Blockchain conference returns to Olin this month

Digital disruption will meet financial services on July 24, 2017, at Olin Business School, to determine how blockchain technology will shape the future of trading. The second annual Distributed: Trade blockchain conference is sponsored by Olin’s Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Finance and Accounting Research (WFA CFAR), BTC Media, and the SixThirty fintech seed fund and accelerator.

“The WFA CFAR is pleased to support the second blockchain conference on the Washington University campus,” said John E. Simon Professor of Finance Anjan Thakor, director of doctoral programs and CFAR. “This is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas about one of the exciting new developments in financial markets.”

An accompanying 24-hour blockchain hackathon will be held from July 22 to 23 at  T-REX, the technology incubator located in downtown St. Louis.

The conference will build on the revelations and groundbreaking progress made last year with proofs of concept and lessons learned from industry trailblazers. More than 300 attendees will hear from over 40 speakers.

Returning speakers include Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Hyperledger, and Iliana Oris Valiente, strategy and execution lead for Deloitte/Rubix. New speakers include Andrew Keys, head of global business development for ConsenSys, and Brook Armstrong, CEO and co-founder of Blockskye.

“The inaugural Distributed: Trade conference was such a success, both for attendees and our presenters, that we knew it would return to the international trade and financial services hub of St. Louis,” said David Bailey, CEO of BTC Media. “This year we plan to build on that success and take a deeper dive into the disruptive potential that blockchain technology has in this space.”

The conference is being presented by BTC Media in partnership with SixThirty, the global fintech seed fund based in St. Louis, and is the first global event focusing on blockchain technology applications for both trade networks and financial services.

“Distributed ledger technology holds a ton of promise for the ‘world of trade,’” said Atul Kamra, managing partner of SixThirty. “We are bringing together leading thinkers and practitioners to the ‘Show Me State’ to realize this promise and accelerate adoption.”

Distributed: Trade will be a place for blockchain technology innovators, enterprising startups, and firmly established legacy players to discuss the opportunities presented by distributed ledger technology in global payments, insurance services, supply chain management, and capital market operations.

“Distributed is an awesome series of events,” Behlendorf said. “I always have interesting conversations and find the panels go well beyond the standard format and content. It’s great to be able to dive deep into a given sector during each event. I attend as many as I can.”

For details and registration, visit distributed.com/trade.

Source: BTC Media news release

See photos of the event