Hey there, crypto friends!

We just got back from ETH Toronto and the Blockchain Futurist Conference, and it felt only right to give a quick peek into our time in Toronto.

First off, big thanks to everyone who dropped by our booth. And if you were one of the hundreds of new friends who downloaded our app – hey, welcome to the Giddy family!

I’m still buzzing from the energy. For those who couldn’t make it or are curious about our experience, here are my takeaways:

Ethereum L2’s: Support Only Continues to Grow

There’s been a lot of chatter about Ethereum L2’s, but perhaps what struck me from this event is just how much the Ethereum community has embraced them.  Layer 2 solutions, which provide scalability enhancements to the Ethereum blockchain, have always captured our interest due to their potential to enhance transaction speeds and reduce costs. It’s also the reason why we launched Giddy on Polygon. If this is a sign of things to come, then the future of Ethereum isn’t just bright; it’s dazzling.

Crypto Knowledge: Everyone’s Stepped Up Their Game

Perhaps this was because it was an Ethereum-centric conference, or because the bear market has led to a reduction in newbies attending these kinds of events, but I was incredibly impressed by the general understanding of crypto fundamentals among those I talked to. Fundamental concepts like account abstraction and key custodianship, which might have felt like niche topics during the fever pitch bull run of 2021, were at the forefront of our conversations. In other words, it feels like the community has collectively leveled up. And hey, that’s fantastic news for all of us in the industry.

Key Custody? Yeah, Still Matters. A Lot.

Speaking of key custodianship, it’s clear that the concept of “who holds the keys?” remains top priority among those we talked with. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: having control over your own private keys means you’re in the driving seat when it comes to your assets. And this fact was never made more clear than it was during the failures of FTX and too many other high-profile centralized custodian failures. It felt like the crypto community woke up and started to take a deeper look at self-custody. It’s great to see that focus is still alive and well!

Market Vibes: Still Going Strong

Here’s the thing: the market data, charts, news, and general vibe are all pretty terrible for crypto out there. Prices and market cap have been crabbing for quite some time, and a lot of the hype has moved on from the space into AI, superconductors, and “the next big thing.” But it sure didn’t feel like that in Toronto. The energy, the enthusiasm, the pervasive need to build—it was all electric. The builders are still busy building, innovating, and refining. And if this is the level of drive and determination we’re witnessing during the troughs of a bear market, I can only imagine the fireworks we’re going to see during the next bull run.

A Few More Things:

Our Main Stage Session: Huge thanks to Blockchain Futurist and ETH Toronto for handing over the main stage mic. Eric killed it with a presentation about how seed phrases are holding back the industry. The next one billion people are coming into crypto, and they aren’t going to do it by writing down 12 to 24 words on a piece of paper!

Beyond the Booths and Panels: One of the best parts of events like this are the unscripted moments. Bumping into old friends, making new ones, and impromptu chats that dive deep into a topic — these are the moments that make events truly special. And, often turn into major partnerships or feature rollouts that end up in future versions of Giddy!

Future Gazing: From innovative DeFi projects to unique NFT platforms, the array of projects showcased signaled that the crypto world is in for some exciting times. It’s always a treat to see fresh ideas and the passion behind them.

Wrapping up, both ETH Toronto and Blockchain Futurist Conference were more than just another couple of dates on the calendar; they were a testament to the resilience, innovation, and spirit of the crypto community. Here’s to many more!

Thanks to all who made it memorable. Until the next one,

Stay Giddy,

Travis Tidball

Head of Marketing at Giddy.