announcement of co-founder Yi He becoming co-CEO alongside Richard Teng as the company nears 300 million users.

Co-CEO’s Richard Teng and Yi He outlined the next chapter of Binance’s growth and user-first strategy, while H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, shared the country’s vision for digital assets.

The agenda stayed high-octane from there: Michael Saylor made his first-ever UAE conference appearance with a high-conviction Bitcoin keynote, and leaders from BlackRock, Citi, Solana Foundation, Ripple, Polygon, Aptos, and more unpacked the trends shaping real-world adoption in 2025. Signature moments onstage ranged from Humans of Binance Live with CMO Rachel Conlan to deep dives into stablecoins, tokenization, and next-gen Web3 infrastructure, closing with Balaji Srinivasan’s big-picture look at the network-driven society of tomorrow.

Missed the action? No worries — here’s a quick recap of Yi He’s headline appointment and the biggest moments from Day 1.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow on Binance Live for Day 2’s livestream!

Framing The Discussion And Introducing Binance Junior
Our CEO Richard Teng opened Binance Blockchain Week by sharing the news of Binance’s new leadership configuration. Richard framed Yi He’s appointment as co-CEO as a natural evolution of her role, strengthening Binance’s leadership as it nears 300 million users and positioning their combined, user-first vision to drive product innovation, responsibly expand global presence, and build the Web3 infrastructure needed to reach one billion users.

He proceeded to describe 2025 as a turning point for money, markets, and digital trust, and highlighting why the UAE is the ideal backdrop for this new chapter. He reflected on the country’s steady transformation into a leading financial and innovation hub, drawing parallels with crypto’s own evolution from a niche fragmented money movement to global, borderless value transfer powered by blockchain and stablecoins. Teng underscored the “undeniable momentum” behind digital assets and emphasized how regulation is now acting as a bridge to scale, pointing to real cases of how clear rules and trusted infrastructure are accelerating real-world adoption.

Against this backdrop, Teng used the stage to introduce Binance Junior, positioning it as a key part of Binance’s vision for responsible, long-term industry growth. Binance Junior is a new family-centric, parent-controlled app and sub-account for users aged 6-17, designed as a crypto savings environment rather than a trading product. Kids and teens can earn through Flexible Simple Earn, while trading is disabled and strict limits and permissions keep activity safe and transparent. By combining robust safeguards, practical savings tools, and age-appropriate education, the Binance Junior initiative aims to build the next generation’s financial literacy and confidence in digital finance, starting at home.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama: The Digital Foundation of Tomorrow’s Economy

As a startup nation, we woke up every single day and ask what can be done, and how the future is unfolding for us.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama framed the UAE’s vision for AI and blockchain through the lens of a “startup nation,” contrasting a child of the desert, who imagines what can be built from nothing, with a child of the forest, who simply admires what already exists. He explained that the UAE wakes up every day asking what can be done and how the future is unfolding, rather than relying on centuries of inherited institutions.

This ethos, he said, underpins the country’s long-standing, clear, and unwavering stance since 2015 to be one of the most favorable places in the world for blockchain: they see it as a fundamental technology where the UAE can add real value to the global community. Drawing on his years as Minister of AI “when people thought it was still science fiction,” he emphasized the government’s commitment to deploying technologies in ways that are so smooth and useful, like smart gates at the airport, that once people experience them, they wouldn’t want to go back.

Michael Saylor: The Undeniable Case for Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the foundation of economic markets — its trading power exceeds Google, Microsoft, and even the [U.S] Navy’s spending power.

Strategy’s Michael Saylor argued that Bitcoin has moved from the fringe to the core of global finance, becoming “digital capital” as political and institutional support flips in its favor. He highlighted how, in just 12 months, U.S. banks have gone from hostility to adoption – eight of the top ten now engage in crypto lending – while Treasury guidance and highly successful spot ETFs from Wall Street giants like BlackRock signal that Bitcoin is now an accepted asset. Against this backdrop, he described his firm’s strategy of spending tens of billions to acquire more than 3% of all Bitcoin, with a mission of increasing “Bitcoin per share” for investors.

Saylor then sketched a broader vision of Bitcoin as the base layer for a new digital credit system that could disrupt traditional banking, insurance, and money markets. He contrasted low-yield, ~3% money-market returns with Bitcoin’s historically higher performance, arguing that companies leveraging digital assets will outpace those tied to depreciating fiat. By using Bitcoin as collateral to build new, AI-enabled credit products – high-yield, tax-efficient, and designed to minimize drawdowns – he believes digital credit can offer real yields where banks “give you nothing,” reset the global financial system, and reward investors who embrace the volatility or, alternatively, access Bitcoin’s upside through structured credit products with smoother risk profiles.

The Future of Client Asset Allocation

Who’s going to be controlling wealth for the next 10-15-20 years? It’s a demographic question that warrants building bridges and an entire foundation layer of finance, – Tony Ashraf, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Asset Transformation, BlackRock

The first star-studded institutional panel of the day featured Tony Ashraf, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Asset Transformation at BlackRock; Ronit Ghose, Global Head of Future of Finance at Citi Institute; Catherine Chen, Head of VIP & Institutional at Binance; Mike Reed, SVP and Head of Digital Asset Partnership Development at Franklin Templeton; Michael Martin, Wealth Management & Digital Assets at Bank Julius Baer; and was moderated by Henri Arslanian, Co‑Founder and Managing Partner at Nine Blocks Capital Management.

The session examined how crypto is shifting from curiosity to core allocation as traditional and digital markets increasingly interlink. BlackRock’s Tony Ashraf described “wrapping” traditional assets in crypto (and vice versa) to build bridges, enabled by regulation, maturing infrastructure, and growing demand for diversification. Ronit Ghose noted that what was commercially irrelevant in 2015 is now reshaped by tokenization and US‑backed stablecoins breaking out of the crypto silo. Catherine Chen pointed to far greater clarity and new Binance Wealth and Prestige offerings for previously hesitant clients, while Franklin Templeton’s Mike Reed argued that avoiding crypto is now an active choice given its risk‑return profile, and that products must be designed authentically on-chain. Moderator Henri Arslanian highlighted that half of global crypto users are under 34, as TradFi players race each other, not Binance, to adapt to this new investor base.

The Path Ahead

People are starting to recognize that stablecoins really are stable and much easier to manage and move, especially in this region. – Brad Garlinghouse

Moderated by CNBC’s Dan Murphy, this session brought together Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple; Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation; and Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance, to explore what’s next for crypto in a more regulated, institution-friendly landscape. Richard said he remains very bullish despite recent volatility, arguing that growing regulatory clarity and the steady arrival of institutions mean “the best is yet to come.” He stressed that big players take time to move but are clearly coming aboard, and highlighted stablecoins as a major driver of capital efficiency – cheaper, faster, and increasingly essential for institutions – while noting that Binance is now one of the most regulated entities in the space.

Brad framed the current phase as just another turn in crypto’s risk‑on/risk‑off cycles, but said macro tailwinds, a “massive sea change” in the previously hostile U.S. market, and the rise of spot ETFs all underpin his optimism going into 2026. He pointed out that only 1-2% of the total ETF market is currently in crypto and said he would bet that share will rise within a year as institutions that once sat on the sidelines “crawl, then walk, then run.” Lily emphasized that volatility is simply part of being in this industry and said the market is “doing just fine” at current Bitcoin levels, joking that her guest Wi‑Fi password was “Bitcoin100K” back in 2016 when people thought she was crazy. She connected today’s themes of speed, low cost, programmability, and liquidity back to early Bitcoin forum discussions a decade ago, arguing that Solana’s vision has always been to bring all of these features together as “tech for finance.” The session came to a memorable close with Brad Garlinghouse predicting that Bitcoin would reach $180,000 by either December 23 or December 31, 2026.

Rachel Conlan and Humans of Binance Live
The Humans of Binance live segment brought the campaign’s documentary-style storytelling onto the main stage, with Binance community members from LATAM, South Asia, and MENA putting faces and specifics to the idea of financial inclusion. Drawing on the same themes as the online series — that financial inclusion starts with accessibility and education — the speakers emphasized how Binance products like Academy, Earn, P2P, and simple spot trading are empowering individuals, not just investors.

Luis Jimenez from Latin America shared how discovering Binance in 2018 “felt like the beginning of the internet,” reinforcing that education must come first. “Use trusted resources like Binance Academy, educate yourself, and only then start investing.”

Mohit Malhotra, representing South Asia, noted that while crypto can still feel intimidating, its evolution — from ETFs to increasing global adoption — shows that the technology is real and here to stay. “When in doubt, check the Binance homepage and see the growing number of users as proof that this is very real.”

Guided by Binance Global CMO Rachel Conlan, the session brought the focus back to people — illustrating how Binance isn’t just shaping the future of finance, but transforming personal journeys today.

Balaji Srinivasan: Building the Network State
Balaji Srinivasan laid out his Network State thesis – after coins come not just new companies, but entirely new countries. He argued that founding network-native countries is “possible, preferable, and profitable,” defining a network state as a physical social network that grows from a single individual to a million aligned citizens. With 38 UN member states under one million people and UN membership expanding over time, he frames sufficient traction – measured in people, capital, and coordination – as the new prerequisite for diplomatic recognition. In his view, the land is already negotiating with the cloud, as states contend with increasingly powerful digital platforms and corporations.

He positions the network state as an exit option for those in failing systems — a digitally coordinated community that can migrate, invest, and build new institutions together using SaaS – society as a service. In his view, the next decade won’t just be about new products, but new opt-in network societies.

Innovation Stage Day 1
The Innovation Stage at Binance Blockchain Week 2025 delivered a dynamic lineup of forward-leaning panels and hands-on sessions, spotlighting the builders, applications, and technologies shaping the next era of Web3.

While the Main Stage explored major market, regulatory, and infrastructure themes, the Innovation Stage offered a more interactive, application-driven program — bringing attendees closer to real-world use cases, practical tools, and emerging products across the ecosystem.

The day opened with a welcome from the Stage emcee, followed by a deep dive into blockchain education and ecosystem growth across MENA, featuring leaders from King Saud University, the UAE Blockchain & AI Association, and Binance Academy.

Attendees then heard insights from top infrastructure teams including WalletConnect, Ledger, Heima Network, and others, who explored how wallets, security, and user-centric design are evolving to support the next billion users.

Other highlights included discussions on super-app architecture, the future of gaming and AI-driven economies, and practical sessions on payments, treasury innovation, and digital asset implementation, featuring speakers from Mastercard, First Digital, Better Payment Network, and Binance Fiat.

The afternoon delivered panels on AI x Web3, decentralized cloud infrastructure from Alibaba Cloud and AWS, next-generation digital stadiums and fan engagement, and a showcase of wallet and security innovations across the ecosystem.

Founders then took center stage during the Builders’ Showcase, giving rapid-fire pitches on new protocols, products, and market opportunities. The day wrapped with insights on DeFi liquidity trends heading into 2026, agentic payments powered by Binance Pay x Google Cloud, and a lively discussion on how culture and narratives continue to shape crypto markets.

You can catch the full replay of Innovation Stage Day 1 on Binance Live.

Celebrating the First-Ever Blockchain 100 Awards
Day 1 also featured a landmark moment for the global creator community with the inaugural Blockchain 100 Awards, held for the first time at Binance Blockchain Week. Sponsored by Celo and Lumia, the ceremony honored creators who have made exceptional contributions to blockchain education, storytelling, analysis, and community-building. Opening remarks by Binance Co-Founder Yi He set the tone for a night dedicated to recognizing voices shaping the way millions learn about crypto. Awardees from around the world — including researchers, traders, educators, meme creators, and cultural influencers — took the stage to share their journeys and the impact of their work.

With media partners across major global outlets and an energized audience inside the Coca-Cola Arena, the ceremony highlighted just how influential creators have become in driving Web3 adoption. The Blockchain 100 Awards underscored Binance’s dedication to elevating the talent that pushes the industry forward through education, open knowledge, and the creativity that fuels this new digital era.

See You on Day 2 Tomorrow!
As Day 1 wrapped at the Coca-Cola Arena, one thing was clear: Binance Blockchain Week 2025 is setting the pace for where digital assets, regulation, and real-world adoption are heading next. From high-conviction perspectives on Bitcoin and stablecoins to deep dives into Web3 architecture, tokenization, and cultural narratives, today’s sessions highlighted how fast the industry is maturing, and how builders, institutions, and policymakers are converging to shape the next decade of innovation.

But we’re only getting started. Day 2 brings a packed program of market insights, technical breakthroughs, and headline conversations — including Raoul Pal’s outlook for 2026, the Mastercard-Ripple-TON payments panel, the next wave of AI-driven trading intelligence, and of course, The Big Debate: Bitcoin vs. Tokenized Gold featuring CZ and Peter Schiff.

Check out the full agenda of our Day 2 events here. Don’t miss a moment — tune in tomorrow on Binance Live for all Main Stage sessions and follow our real-time coverage from Dubai as we continue into Day 2 of Binance Blockchain Week 2025!

Further Reading
Brace for Impact – Binance Blockchain Week 2025 Is Almost Here

BBW 2025 Speaker Line-Up: Exclusive Speaker Announcements for Binance Blockchain Week 2025

Binance Blockchain Week 2024 Report: Dubai Celebrates a Community-Driven Crypto Festival

Disclaimer: Content above may include third party comments and opinions (such as, without limitation, those expressed by moderators, hosts or participants that are not employees of Binance). Please note that: (a) all content is presented on an "as is" basis for general information purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind; (b) such comments and opinions belong to these third parties, and do not purport to reflect the views, comments or opinions of Binance; and (c) correspondingly, their comments and opinions as expressed is not intended to be and shall not be construed as an endorsement by Binance. We shall not be liable or responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from your use of such information. The content referred to above shall not be construed as financial advice.

2025-12-01
Main Takeaways
Binance Blockchain Week 2025 marks a pivotal moment for crypto, arriving as global adoption accelerates, institutions integrate digital assets, and Dubai emerges as a leading hub for Web3 innovation.

With Binance almost surpassing 300 million users and BBW’s growing cultural influence, this year’s edition brings together visionaries, regulators, builders, investors, and community leaders to shape crypto’s next chapter.

From stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization to AI-driven markets and new regulatory clarity, BBW 2025 sets the stage for how digital finance will evolve into 2026.

Setting the Stage
We are living through a pivot point in crypto’s story — and this December, the world’s eyes are turning to Dubai for a week that promises to be both a milestone and a manifesto. At the epicenter is Binance Blockchain Week 2025, the marquee gathering where community, innovation and industry collide. Think of it as the beating pulse of what crypto has become and where it’s going.

From the earliest days of crypto’s fringe beginnings, to the roar of major global adoption, the narrative arc has always included one gathering that signals something bigger. That gathering is Binance Blockchain Week. Founded by Binance, this annual festival has evolved from a connective-community conference into a global stage for the culture, the ideology, and the infrastructure of digital assets.

Binance’s Global Rise and Why the Moment Matters
It would be impossible to understand BBW’s significance without understanding the role of Binance in the broader ecosystem. In 2025, the platform has become the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world across metrics such as funds inflow and trading volume, and is on the brink of reaching almost 300 million registered users.

That puts Binance on par with the world’s largest digital platforms, rivaling the scale of global entertainment and social media giants. The path there wasn’t linear: it took nearly five years to reach the first 100 million users, just over two years to reach the next 100 million, and only about 18 months to reach the most recent 100 million. Adoption is accelerating, and Binance stands as a reliable barometer of its pace.

This growth mirrors crypto’s transition from a niche subculture to a mainstream financial force. And BBW, the flagship showcase of Binance’s global community, reflects that cultural shift. You feel it in the crowd, hear it in the conversations, and see it in the diversity of people who attend. Bankers, coders, creators, regulators, artists, VCs, academics, students, retail traders, skeptics, and evangelists all find themselves in the same space, collaborating on the narrative of what comes next.

From a Bold Experiment to a Cultural Tradition
Binance Blockchain Week began as a community-oriented gathering – part festival, part workshop, part summit – designed to bring crypto users together across borders and cultures. Over the years, it has transformed in scale and significance, evolving alongside the industry it serves. Its tone matured as the audience expanded and its influence widened.

Today, BBW has become a cultural anchor within crypto, a place where they come to belong. Thousands of Binance events happen worldwide every year, but this is the gathering, the one where founders, policymakers, builders, KOLs, creators, institutions, and the global community meet under one roof.

And this year, that roof is the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, a city that has rapidly branded itself as one of the world’s most dynamic hubs for Web3 innovation.

The 2024 edition of BBW in Dubai drew over 4,600 in-person attendees representing 126 countries, with more than one million live-stream viewers joining globally. The event featured 204 speakers, 307 industry influencers, and was the largest gathering of Binance Angels to date, with 86 volunteers contributing from around the world. International attendees comprised 60% of the total, underscoring BBW’s global reach.

Why BBW 2025 Arrives at a Turning Point
This brings us to 2025: a year defined by rapid expansion of institutional interest, regulatory clarity advancement in major markets, accelerated infrastructure development, and the mainstreaming of crypto payments and tokenized finance.

BBW 2025 arrives in the middle of all this movement. The stakes are higher, the questions are more urgent, and the opportunities are bigger. The tone of BBW 2025 is already clear: a forward-facing, globally connected, innovation-driven summit focused on real-world transformation.

Dubai’s role as a regulatory trailblazer and global meeting point only elevates the importance of this edition. In many ways, 2025 feels like a reset: a fresh chapter for an industry that has outgrown its adolescent chaos.

Who’s Coming — and What That Reveals About the Moment
Rather than list every speaker (we’ve done it elsewhere), it’s more telling to look at the types of people and institutions that anchor this year’s conversations. Several names on the agenda carry clues on where we are at this point in the decentralized movement.

You’ll see visionaries like Michael Saylor, whose conviction around Bitcoin has shaped mainstream narratives for years; top political and regulatory voices such as H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, representing a government shaping itself as a global leader in digital-asset policy and innovation; infrastructure and market leaders like Brad Garlinghouse from Ripple and Lily Liu from Solana, projects that shape liquidity, development, and market structure worldwide.

And then there’s CZ, stepping back into the global spotlight. CZ’s vision remains oriented toward long-term global adoption and education, and his on-stage debate with longtime crypto critic Peter Schiff promises to be one of the most discussed cultural moments of the entire week.

Their ideological clash, Bitcoin maximalism versus gold maximalism, decentralization versus tradition, captures something bigger than two individuals. It represents the tension between the old world and the new one, a tension that defines much of crypto’s evolution.

Key Storylines Shaping BBW 2025
A glance at the BBW 2025 agenda reveals several themes that will likely dominate the narrative this year. They represent the pulse of where crypto is heading.

One major theme is crypto as global infrastructure, a look at crypto beyond just an investment class. Another is responsible innovation, reflecting the maturation of the industry, especially amid increasing regulatory clarity in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. There’s also a strong emphasis on community inclusion, ensuring BBW remains accessible to both new entrants and seasoned participants.

Dubai’s position as a global crypto hub ties all this together. The city’s forward-thinking frameworks and appetite for innovation make it one of the few places where government, industry, and community can collaborate openly and constructively.

Macro Trends Paving the Path to 2026
This year’s conversations will be layered against some of the most pivotal macro developments since the birth of crypto. A few deserve special attention:

Stablecoins: These assets have become a global settlement layer, underpinning cross-border commerce, remittances, treasury solutions, and institutional flows.

Tokenized real-world assets: 2025 marked a tipping point, with major financial institutions, asset managers, and sovereign entities exploring tokenization of money-market funds, real estate, and other traditionally illiquid assets.

On-chain liquidity and institutional integration: Trading desks, custodians, banks, and exchanges are now building infrastructure for 24/7 on-chain settlement, bringing unprecedented transparency and efficiency to markets.

AI x crypto convergence: Automation, intelligence, and decentralized compute are shaping the next iteration of on-chain markets and digital-asset analysis.

Global regulatory frameworks: Many countries, especially in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, are shifting from exploratory policy to defined regulation, legitimizing crypto’s place within global finance.

Why You Should Pay Attention
If you care about the future of money, identity, culture, or digital ownership, BBW 2025 offers an opportunity to plug directly into the global conversation. Even for people who aren’t deep in crypto, this year offers a rare insight into how digital finance is evolving and how quickly it’s becoming part of everyday life.

For builders and founders, it’s a chance to showcase work and find partners. For creators and KOLs, it’s where narratives form. For institutions, it’s where the next phase of blockchain infrastructure becomes real. For the public, it’s an invitation to witness a new chapter unfold in real time.

And for anyone who believes in the long arc of this industry, BBW remains one of the few places where its culture, technology, and global community truly come together.

See It Live or Join the Global Livestream
Binance Blockchain Week 2025 runs on December 3-4 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. You can join in person, feel the energy, and meet the builders of tomorrow. Or you can follow the full coverage live from anywhere in the world. Here are the links:

LIVE: Binance Blockchain Week 2025 Day 1

LIVE: Binance Blockchain Week 2025 Day 2

LIVE: The Blockchain 100 Award Ceremony

LIVE: The Big Debate: Bitcoin vs. Tokenized Gold featuring CZ and Peter Schiff.

Tickets are still available here.

Whichever way you choose to join, this year’s edition will be one to remember.

Further Reading
BBW 2025 Speaker Line-Up: Exclusive Speaker Announcements for Binance Blockchain Week 2025

Binance Blockchain Week 2024 Report: Dubai Celebrates a Community-Driven Crypto Festival

Building the Future: Binance Blockchain Week Docuseries Drops Today

Disclaimer: Content above may include third party comments and opinions (such as, without limitation, those expressed by moderators, hosts or participants that are not employees of Binance). Please note that: (a) all content is presented on an "as is" basis for general information purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind; (b) such comments and opinions belong to these third parties, and do not purport to reflect the views, comments or opinions of Binance; and (c) correspondingly, their comments and opinions as expressed is not intended to be and shall not be construed as an endorsement by Binance. We shall not be liable or responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from your use of such information. The content referred to above shall not be construed as financial advice.