Over the years, Taiwan has remained rather open to blockchain and cryptocurrency, at least compared to its fellow Northeast Asia countries such as China and Korea.
While they were originally criticized for lacking any regulation in the Fintech markets, and struggled to embrace emerging technologies in the past, they have – especially in the recent years – assertively made their stance clear on becoming the world’s next blockchain island (much like Malta).
On August 29, 2018, Taiwan Legislator and Congressman, Jason Hsu, came out and expressed his desired plan to establish the small nation as a crypto-centric one. Since then, Taiwan – recognizing the economic growth potential blockchain technology could bring – has taken a forward approach to self-regulate local cryptocurrency.
They have even gone as far as establishing the Taiwan Crypto Blockchain Self-Regulatory Organization. Hsu, called the ‘Crypto Congressman’ continues to push open the doors for blockchain companies.
And as that occurs, the country itself sees more Fintech and blockchain conferences popping up. The following six events below are the top upcoming ones in the next few months, ending off 2018 with a bang and entering 2019 head held high.
AppWorks Demo Day#17 – AI/Blockchain Startups
November 8, 2018
Taipei Marriott Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan
Hosted by AppWorks, Demo Day #17 is an accelerator program based in Taipei, Taiwan, this Demo Day #17 event will highlight 28 different AI and blockchain start-ups from all around the world. There will be an exciting batch of 11 Blockchain/Crypto (ex: a company like Funders Token, an AWS for Blockchain) and 17 AI/IoT-centered start-ups (ex: a company like Ibo.ai, an AI assistant solutions) with participants from countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Poland, Sweden, and US.
It will be a great place for potential investors to see the rising talent in the AI and blockchain space. Moreover, the event serves as a networking space for future collaboration and staying up to date with the latest applications in the industry.
2018 Taiwan BIG Demo
November 12, 2018
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park 14F, Taipei, Taiwan
The 2018 Taiwan BIG Demo – Technology Team Angel Investment International Exhibition is an event sponsored by the National Institute of Experimental Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center. The exhibition presents and discusses topics in areas of biomedical, AI, and FinTech. There will be a total of 65 exhibition stands, with participants from Silicon Valley and Singapore.
The event will consist of angel investors, venture capital representatives, start-up teams, fellow entrepreneurs, and the Minister of Science and Technology. It will be an exciting opportunity for exhibitors to meet and greet fellow entrepreneurs and investors.
MedTex Summit Asia 2018
November 29, 2018
Grande Luxe Banquet, CTBC Financial Plaza Building A, Taipei, Taiwan
Organized by Taiwan Healthcare+ – the place for medical and biotech opportunities in the country, MedTex Summit Asia 2018 is an interesting summit that brings key thought leaders in the medical and tech industry, all together in a single space.
The summit tends to speak on cross-industry trends, from intelligent healthcare to bio-innovation. It examines how the healthcare industry can leverage emerging technologies to create the best solutions for the future. Overall, the summit welcomes discussion on how to incorporate AI, supercomputing, and blockchain decentralization technology for advancing patient care.
This event is specifically beneficial for people in the IT and medical industry. It is also ideal for biotech, pharmaceutical, and device companies that aim to learn and partner with healthcare industry professionals located in Asia.
2018 Forbes Global Blockchain Summit & Economic Forum
December 11-14, 2018
Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan
Organized in collaboration with Forbes Media Hong Kong Limited with High-Tek Harness Ent. Co. and CSquare Holdings Limited, the Forbes Global Blockchain Summit & Economic Forum have recently been postponed to December 11-14, 2018 (originally November 13-15, 2018).
As technological change continues to nurture economic growth, blockchain stands at the forefront of that. The summit helps to establish a better ecology within the blockchain industry by providing an opportunity for investment cooperation and exchange. It discusses the current trends in the industry and will aim at fostering Taiwan as a leader within in the blockchain space.
With over 300+ blockchain companies and 8000 people in attendance, there will also be notable speakers such as Bart Chilton, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Mike Perlis, Forbes Media Vice-Chairman, and Tim Richer, IBM Blockchain Global Market Leader to name a few.
Taiwan Blockchain Tech Summit 2019
January 16, 2019
Taipei New Horizon, Taiwan
With Taiwan growing as one of the top-ranked communities for blockchain technology adoption, it is no wonder that iThome plans on setting up Taiwan Blockchain Tech Summit 2019. It is a seminar that will take place on January 19 of next year at the Taipei New Horizon Shopping Mall.
As the days count down, November 26, 2018, is the last day for speaker submissions. Here, the seminar aims at reviewing blockchain technology’s role in helping transform the country’s current industries and driving innovation.
World Blockchain Summit Taipei
January 24-25, 2019
Taipei, Taiwan
Known as one of the biggest blockchain summit events across the world, Trecon’s World Blockchain Summit series has spanned across countries like Singapore, Dubai, Frankfurt, etc. It is no doubt that it serves to be one of the premium blockchain conferences where people come to talk about all things blockchain.
With media partners ranging from Bitcoin.com to Apla, it is no wonder that Trecon chose Taipei to stand as 2019’s event venue. Every minute, the nation of Taiwan continues to grow in innovation, as it works hard to make Taipei a ‘smart city.’ They have even established the Taiwan Parliamentary Coalition for Blockchain to help nurture the country’s blockchain sector.
Besides the plethora of sponsors at the event, some notable speakers present at the event include the Co-Founder of Ethereum, Charles Hoskinson, Wesam Lootah, the CEO of Smart Dubai Government Establishment, Miko Matsumura the Founder of Evercoin, and Nick Ayton, the Founder to Chainstarter.