WEBTHREEPEDIA RESEARCH

EthCC9 Cannes Networking Intelligence Briefing

Event Intelligence Agent|September 16, 2026|Event Intel

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

EthCC[9] in Cannes (March 28 - April 4, 2026) features across 8 days, marking a decisive shift toward institutional crypto adoption. This week represents the convergence of traditional finance and DeFi, with major themes including: - : Banks (JPMorgan, BN...

Executive Summary

EthCC[9] in Cannes (March 28 - April 4, 2026) features 201 side events across 8 days, marking a decisive shift toward institutional crypto adoption. This week represents the convergence of traditional finance and DeFi, with major themes including:

Institutional DeFi: Banks (JPMorgan, BNY Mellon), asset managers (Apollo, BlackRock), and family offices entering onchain finance
RWA Tokenization: The $50-60B tokenized asset market gaining momentum with MiCA compliance
Privacy Infrastructure: Starknet's STRK20 privacy framework and FHE/ZK innovations
Layer 2 Expansion: Kraken's Ink reaching $450M TVL, Linea splitting from Consensys
Regulatory Clarity: MiCA enforcement creating competitive advantages for compliant players

Registration Status: Successfully registered for 3 events, 4 pending approval, 4 paid events identified.

Registration Status

| Event | Day | Status | Next Action | |-------|-----|--------|-------------| | DeFi Day | Mon 3/30 | ✅ Registered | Check ric@staex.io for confirmation | | Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup | Mon 3/30 | ✅ Registered | Check ric@staex.io for confirmation | | 🇫🇷 ETHCC Château Happy Hour 🥂 | Mon 3/30 | ✅ Registered | Confirmed with ric@staex.io | | Starknet Party | Tue 3/31 | ⏳ Pending | Monitor ric@staex.io | | Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun | Wed 4/1 | ⏳ Pending | Monitor ric@staex.io | | Private Garden Party | Thu 4/2 | ⏳ Pending | Monitor ric@staex.io | | Wine & Web3 Growth | Mon 3/30 | ⏳ Pending | Monitor ric@staex.io | | Proof of Liquidity (Yield Network & Ink) | Mon 3/30 | 💰 Paid | $170 - Evaluate ROI | | Family Offices & Investors Summit | Mon 3/30 | 💰 Paid | $1 (Michelin Dinner) | | TokenizeThis Cannes 2026 | Mon 3/30 | 💰 Paid | $29 - Strong RWA content | | DeFi in the Sky 3.0 | Wed 4/1 | 🚫 Sold Out | Find attendees to meet | | WalletCon Cannes 2026 | Tue 3/31 | ❌ Registration Issue | Re-attempt or contact organizers | | Builder Nights Cannes | Mon 3/30 | ❌ Registration Issue | High priority - contact MetaMask team |

Day-by-Day Intelligence

Day 1: Saturday, March 28

Strategy: Recovery day. Light technical workshops. Save energy for Sunday-Wednesday peak.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM | 👹 BEAST MODE - zkEVM / Ethproofs day | Tier 2 | Open | Technical founders in privacy/zkEVM (16 attendees) | | 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Rayls Hackathon | Tier 3 | Open | RWA institutional focus (20 attendees) |

Schedule Recommendation:

Morning: Arrive Cannes, settle accommodation
Afternoon: Optional - BEAST MODE if interested in zkEVM tech
Evening: Early rest for Sunday networking

Day 2: Sunday, March 29

Strategy: Pre-conference positioning. VCs arrive early. Focus on intimate investor events.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Institutions Onchain | Tier 1 | Open | Full-day DeFi/Institutional summit (26 attendees) | | 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM | The Gate [CANNES] - Tori, Delphi Ventures & RockawayX | Tier 1 | Open | Top VC gathering (9 attendees - intimate) | | 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Investors Meetup by Hybrid Capital | Tier 1 | Open | VC/Institutional focus (26 attendees) | | 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM | The Cannes Digital Assets House | Tier 1 | Open | RWA focus (24 attendees) |

Key People to Meet:

VC Representatives from Delphi Ventures - Recently backed several Solana DeFi protocols. Talking point: Ask about their thesis on institutional DeFi vs retail DeFi divergence in 2026.
RockawayX Partners - Active in European crypto infrastructure. Talking point: MiCA's impact on their portfolio companies.
Hybrid Capital Team - Focus on institutional crypto allocation. Talking point: How family offices are structuring DeFi exposure post-CLARITY Act.

Schedule Recommendation:

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Institutions Onchain (arrive early, network during breaks)
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: The Gate [CANNES] VC Party (priority networking)
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Investors Meetup by Hybrid Capital (overlap okay - rotating presence)
10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: Cannes Digital Assets House (RWA conversations)

Day 3: Monday, March 30 — HIGHEST VALUE DAY

Strategy: Main conference Day 1. Maximum events, institutional presence peaks. Prioritize registered events + key side events.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Coffee On Us ☕ - Espresso & Celo | Tier 2 | Open | Morning networking (24 attendees) | | 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM | TokenizeThis Cannes 2026 | Tier 1 | 💰 Paid ($29) | RWA leaders: RedStone, institutional focus (30 attendees) | | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup | Tier 1 | ✅ Registered | Tectonic, Sushi, W3JOE, Hack VC, Halborn (35 attendees) | | 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM | DeFi Day | Tier 1 | ✅ Registered | TOP EVENT: Aave-hosted, JPMorgan, Circle, Mastercard, Fireblocks speakers (37 attendees) | | 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Family Offices & Investors Summit Michelin Dinner | Tier 1 | 💰 Paid ($1) | 200+ elite funds, $800B AUM (36 attendees) | | 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Proof of Liquidity - Yield Network & Ink | Tier 1 | 💰 Paid ($170) | Institutional capital formation, Kraken's Ink L2 (37 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM | Builder Nights Cannes 🇫🇷 - MetaMask, Linea, Tron, Pudgy, LiFi | Tier 1 | ❌ Issue | CRITICAL: 71 attendees, MetaMask/Linea ecosystem | | 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM | 🇫🇷 ETHCC Château Happy Hour 🥂 | Tier 1 | ✅ Confirmed | Security focus (33 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Wine & Web3 Growth | Tier 1 | ⏳ Pending | VC focus (30 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Founder x VC Happy Hour | Tier 1 | ❌ Issue | Top networking (38 attendees) |

Key People to Meet:

Stani Kulechov (Founder, Aave)

Speaking at DeFi Day
Recent: Aave deposits hit $30B (+30% in Q3 2026); Aave V4 grew from $50M to $400M TVL in 3 months; "Aave Will Win" proposal passed with 75% support, redirecting 100% protocol revenue to DAO
Talking points:
1. "Congrats on the AWW proposal passing - how is the 100% revenue redirection changing DAO dynamics?"
2. "Aave just exited 6 chains covering $98M - what's your framework for chain selection in 2026?"
3. "You mentioned $50T in 'abundance assets' by 2050 - which asset classes are you most excited about tokenizing first?"

Christine Moy (Partner, Head of Digital Assets, Apollo)

Speaking at Real-World Asset Summit (Tue 3/31)
Recent: Apollo exploring tokenization of private credit portfolios
Talking points:
1. "How is Apollo thinking about custody and oracle infrastructure for tokenized private credit?"
2. "What due diligence requirements do traditional asset managers need for DeFi integration?"

Representatives from Circle

Speaking at DeFi Day
Recent: Circle became the ONLY large-cap USD stablecoin issuer fully MiCA-compliant; USDC transfer volume hit $1.21T in June 2026 (2x USDT); EURC market cap doubled to $430M
Talking points:
1. "Circle's MiCA compliance is crushing USDT in EU - how are you handling the surge in institutional demand?"
2. "USDC volume doubled USDT's in June - what changed?"
3. "EURC doubled to $430M market cap - which European markets are driving adoption?"

JPMorgan Kinexys Team

Speaking at DeFi Day
Recent: JPMorgan rebranded Onyx to Kinexys; filed for JPMorgan OnChain Liquidity-Token MMF (JLTXX) on Ethereum; Tokenized Collateral Network launched; platform processes $2B daily, $1.5T total since 2020
Talking points:
1. "The JLTXX tokenized MMF filing is fascinating - how do you see tokenized treasuries competing with DeFi yields?"
2. "Kinexys processed $1.5T - what surprised you most about institutional blockchain adoption?"
3. "Your Tokenized Collateral Network just launched - which asset classes are institutions most eager to tokenize as collateral?"

Fireblocks Team

Speaking at DeFi Day
Recent: Integrated EDX Markets (Sep 2026) for direct institutional transfers; expanded Thales partnership for bank-grade security (Feb 2026); integrated Circle Payment Rails (July 2026); $1.04B funding from General Atlantic, CapitalG, Index Ventures
Talking points:
1. "The EDX Markets integration is huge for institutional flow - what custody pain points does this solve?"
2. "You're working with 80+ banks in production - what's the #1 concern banks have about DeFi custody?"

Kraken Ink Team

At Proof of Liquidity event (co-hosted by Ink)
Recent: Ink TVL grew from $7M to $450M (Oct 2025 - Feb 2026); app revenue: $500K to $5.77M; Aave DAO approved white-label V3 deployment (99.8% vote); first Superchain with multiple fault-proof challengers; INK token launching with 1B hard cap
Talking points:
1. "Ink's TVL went from $7M to $450M in 4 months - what's driving that growth?"
2. "The white-label Aave V3 approval was nearly unanimous - how will Ink's Aave instance differentiate?"
3. "First Superchain with multiple fault-proof challengers - why does that matter for institutional users?"

Hack VC Team

At Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup
Recent: Active in infrastructure and DeFi investments
Talking points:
1. "What infrastructure gaps are you seeing that prevent institutional DeFi adoption?"
2. "Which Layer 2s are winning institutional mindshare in 2026?"

Schedule Recommendation:

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Coffee with Espresso & Celo (warm-up)
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: TokenizeThis (arrive early for registration, initial networking)
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup (REGISTERED - Hack VC, Halborn networking)
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Return to TokenizeThis (attend RWA panels)
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Pop into DeFi Day (REGISTERED - catch Stani Kulechov keynote, JPMorgan/Circle panels)
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Family Offices & Investors Summit Michelin Dinner (PAID - $800B AUM access)
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Proof of Liquidity (PAID $170 - Kraken Ink, Yield Network capital formation)
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: CRITICAL DECISION POINT - Choose ONE:
- Option A: Builder Nights Cannes (71 attendees, MetaMask/Linea - CONTACT ORGANIZERS TO RESOLVE REGISTRATION)
- Option B: Wine & Web3 Growth (VC focus, 30 attendees - PENDING APPROVAL)
- Option C: Château Happy Hour (CONFIRMED, security focus, 33 attendees)
Recommendation: Resolve Builder Nights registration (highest attendee count, ecosystem depth). If unsuccessful, attend Wine & Web3 Growth for VC conversations.

Day 4: Tuesday, March 31 — RWA & INSTITUTIONAL DAY

Strategy: RWA Summit + wallet infrastructure focus. Highest concentration of institutional DeFi events.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM | Real-World Asset Summit Cannes 2026 | Tier 1 | Open | TOP EVENT: Stani Kulechov, Apollo's Christine Moy, S&P Dow Jones, Centrifuge (27 attendees) | | 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM | WalletCon Cannes 2026 | Tier 1 | ❌ Issue | WalletConnect, Stellar, payments focus (34 attendees) | | 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Searcher 2026: Market Making, MEV and Exchanges | Tier 1 | Open | Market structure deep-dive (16 attendees) | | 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM | Lido Day | Tier 1 | Open | Liquid staking dominance (26 attendees) | | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM | ETHCC Networking Mixer - Fabric Ventures & NextBlock | Tier 1 | Open | AI, VC, DeFi convergence (28 attendees) | | 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Proof of Liquidity (Day 2) | Tier 1 | 💰 Paid | Institutional capital formation continues (23 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Scaling Institutional DeFi: Inner Circle Reception @ Carlton | Tier 1 | Open | Elite institutional gathering (26 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM | ETH CC VIP Institutional Soirée ✨ | Tier 1 | Open | RWA/Institutional (22 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM | RWA Première | Tier 1 | Open | VC/RWA networking (16 attendees) | | 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM | Starknet Party | Tier 1 | ⏳ Pending | LARGEST PARTY: 41 attendees, privacy infrastructure |

Key People to Meet:

Santiago Roel Santos (Founder & CEO, Inversion)

Speaking at RWA Summit
Recent: Active in RWA tokenization investments
Talking points:
1. "What's your take on the $50-60B tokenized asset market projection for 2026?"
2. "Which RWA categories are ready for DeFi liquidity vs still need TradFi rails?"

Cameron Drinkwater (Chief Product & Operations Officer, S&P Dow Jones Indices)

Speaking at RWA Summit
Recent: Traditional finance entering tokenization
Talking points:
1. "How is S&P thinking about index products for tokenized assets?"
2. "What standards need to exist for institutions to treat tokenized assets as legitimate collateral?"

Bhaji Illuminati (CEO, Centrifuge Labs)

Speaking at RWA Summit
Recent: Leading RWA infrastructure protocol
Talking points:
1. "Centrifuge has been in RWAs since early - what's different about 2026's institutional interest?"
2. "How are you solving the oracle problem for illiquid RWAs?"

WalletConnect Team (Jess Houlgrave, CEO; Riaz Bordie, CTO)

Speaking at WalletCon
Recent: WalletConnect expanding into payments in 2026; partnered with Ingenico for USDC POS payments; processed $400B network volume (119% YoY growth); supports 700+ wallets, 55.5M active users
Talking points:
1. "The Ingenico partnership for POS crypto payments is a game-changer - what's merchant adoption looking like?"
2. "700+ wallets supported - how do you maintain UX consistency across that fragmentation?"
3. "119% YoY growth - what's driving the surge in 2026?"

Starknet Core Team

At Starknet Party
Recent: Starknet pivoted to privacy-first L2 in H1 2026; launched STRK20 privacy framework and strkBTC (shielded Bitcoin); Cairo language shifted from Cairo Zero to Rust-like Cairo; v0.14.4 upgrade scheduled Oct 5 enabling 1.1B L2 gas blocks
Talking points:
1. "The pivot to privacy with STRK20 and strkBTC is bold - what use cases need privacy at the base layer?"
2. "Cairo's evolution to Rust-like syntax - how has developer feedback changed?"
3. "1.1B L2 gas blocks coming in October - what does that unlock for institutional applications?"

Schedule Recommendation:

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Real-World Asset Summit (PRIORITY - Stani, Apollo, S&P panels)
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Overlap with WalletCon registration/networking (if registration resolved)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: ETHCC Networking Mixer (Fabric Ventures & NextBlock - AI/VC/DeFi)
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Scaling Institutional DeFi @ Carlton (elite institutional crowd)
9:00 PM - 2:00 AM: Starknet Party (PENDING - largest party, 41 attendees, privacy tech focus)

Day 5: Wednesday, April 1 — PRIVACY & AI DAY

Strategy: Privacy infrastructure, AI agents, and late-stage deal-making. Many VIP dinners.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | THE LOCAL: Rooftop Brunch for Founders, Funders & Friends | Tier 1 | Open | VC/Founder intimate setting (28 attendees) | | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Investor x Founder Beachclub | Tier 1 | Open | VC focus (28 attendees) | | 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Wonderland CTF: Largest CTF in Crypto History | Tier 1 | Open | Security/Privacy (15 attendees) | | 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM | OpenClaw Cannes: EthCC[9] Meetup | Tier 1 | Open | AI/DeFi/Infrastructure (30 attendees) | | 7:00 PM - 12:30 AM | [not crypto] Art Night | Tier 1 | Open | DeFi/Infrastructure, creative crowd (29 attendees) | | 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM | Infinite Privacy: Cocktail Aperitivo - ZCash, fhenix, ZiskVM, Miden, Bermuda | Tier 1 | Open | Privacy tech deep-dive (13 attendees) | | 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM | DeFi in the Sky 3.0 | Tier 1 | 🚫 Sold Out | REGRET: DeFi/Infrastructure/RWA (37 attendees) - Find attendees | | 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun | Tier 1 | ⏳ Pending | LARGEST SINGLE EVENT: 40 attendees, markets focus | | 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Proof of Liquidity: VIP Dinner (Yield Network, INK, Funders) | Tier 1 | Invite-only | DeFi/Institutional/VC (20 attendees) | | 9:30 PM - 11:30 PM | Selini Capital x Areta: EthCC Dinner | Tier 1 | Invite-only | VC/Institutional (14 attendees) |

Key People to Meet:

RedStone Oracles Team

Hosting TokenizeThis, active in RWA ecosystem
Recent: Predicts tokenized assets hit $50-60B in 2026; launched Solana oracle services; partnered with Securitize for Apollo's $ACRED and BlackRock's $BUIDL price feeds; built first production oracle on Canton Network for institutional privacy; 100% uptime, zero mispricing events
Talking points:
1. "You're providing oracles for BlackRock's $BUIDL and Apollo's $ACRED - how do you handle NAV calculations for illiquid assets?"
2. "100% uptime on Canton for institutional use cases - what's the architecture difference vs DeFi oracles?"
3. "RedStone's report predicts $50-60B tokenized assets - which asset class surprises you most in adoption speed?"

Privacy Protocol Teams (ZCash, fhenix, Miden, Bermuda)

At Infinite Privacy event
Recent: Privacy infrastructure gaining traction post-Starknet STRK20 launch
Talking points:
1. "Starknet just launched STRK20 privacy - how does FHE compare to ZK for institutional compliance?"
2. "Which privacy approach (ZK, FHE, TEE) do you see winning for institutional DeFi?"

Kickoff.fun Team

Hosting Trader Summit (40 attendees - LARGEST event Wed)
Recent: Emerging trading platform
Talking points:
1. "What's driving the 40-person turnout for your Trader Summit?"
2. "How are you differentiating in the crowded perps/trading space?"

Schedule Recommendation:

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: THE LOCAL Rooftop Brunch (VC/Founder networking - choose this OR Investor x Founder Beachclub)
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM: OpenClaw Cannes (AI/DeFi/Infrastructure - 30 attendees)
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Infinite Privacy Cocktail (ZK/FHE/TEE deep-dive - technical but valuable)
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun (PENDING - 40 attendees, markets focus)
9:00 PM+: If invited to Proof of Liquidity VIP Dinner or Selini Capital dinner, prioritize those over Trader Summit

Critical: DeFi in the Sky 3.0 is SOLD OUT (37 attendees) - reach out to confirmed attendees on LinkedIn/Twitter to arrange 1:1s nearby.

Day 6: Thursday, April 2 — WIND-DOWN DAY

Strategy: Conference ends April 2 (main event). Late-stage networking, smaller gatherings, integration meetings.

Priority Events: | Time | Event | Tier | Registration | Why Go | |------|-------|------|--------------|--------| | 11:30 AM - 8:00 PM | Pragma Cannes | Tier 1 | Open | Infrastructure/DeFi/Institutional (23 attendees) | | 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Cointelegraph Connect: Cannes Edition | Tier 1 | Open | Media/Industry (23 attendees) | | 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Private Garden Party | Tier 1 | ⏳ Pending | Infrastructure/Privacy (33 attendees - LARGEST Thu event) | | 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM | DeFi Founders Club: Cannes | Tier 1 | Open | DeFi founders only (20 attendees) | | 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Pre-afterparty: 🧀 Cheese & Wine w/ ChainSecurity & Frankencoin | Tier 1 | Open | DeFi/Security/RWA (31 attendees) |

Key People to Meet:

ChainSecurity & Frankencoin Teams

At Pre-afterparty event
Recent: Security auditing critical for institutional adoption
Talking points:
1. "What security patterns do you see emerging for RWA protocols vs traditional DeFi?"
2. "Frankencoin's approach to decentralized CHF stablecoins - how does Swiss regulatory clarity help?"

Schedule Recommendation:

11:30 AM - 3:00 PM: Pragma Cannes (Infrastructure focus)
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Private Garden Party (PENDING - 33 attendees, infrastructure/privacy - HIGHEST PRIORITY)
7:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Pre-afterparty Cheese & Wine (31 attendees, security/RWA)
Post-11:00 PM: CryptoTrap by Lil Lea (if energy remains - 18 attendees, media/community)

Days 7-8: Friday-Saturday, April 3-4

Strategy: Post-conference recovery, 1:1 follow-ups, travel. Very few events.

Events:

Fri 4/3 1:00 PM: ETHGlobal Finalists & Founders Brunch (10 attendees)
Fri 4/3 1:30 PM: WAIB Summit Monaco Countdown Brunch (9 attendees - AI/DeFi/Institutional)

Recommendation: Use these days for:

Scheduled 1:1 follow-ups from earlier conversations
Telegram/Signal group formation with new contacts
Travel back or extend for Monaco F1 weekend (April 5-6)

Top 10 Founders to Meet

1. Stani Kulechov — Founder, Aave Labs

Why: Aave is the $30B DeFi kingpin, just passed groundbreaking "Aave Will Win" DAO governance reform Recent Work:

Aave deposits hit $30B (+30% Q3 2026), V4 grew $50M→$400M in 3 months
AWW proposal passed (75% support): 100% protocol revenue to DAO, multi-year Labs funding secured
Exiting 6 chains, removing 71 markets ($98M deposits) to reduce risk surface
Vision: $50T "abundance assets" (solar, robotics) onchain by 2050 Where to Find: DeFi Day (Mon 1-9pm), RWA Summit (Tue 11am-9pm) Conversation Starters:

"The AWW proposal is a masterclass in DAO governance - how do you balance decentralization with execution speed?"
"Exiting 6 chains is bold - are you seeing fragmentation fatigue across L2s?"
"Your $50T abundance assets vision - which asset class tokenizes first: energy credits, compute power, or robotics?"

2. Christine Moy — Partner, Head of Digital Assets, Apollo Global Management

Why: Apollo ($733B AUM) entering tokenized private credit - traditional finance firepower meeting DeFi Recent Work:

Leading Apollo's tokenization strategy for private credit portfolios
Featured in RedStone's TokenizeThis 2026 summit
Apollo's $ACRED now has RedStone oracle infrastructure Where to Find: RWA Summit (Tue 11am-9pm) Conversation Starters:

"Apollo managing $733B - what governance frameworks do you need before putting private credit onchain?"
"How do you think about DeFi composability vs traditional finance's permissioned rails for institutional assets?"
"What surprised you most about crypto infrastructure maturity in 2026 vs your expectations 2 years ago?"

3. Jess Houlgrave — CEO, WalletConnect

Why: WalletConnect powers 700+ wallets, 55.5M users, $400B network volume - infrastructure layer for Web3 Recent Work:

119% YoY growth in 2026
Partnered with Ingenico for USDC point-of-sale payments (bringing crypto to retail)
Expanding decisively into payments: e-commerce, POS, fintech apps, banks
Partnerships with Stripe, Coinbase Commerce, SumSub, MoonPay Where to Find: WalletCon (Tue 12-8pm) Conversation Starters:

"Ingenico partnership is massive - what's merchant adoption timeline for USDC POS payments?"
"700+ wallets, 55M users - how do you maintain security standards across that fragmentation?"
"You're positioning payments as 'crypto's final frontier' - what's the bottleneck: UX, regulation, or merchant adoption?"

4. Kraken Ink Leadership — Layer 2 Team

Why: Ink exploded from $7M to $450M TVL in 4 months; first Superchain with multiple fault-proof challengers Recent Work:

App revenue: $500K (Oct 2025) → $5.77M (Jan 2026)
Aave DAO approved white-label V3 deployment (99.8% vote)
INK token launching (1B hard cap), first use case: Aave liquidity pool
Flagship protocols: Nado (perps DEX), Tydro (lending) Where to Find: Proof of Liquidity (Mon 5-11pm co-host), xStocks Hackathon events Conversation Starters:

"64x TVL growth in 4 months - what's the catalyst: Kraken distribution, Aave liquidity, or something else?"
"First Superchain with multiple fault-proof challengers (Gelato + Kraken) - does that change institutional custody requirements?"
"INK token launching with Aave as first use case - how does that compete with existing L2 token models?"

5. RedStone Oracles Team — Modular Oracle for RWAs

Why: Providing price feeds for BlackRock's $BUIDL, Apollo's $ACRED - institutional-grade RWA infrastructure Recent Work:

Launched Solana oracle services for RWAs (first time tokenized funds usable in Solana DeFi)
Partnered with Securitize for institutional tokenized asset price feeds
Built first decentralized oracle on Canton Network (institutional privacy, 100% uptime, zero mispricing)
Predicts $50-60B tokenized RWA market in 2026 Where to Find: TokenizeThis Cannes (Mon 11am-7pm - RedStone is organizer) Conversation Starters:

"Pricing BlackRock's $BUIDL onchain - how do you handle NAV calculations for illiquid private credit vs liquid crypto?"
"100% uptime on Canton for institutional privacy - what's the tech difference vs public DeFi oracles?"
"Your report says $50-60B tokenized assets in 2026 - which asset class is moving fastest: treasuries, private credit, or real estate?"

6. Circle Leadership — USDC & EURC Teams

Why: Circle is the ONLY large-cap stablecoin issuer fully MiCA-compliant, crushing USDT in Europe Recent Work:

USDC transfer volume: $1.21T (June 2026) - 2x USDT's volume
EURC market cap doubled to $430M (MiCA enforcement July 1, 2026)
Circle Mint France SAS received EMI license from French regulator ACPR
Integrated into Fireblocks, Ingenico, major wallets Where to Find: DeFi Day (Mon 1-9pm - speaking) Conversation Starters:

"MiCA compliance gave you a monopoly on EU-licensed platforms - how are you handling the institutional demand surge?"
"USDC volume doubled USDT in June - is that MiCA or broader institutional shift?"
"EURC doubled to $430M - which European markets are adopting fastest: France, Germany, or Netherlands?"

7. JPMorgan Kinexys Team — Blockchain Platform (formerly Onyx)

Why: $1.5T transaction volume since 2020, $2B daily - tradfi giant going all-in on tokenization Recent Work:

Rebranded Onyx → Kinexys (doubling down on RWA tokenization)
Filed for JPMorgan OnChain Liquidity-Token MMF (JLTXX) on Ethereum
Launched Tokenized Collateral Network (TCN) - use MMF shares as onchain collateral
Processes $2B daily in repos, cross-border payments Where to Find: DeFi Day (Mon 1-9pm - speaking) Conversation Starters:

"JLTXX tokenized MMF on Ethereum - how do you see bank-issued tokenized treasuries competing with DeFi yields?"
"Tokenized Collateral Network just launched - which asset classes are banks most eager to tokenize: bonds, equities, or alternatives?"
"You've processed $1.5T since 2020 - what's the biggest operational difference between blockchain settlements vs SWIFT?"

8. Starknet Core Developers — Privacy-First Layer 2

Why: Boldest L2 pivot in 2026 - went from scaling to privacy-first with STRK20 framework Recent Work:

H1 2026: Launched STRK20 protocol-level privacy framework + strkBTC (shielded Bitcoin)
Cairo language evolved from Cairo Zero → Rust-like Cairo (better DX)
v0.14.4 upgrade (Oct 5, 2026): 1.1B L2 gas blocks enabled via SNIP-36
Positioning as privacy-preserving execution layer vs just high-performance rollup Where to Find: Starknet Party (Tue 9pm-2am - 41 attendees, LARGEST party) Conversation Starters:

"STRK20 privacy framework is a major pivot - what use cases NEED privacy at the base layer vs app layer?"
"Cairo's evolution to Rust-like syntax - how has developer feedback changed since the shift?"
"1.1B L2 gas blocks in October - what does that unlock for institutional applications that current limits prevent?"

9. Fireblocks Institutional Team — Digital Asset Custody Platform

Why: $1.04B funded, 80+ banks in production, backbone of institutional DeFi custody Recent Work:

Integrated EDX Markets (Sep 2026) for direct institutional digital asset transfers
Expanded Thales partnership (Feb 2026) for bank-grade security architecture
Integrated Circle Payment Rails (July 2026)
Used by BNY Mellon, Revolut, Galaxy, 80+ banks in live production Where to Find: DeFi Day (Mon 1-9pm - speaking) Conversation Starters:

"EDX Markets integration - how does that change institutional rebalancing workflows vs CEX transfers?"
"80+ banks in production - what's the #1 security concern banks have about DeFi custody in 2026?"
"You've raised $1.04B - which custody problem is still unsolved: key management, regulatory reporting, or settlement finality?"

10. MetaMask & Linea Leadership — Consensys Spin-Off Teams

Why: Consensys splitting MetaMask (consumer) vs Linea (institutional infrastructure) - massive strategic shift Recent Work:

Consensys separating into 2 firms by end of 2026: MetaMask (self-custody) + new Consensys (Linea, Besu, Teku)
MetaMask launched Mastercard self-custodial crypto card (Feb 2026)
MetaMask Money Account on Monad (June 30, 2026): deposits → mUSD → Morpho lending for variable APY
Wallets (MetaMask, Phantom) launched real-time phishing defense network with SEAL
Linea joining new Consensys entity focused on Ethereum protocols + institutional infrastructure Where to Find: Builder Nights Cannes (Mon 8pm-1am - MetaMask/Linea co-presenting, 71 attendees) Conversation Starters:

"Consensys split is huge - why separate MetaMask consumer vs Linea institutional now?"
"MetaMask Money Account on Monad with Morpho yields - are you competing with Coinbase's USDC yields?"
"Linea going institutional-focused - what infrastructure gaps are you solving that Base/Arbitrum aren't?"

Networking Strategy

Best Events for Investor Conversations

Family Offices & Investors Summit Michelin Dinner (Mon 4-7pm) - $800B AUM, 200+ elite funds
The Gate [CANNES] (Sun 7-11pm) - Delphi Ventures, RockawayX (intimate, 9 attendees)
Investors Meetup by Hybrid Capital (Sun 8pm-12am) - VC/Institutional focus
Proof of Liquidity (Mon 5-11pm, Tue 6pm-12am) - Institutional capital formation summit
Founder x VC Happy Hour (Mon 8pm-12am) - 38 attendees (if registration resolved)
THE LOCAL: Rooftop Brunch (Wed 1-4pm) - Founders, Funders & Friends (28 attendees)
Investor x Founder Beachclub (Wed 1-3pm) - VC focus (28 attendees)
Selini Capital x Areta Dinner (Wed 9:30-11:30pm) - VC/Institutional (invite-only)

Best Events for Technical Founders

Builder Nights Cannes (Mon 8pm-1am) - 71 attendees, MetaMask/Linea ecosystem
WalletCon Cannes (Tue 12-8pm) - 34 attendees, payments infrastructure
Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup (Mon 12-2pm) - Hack VC, Halborn, Sushi (35 attendees)
OpenClaw Cannes Meetup (Wed 6:30-8pm) - AI/DeFi/Infrastructure (30 attendees)
Starknet Party (Tue 9pm-2am) - 41 attendees, privacy tech, largest party
Pragma Cannes (Thu 11:30am-8pm) - Infrastructure/DeFi/Institutional (23 attendees)
Wonderland CTF (Wed 5-11pm) - Security/Privacy (15 attendees)

Best Events for Casual Networking

Quantum Qafe Coffee Meetup (Mon 12-2pm) - Coffee, relaxed (35 attendees)
ETHCC Sunset Social (Mon 7-10pm) - Community focus (29 attendees)
[not crypto] Art Night (Wed 7pm-12:30am) - Creative crowd, DeFi/Infrastructure (29 attendees)
Pre-afterparty: Cheese & Wine (Thu 7-11pm) - 31 attendees, ChainSecurity/Frankencoin
Château Happy Hour (Mon 8-11pm) - Confirmed registration, 33 attendees

Dinner/Drinks Events (Most Intimate, Best for BD)

Family Offices & Investors Summit Michelin Dinner (Mon 4-7pm) - Elite institutional ($1 paid)
Proof of Liquidity VIP Dinner (Wed 9-11pm) - Yield Network, Ink, Funders (invite-only, 20 attendees)
Selini Capital x Areta Dinner (Wed 9:30-11:30pm) - VC/Institutional (invite-only, 14 attendees)
The Privacy Table (Mon 9pm-12am) - Privacy/Security/Institutional (25 attendees)
Consensus on the Coast: Dinner for Founders & VCs (Mon 9:30pm-12am) - 20 attendees
VIP Investors Dinner @ EthCC [9] (Mon 8:30-10:30pm) - VC/Community (20 attendees)
OKX VIP Dinner (Mon 9pm-1:30am) - Markets/VC (17 attendees)
Lido Institutional VIP Dinner (Wed 9:30pm-12:30am) - Institutional focus (16 attendees)
Cantina x Hypernative Dinner Party (Wed 9:30pm-12am) - Security/Community (14 attendees)

BD Strategy: Dinners > Rooftop parties > Large conferences. Aim for 8-20 person gatherings where you can have 15+ minute conversations vs 2-minute intros.

Logistics & Event Clustering

Geographic Clusters

Most events are concentrated in two zones:

Palais des Festivals area (main conference + nearby venues)
Hotel Majestic / Carlton area (luxury hotel events)

Travel Time: 5-15 minutes walk between most venues. Cannes is compact.

Monday Schedule Optimization

Monday (March 30) has 24 events - the most packed day. Geographic clustering:

Palais area: DeFi Day, TokenizeThis
Hotel Majestic: TokenizeThis (Martha Room)
Beachfront: Coffee meetups, sunset events
Evening: Multiple 8pm+ events within 10min walk

Recommendation: Book accommodation near Palais des Festivals for 5min access to 60% of events.

Peak Hours

Breakfast/Coffee: 10am-12pm (low conflict, good for warm networking)
Lunch/Afternoon: 12pm-5pm (conferences, workshops)
Aperitif/Happy Hour: 6pm-9pm (HIGHEST NETWORKING VALUE - decision-makers relaxed, alcohol lubricates intros)
Dinner: 8pm-11pm (intimate, high-value, invite-only events peak here)
Late Night Parties: 10pm-2am (Starknet Party, OKX Party, etc.)

Energy Management: Prioritize 6-9pm happy hours over late-night parties. VCs/founders make investment decisions over 7pm drinks, not 1am dance floors.

Registration Action Items

URGENT (resolve before March 28):

Builder Nights Cannes - Contact MetaMask team on Twitter/Telegram to resolve registration issue (71 attendees, highest priority)
WalletCon - Re-attempt registration or contact Jess Houlgrave's team directly
Founder x VC Happy Hour - Contact organizers (38 attendees, top VC networking)

MONITOR (check ric@staex.io daily):

Starknet Party (pending approval)
Trader Summit by Kickoff.fun (pending approval)
Private Garden Party (pending approval)
Wine & Web3 Growth (pending approval)

EVALUATE ROI:

Proof of Liquidity ($170) - High institutional value, Kraken Ink co-host, Yield Network - RECOMMEND PAYING
TokenizeThis ($29) - RedStone, RWA focus, full-day content - RECOMMEND PAYING
Family Offices Summit ($1) - $800B AUM access, Michelin dinner - RECOMMEND PAYING (obvious ROI)

SOLD OUT WORKAROUND:

DeFi in the Sky 3.0 (37 attendees) - Search "DeFi in the Sky EthCC" on Twitter, find confirmed attendees, DM for 1:1 meetups at nearby venues (e.g., "I missed registration but would love to grab coffee during the event - free 3-4pm Wed?")

Key Themes to Master

To maximize conversions, own these conversation topics:

1. MiCA's Impact on Stablecoin Competition

Circle's USDC compliance = $1.21T monthly volume (2x USDT)
EURC doubled to $430M market cap
Talking point: "MiCA created the first regulatory moat for stablecoins - how does that change institutional adoption timelines?"

2. Institutional DeFi vs Retail DeFi Divergence

34% of new DeFi deposits = institutional capital (up from 8% in 2024)
KYC-enabled private liquidity pools closing compliance gap
Talking point: "Are we heading toward two DeFis - permissionless retail vs permissioned institutional - or will they converge?"

3. RWA Tokenization Bottlenecks

$50-60B tokenized assets predicted for 2026 (RedStone)
Tokenized US Treasuries: $15B TVL (April 2026)
Oracle challenges: NAV calculations, illiquidity adjustments, audit trails
Talking point: "What breaks first: custody standards, oracle infrastructure, or legal frameworks for tokenized private credit?"

4. Layer 2 Fragmentation vs Consolidation

Ink: $7M → $450M TVL in 4 months (Kraken distribution advantage)
Aave exiting 6 chains, removing 71 markets ($98M) to reduce risk
Talking point: "Are we past peak L2 fragmentation, or is app-specific L2 proliferation just starting?"

5. Privacy Tech: ZK vs FHE vs TEE

Starknet's STRK20 privacy framework + strkBTC (shielded Bitcoin)
Institutional need: compliance + privacy (not mutually exclusive)
Talking point: "Which privacy approach wins for institutional DeFi: ZK for auditability, FHE for computation, or TEE for ease of integration?"

6. Payments as Crypto's 'Final Frontier'

WalletConnect + Ingenico = USDC point-of-sale payments
MetaMask + Mastercard = self-custodial crypto card
Talking point: "Crypto payments have failed for 10 years - what's different in 2026: UX, regulation, or merchant incentives?"

7. DeFi Yield Shift: Speculation → Stability

Fixed-rate lending protocols gaining traction
Yield tokenization enabling structured products
Stablecoin yield strategies (e.g., MetaMask Money Account on Monad → Morpho)
Talking point: "DeFi yields are maturing from 'degen farming' to 'institutional fixed income' - which protocols win that transition?"

Pre-Event Homework

LinkedIn Outreach (do this NOW):

Search "EthCC 2026" + "Cannes" on LinkedIn, filter by "Posts - Past Week"
Identify attendees posting about their EthCC plans
Send personalized connection requests: "Hey [Name], saw you're heading to EthCC Cannes - I'm attending [Event X] on [Day]. Would love to connect if you're around. I'm exploring [your BD focus area] and would be curious to hear your perspective."

Twitter/X Strategy:

Follow official accounts: @EthCC, @WalletConnect, @AaveAave, @Starknet, @MetaMask, @circlepay
Engage with their EthCC posts (like, retweet, thoughtful replies)
Use hashtag #EthCC2026 to find attendees, engage with their content
Tweet your schedule: "Excited for EthCC Cannes! Attending DeFi Day, RWA Summit, Builder Nights. DM if you want to connect - focused on [your BD focus]."

Telegram/Discord:

Join EthCC official Telegram/Discord
Join event-specific channels (DeFi Day, WalletCon, Starknet, etc.)
Introduce yourself, mention you're attending, offer value (e.g., "Happy to intro anyone to [your network]")

Event-Specific Prep:

DeFi Day: Read Aave's "Aave Will Win" proposal, JPMorgan's JLTXX filing
RWA Summit: Read RedStone's 2026 Tokenization Report
WalletCon: Read WalletConnect's "Year Ahead 2026" blog post
Proof of Liquidity: Research Kraken Ink's Aave V3 deployment, INK token launch

Business Cards:

Print 200 cards (you'll hand out 100-150 in 4 days)
Include: Name, Title, Email, LinkedIn, Telegram handle
Add QR code linking to your calendar booking link

Calendar:

Block your calendar with this briefing's recommended schedule
Add 30-min "flex buffers" between events for overrun conversations (the best BD happens in hallway chats, not on-stage panels)

Executive Summary

Registration Status

Day-by-Day Intelligence

Day 1: Saturday, March 28

Day 2: Sunday, March 29

Day 3: Monday, March 30 — HIGHEST VALUE DAY

Day 4: Tuesday, March 31 — RWA & INSTITUTIONAL DAY

Day 5: Wednesday, April 1 — PRIVACY & AI DAY

Day 6: Thursday, April 2 — WIND-DOWN DAY

Days 7-8: Friday-Saturday, April 3-4

Top 10 Founders to Meet

1. Stani Kulechov — Founder, Aave Labs

2. Christine Moy — Partner, Head of Digital Assets, Apollo Global Management

3. Jess Houlgrave — CEO, WalletConnect

4. Kraken Ink Leadership — Layer 2 Team

5. RedStone Oracles Team — Modular Oracle for RWAs

6. Circle Leadership — USDC & EURC Teams

7. JPMorgan Kinexys Team — Blockchain Platform (formerly Onyx)

8. Starknet Core Developers — Privacy-First Layer 2

9. Fireblocks Institutional Team — Digital Asset Custody Platform

10. MetaMask & Linea Leadership — Consensys Spin-Off Teams

Networking Strategy

Best Events for Investor Conversations

Best Events for Technical Founders

Best Events for Casual Networking

Dinner/Drinks Events (Most Intimate, Best for BD)

Logistics & Event Clustering

Geographic Clusters

Monday Schedule Optimization

Peak Hours

Registration Action Items

Key Themes to Master

1. MiCA's Impact on Stablecoin Competition

2. Institutional DeFi vs Retail DeFi Divergence

3. RWA Tokenization Bottlenecks

4. Layer 2 Fragmentation vs Consolidation

5. Privacy Tech: ZK vs FHE vs TEE

6. Payments as Crypto's 'Final Frontier'

7. DeFi Yield Shift: Speculation → Stability

Pre-Event Homework

Sources & References