亚洲首个线下以太坊社群中心启幕

Asia's first Ethereum offline community hub, ETH Hong Kong Hub, officially launched on April 21, 2026. Supported by the Ethereum Foundation's Ethereum Everywhere (EE) team and jointly operated by SNZ and ETHTAO, this physical community space marks the first time Ethereum has a long-term, open, and sustainable offline community hub in Asia. It further solidifies Hong Kong's crucial position in the global digital asset and technological innovation landscape.

The launch event brought together key figures, institutional representatives, and technical communities from the global Ethereum ecosystem. Speakers and participants included Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum Foundation President Aya Miyaguchi, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation) Duncan Chiu, Director of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) Peter YAN, SNZ Founder Gilles Shi, Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom, and HashKey Group Chairman & CEO Dr. Xiao Feng. The event attracted over 1,500 registered attendees, including developers, institutions, and innovators from around the world, making it one of the most anticipated events during Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. A total of 16 founders/CEOs and 10 SVPs or business leads were invited as speakers for Keynotes and Panels.

ETH HK Hub Grand Opening & Meetup was sponsored by Spark, Lido, Galaxy Digital, and Zand Bank, jointly fostering communication and development within the Ethereum ecosystem in Asia.

Making Hong Kong a Place Where Builders "Can Come Back"

ETH Hong Kong Hub is not just a physical space; it's a long-running offline community hub connecting developers, institutions, and entrepreneurs, driving the deep integration of Web2 and Web3.

Henry Chen, Chief Business Officer of SNZ Holding, stated:

"With Vitalik, Aya, and other core Ethereum figures coming to Hong Kong, the city is once again becoming a gathering point for global builders – a place where they can 'come back.'"

"Hong Kong is Asia's financial and technological innovation center, and one of the world's most active and well-regulated Web3 hubs. Located in the heart of West Kowloon, ETH Hong Kong Hub connects people from all over."

"Over the past ten months, we worked with the Ethereum Foundation to build this space from scratch. Its official opening today feels like a 'new beginning' – a community that needs everyone's participation and collective growth."

"ETH Hong Kong Hub serves as the community gathering center within this 'home,' allowing builders from diverse backgrounds to meet, collaborate, and grow. The Hub provides members and Ethereum co-builders with one-stop services ranging from office space and event venues to localized support (including enterprise and talent services), as well as ecosystem enablement, incubation investment, and business matchmaking. 'How can a mansion provide shelter for all the world's needy?' A true community makes everyone feel a sense of belonging."

Vitalik: Technological Inflection Point Has Arrived, a New Building Cycle Begins

In the opening fireside chat, Vitalik Buterin and Duncan Chiu conversed in Mandarin, reviewing Vitalik's over ten-year connection with the Chinese-speaking community and delving into topics like the latest Ethereum roadmap, L2s, AI, and quantum resistance.

Vitalik stated that with the maturation of Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZK) technology and Artificial Intelligence significantly lowering development barriers, a new generation of developers is gaining unprecedented opportunities. He pointed out:

• L2s should complement L1, not simply replicate it.
• L1 remains the irreplaceable native settlement layer.
• Future scaling encompasses not just data scaling but also computation scaling.

Regarding AI and quantum-resistant technologies, Vitalik said these challenges are "entirely solvable but need serious effort," emphasizing the need for infrastructure to prepare for long-term changes ahead.

He also encouraged builders in the Chinese-speaking community to start from real-world needs, explore the integration of Ethereum with AI, open-source hardware, and other directions, creating novel application forms different from the past.

Aya Miyaguchi: Building a Long-Term Sustainable Ecosystem with a 'Philosophy of Subtraction'

In another fireside chat, Ethereum Foundation President Aya Miyaguchi shared the core philosophy behind the long-term development of the Ethereum ecosystem.

She stated that the Foundation's goal is not to dominate or control the ecosystem but to ensure its ability to operate independently in the long run. She proposed that Ethereum needs to pass the so-called "Walk-away test," where at some future point, the protocol and ecosystem should function stably even without the Foundation's involvement.

"The system needs to be able to continue running without the Ethereum Foundation."

Aya noted that this philosophy stems from the Foundation's long-standing "philosophy of subtraction." During the ICO boom, the Foundation faced external suggestions to expand its team and adopt a corporate structure (e.g., appointing a CTO or CMO). Ultimately, it chose a different path, supporting the ecosystem through "coordination, not control."

She further explained that this design allows the Ethereum ecosystem to evolve continuously without relying on a single center of authority, constantly generating new innovations.

Aya also mentioned that community spaces like ETH Hong Kong Hub are a manifestation of the Ethereum ecosystem's spontaneous evolution, reflecting the sustained development and activity of the global community in different regions.

Joseph Chalom: Ethereum is Becoming the 'Global Financial Ledger'

Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom systematically elaborated on Ethereum's long-term value from an institutional finance perspective in his keynote speech.

He stated that the current global financial system is undergoing profound transformation, and traditional trust mechanisms are inefficient:

• Trade settlements still take 1–3 days.
• There are numerous fragmented databases globally.
• High costs are incurred for intermediaries and trust establishment.

He pointed out: "Ethereum is becoming the global financial ledger and trustware."

Joseph further stated that Ethereum has established a leading advantage in security, liquidity, and institutional trust. The development of stablecoins, Real World Assets (RWA), and DeFi is constructing a new on-chain financial system.

He emphasized that with clearer regulations and accelerating institutional adoption, blockchain technology is moving from the experimental phase to large-scale application.

Animoca Brands × EVG: AI Agents are Reshaping Business Models and On-Chain Economic Structures

In another fireside chat, EVG Co-founder & Co-CEO Allen Ng and Animoca Brands Co-founder & Executive Chairman Yat Siu discussed the intersection of AI Agents and Web3 applications.

Yat Siu stated that AI Agents are evolving from information tools into execution-capable systems that can participate in real-world tasks and form large-scale automated collaboration networks in the future. He noted that as users increasingly obtain information through AI rather than clicking links, the traditional ad-centric internet business model is being challenged.

"The future key is no longer traffic, but micro, high-frequency payments driven by Agents."

He further emphasized that as interactions and transaction volumes between Agents expand, blockchain's low-cost, real-time settlement capabilities make it the essential infrastructure supporting the Agent economy.

Allen Ng added that AI Agents will significantly lower the barrier to entry for Web3, allowing users to perform on-chain operations through Agents, thereby driving broader application adoption.

From AI to On-Chain Finance: Agenda Outlines a Complete Application Landscape

The agenda of this ETH HK Hub launch event focused on key application directions within the Ethereum ecosystem, systematically presenting the complete path from technological evolution to scaled application, spanning infrastructure, AI × blockchain convergence, on-chain finance, and real-world assets.

In the Institutional Crypto Adoption panel, Samuel Chong from Lido, Leroy Lin from Galaxy Digital, Jaewon Yu from SignalPlus, and Shan Shan Shui from Morpho discussed institutional crypto asset adoption, exploring how institutional capital is gradually entering the on-chain ecosystem—from liquid staking and institutional trading services to on-chain lending.

In his keynote, "100X Ethereum L1: The ZK Path to Infinite Compute," Brevis Co-founder & CEO Michael Dong shared insights on Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK) and verifiable computation. He proposed that by decoupling computation and verification, it's possible to overcome the performance bottleneck caused by redundant computation on the blockchain, paving the way for large-scale scaling infrastructure for Ethereum.

During the "Future AI on Blockchain" panel, Codatta CEO Yi Zhang, Quantum Quills Co-founder Rui Ding, Alsa Founder & CEO Jordan Liu, and Starchild / Orderly Co-founder Ran Yi discussed the integration of AI and blockchain. The consensus was that AI Agents are transitioning from tools to economic participants, and blockchain will provide them with a decentralized payment and settlement network.

In his keynote, "Building Verifiable Agents for the Autonomous Economy," Primus Co-founder & CEO Xie Xiang proposed that future AI Agents not only need execution capabilities but also verifiability. An on-chain Verification Layer will become critical infrastructure for supporting automated Agent transactions and trusted collaboration.

In the panel "From Stablecoins to Real Settlement: Building Global Liquidity on Ethereum," SNZ Holding Chief Strategy Officer Larry Ma, Infini Founder Christian Li, Pay Protocol Co-founder Yolanda Liu, Cap Money Global Head of Business Gigi Yip, and Zand Bank CEO Michael Chan discussed stablecoins, on-chain settlement, and global liquidity. They pointed out that stablecoins are driving capital migration on-chain, gradually building a financial system using blockchain as the settlement layer.

In his keynote, "Integrating TradFi with Web3: Growth in Asia," Chainlink VP of APAC & Middle East Niki Ariyasinghe shared the latest developments in on-chain compliance, asset tokenization, and cross-border asset distribution from an institutional perspective. He highlighted that Hong Kong is becoming a vital hub for global institutions driving on-chain finance.

In her keynote, "On-chain Financial Infrastructure for the Age of AI," HashKey Chain Lead Serena Wang introduced the layout of on-chain financial infrastructure for institutions, developers, users, and AI Agents. She emphasized connecting traditional capital markets with the on-chain economy through compliant DeFi, RWA issuance, and institutional-grade service systems.

In her keynote, GCC representative Yuxin shared insights on public goods and the open-source ecosystem, detailing GCC's long-term support for open-source infrastructure, privacy networks, and developer communities. She emphasized that the long-term development of Web3 relies not only on commercial drivers but also on the sustained investment of public goods and non-profit funds.

Overall, the launch agenda, themed around "Institutional Adoption – Technology Scaling – AI Agents – Payments & Settlements – On-Chain Finance – Public Goods," fully presented the evolutionary path of the Ethereum ecosystem from foundational innovation to real-world applications.

Hong Kong: A Key Coordination Node in the Global Ethereum Ecosystem

As a crucial bridge connecting Asian and global capital, Hong Kong boasts unique advantages in regulation, finance, and cross-border resource integration.

Duncan Chiu stated that the establishment of ETH Hong Kong Hub will further strengthen Hong Kong's status as an international technology and digital asset hub, providing an open and compliant platform for exchange and collaboration for global developers and enterprises.

Unlike short-term events, the core of ETH Hong Kong Hub lies in its sustainability:

• Regularly accessible offline collaboration space
• Regularly hosted tech sharing sessions and community events
• Long-term connection between developers, institutions, and entrepreneurs

With this positioning, ETH Hong Kong Hub's initial establishment has attracted over 30 Ethereum ecosystem projects, institutions, and enterprises covering infrastructure, DeFi, institutional services, and emerging applications, forming an initial offline ecosystem network with diverse collaborative capabilities.

About ETH Hong Kong Hub

ETH Hong Kong Hub is Asia's first Ethereum offline community hub. Supported by the Ethereum Foundation's Ethereum Everywhere team and jointly operated by SNZ and ETHTAO, the Hub is dedicated to bridging Eastern and Western ecosystems, integrating Web2 and Web3. Through continuous community building, technical exchange, and resource synergy, it aims to drive the long-term development and application of Ethereum in Asia.