The curious and confusing world of cryptocurrency currently sits at a complex crossroads. Regulation and taxation loom large in the rear-view mirror, while governments and banks seem hell-bent on setting up road blocks to slow down the race towards mass public adoption of digital assets.

Cryptocurrencies feature high on news agendas – and seldom for the right reasons – yet, still, most of us haven’t the slightest clue how or why they work.  For many, it feels as though this baffling ‘digital gold’ is beyond the reach of our own comprehension and the preserve of those with intimate knowledge of computer programming.

So, allow City A.M. to further your understanding of ‘the future of money’ at our Crypto A.M. London Blockchain and DeFi Summit – right here in the heart of the city on September 29 and 30. Come and mingle with some of the UK’s brightest crypto and blockchain minds – the very people who make this industry tick.

Learn about how cryptocurrency and the technology that underpins it works, network with those who can open doors into this mysterious world, and discover how you can become involved…

Hosted over two days, the Crypto A.M. London Blockchain & DeFi Summit Incorporating The Crypto A.M. City of London Roundtables will celebrate innovation and excellence by exploring the most recent developments in AI, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).

The first day of the summit will take place at ETC Fenchurch where delegates will have the opportunity to attend roundtables and panel discussions exploring AI Blockchain & Quantum Frontier, DeFi, Metaverse & Web 3.0, Professional Advisory & Regulation, and VCs, Incubators & Start ups.

The second day will take place at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St. Pauls where delegates will have the opportunity to hear from industry leaders.

Following the conference will be the Crypto A.M. Awards — London’s premier annual honours ceremony spanning the worlds of cryptocurrency, blockchain and DeFi. With fourteen awards, judged by an independent, expert panel of industry leaders, we’ve got the whole space covered.

Agenda

Day one of the Crypto AM Summit 2021 will be a combination of informal discussion and networking – we will be tackling four major themes in four separately hosted rooms, there will be plenty of opportunities to participate and discuss ideas – the themes include:

  1. AI, Blockchain & Quantum Frontier Tech – hosted by Edenbase
  2. DeFi, Metaverse & Web 3.0 – hosted by Boson Protocol
  3. Professional Advisory & Regulation – hosted by CMS Law
  4. VCs, Incubators & Start Ups – hosted by Outlier Ventures

Day two will be livestreamed and include both headline speakers and panels – speakers will include: 

Abradat Kamalpour – Jones Day
Thomas Power
Alastair Band – Boson Protocol
Alex Lightman – Keemoji
Alissa Ostrove – CryptoCompare
Amelie Arras – Zumo
Amit Pradhan – SVBS
Anna Melton – FMFW Ltd
Barry E James – BBFTA
Blair Halliday – Gemini
Bob Liscouski – Quantum Computing Inc.
Bridget Greenwood – The Bigger Pie
Charles Kerrigan – CMS Law
Chloë Diamond – Swash
Clem Chambers – Online Blockchain
Daniel Doll-Steinberg – Edenbase
Darren Parkin – City AM
Dotun Rominiyi – LSEG
Dr Chris Cleverly – Tingo Holdings
Dr Maxine Room CBE – Medacrii Associates
Elliot Hill – Cassiopeia Services
Eric Benz – Changelly
Eric Van der Kleij – EdenBase
Erica Stanford – Crypto Curry Club
Erika Federis – CMS Law
Erin Grover – Jacobi Asset Management
Grant Whitlock – GlobalBlock
Harriet Browning – ConsenSys
Helen Disney – The Realisation Group
Holly Atkinson – Boson Protocol
James Bernard – DMCC
James Bowater – City AM
Janis Legler – Mode
James Ramsden QC – Astraea Group

Jamie Burke – Outlier Ventures
Jason Deane – Bitcoin Pioneers (Luno)
Jason Meyers – Auditchain
Jeanette Seng – Mantle Fund
Jeff Hancock – Coinpass
Jonathan Hobbs – StopSaving.com
Justin Banon – Boson Protocol
Kate Baucherel – Galia Digital
Ken Olling – MELD
Konstantin Anissimov – CEX.IO
Laurent Kssis – 21 Shares
Lynn McConnell – Binance
Marcus Hughes – Coinbase
Mark Hipperson – Ziglu
Marta Piekarska-Geater – Balancer
Martha Reyes-Hulme – BEQUANT
Matt Hawkins – CUDOS
Monty Munford – Sienna Network
Nick Jones – Zumo
Pete Hill – CUDOS
Peter Habermacher – Aaro Capital
Ralf Glabischnig – CV Labs
Richard Jones – GlobalBlock
Rob Gaskell – Appold
Rob Grieg – Cornucopias
Samuel Daré – Akropolis
Stefania Barbaglio – Cassiopeia Services
Toby Lewis – Novum Insights
William Lovell – Bank of England
Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE
The Rt. Hon the Lord Mayor The City of London, Alderman William Russell

The Crypto AM Awards 2021

Education Award

Supported by Luno

Will recognise an organisation that have either been a leading force to educate the public outside the blockchain industry and/or have championed efforts to improve industry-wide transparency, expanding the knowledge of industry participants.

The judges will look for evidence of how the organisation’s contributions lead to greater adoption, accessibility, understanding and/or credibility of blockchain and digital assets.

Environmental, Social and Governance Award

Supported by Cudos

Will recognise those organisations that have achieved a meaningful and sustainable social impact through partnership, investment, pro-bono work, or thwill recognise an organisation that has achieved a meaningful and sustainable impact with their social, environmental and governance practices through partnerships, investment, pro-bono work, or through employee-led initiatives.

The judges will look for evidence of how these organisations have brought their values to life, embedded the approach throughout the whole organisation aligned with their commercial objectives, and has achieved a positive and lasting impact through their ESG practices.

Digital Asset Custodian Award

Supported by Bequant

Will recognise an organisation providing comprehensive digital asset custody services, contributing to growth and adoption of digital assets.

The judges will look for evidence of how these solutions have enabled individual and/or institutional users to protect and manage the use of their digital assets.

Accelerator/VC Award

Supported by Global Block

Will recognise an accelerator and/or VC that has contributed to the growth and advancement of blockchain and crypto projects by investing capital and resources into promising companies.

The judges will look for evidence of how an accelerator and/or VC use their resources and expertise to support founders as they build and scale their companies, contributing to their growth and/or funding.

Digital Asset Exchange Platform Award

Supported by Bitcoin.com

Will recognise an outstanding digital asset exchange platform, facilitating transactions and management of digital assets through a secure, fast and accessible infrastructure.

The judges will look for evidence of platforms demonstrating significant differentiation in terms of range of assets, market quality, customer service, functionality, usability, security, and legal/regulatory factors.

Deployment in FinTech Award

Supported by Coinpass

Will recognise a promising FinTech company, established within the past 2 years, and has achieved exceptional entrepreneurial success in the past year.

The judges will look for evidence demonstrating the use of innovative technology, solving a technology challenge, capturing a new sector or market within the FinTech sector, disruption of a service or market segment.

Crypto AM Community Enhancement Award

Supported by Crypto A.M.

Will recognise an organisation or industry association that has made significant contributions to the advancement, adoption and/or development of FinTech and/or digital assets ecosystem.

The judges will look at evidence of promoting and enabling policy and regulation, talent development, creative use of technology contributing to adoption, creating business opportunities and allocating investment capital.

Regulation and Compliance Award

Supported by Auditchain Labs AG

Will recognise an organisation and/or project that have made significant contributions to developing and/or implementing the standards and guidelines to adapt to regulatory and compliance matters surrounding blockchain and digital assets.

The judges will look for evidence demonstrating how an organisation has contributed to ensuring compliance with regulations and has taken a proactive approach to protecting users.

Enterprise Blockchain Award

Supported by Coinbase

Will recognise an enterprise organisation that has made significant contributions to adoption and advancement of corporate blockchain with a system or platform it has designed, developed or deployed demonstrating real value.

The judges will look for evidence of how the organisation’s contributions impacted the industry.

UX/UI Award

Supported by Umbria Networks

Will recognise an organisation/project that has created an exceptional user experience, leading to greater adoption and management of digital assets.

The judges will be look for evidence demonstrating a great understanding of user needs, displayed through a seamless, intuitive and user-friendly interface and experience.

City AM Outstanding Industry Contribution Award

Supported by Crypto A.M.

Will recognise an individual who has significantly influenced and/or contributed to the development of the blockchain and digital assets sectors.

The judges will look for evidence demonstrating the impact of the individual’s contributions leading to greater adoption and understanding of blockchain and digital assets

Payment Service Provider Award

Supported by CEX.IO

Will recognise an organisation that have either been a leading Will recognise an organisation offering an exceptionally secure, flexible and innovative digital asset payments solution.

The judges will look for evidence of a solution that is providing tangible business benefits by offering users a safe, seamless and convenient experience, as well as enabling clients to accept or process a higher volume of transactions in a more timely, reliable or cost-effective way.

Outstanding Contribution to the NFT Sector Award

Supported by Meld

Will recognise an organisation and/or project significantly contributing to the advancement or wider adoption of NFT sector.

The judges will look for evidence of the impact and/or novelty demonstrated through an increased understanding, accessibility and adoption of NFTs by the public or a wider audience outside the blockchain industry.

Outstanding Contribution to the DeFi Sector Award

Supported by 21 Shares

Will recognise an innovative decentralised finance organisation/project that has made significant contributions to enhancing the DeFi sector.

The judges will look for evidence of how the contributions of the organisation/project lead to the advancement and greater adoption of DeFi sector.

The Crypto AM Awards Judges 2021

Amélie Arras
Marketing Director – Zumo

Amelie is a marketing and communications leader in the fintech and sector. Amélie has widely promoted the benefits of cryptocurrency and championed the work of women in this space. She has a rather unique background in the fintech and financial services sectors, she travelled over 16 countries around the world paying only with crypto, and experienced first-hand the real-life challenges of using an emerging payment method and technology. Amelie’s personal mission is to bring fun and accessibility to the fintech and crypto space. She is immensely passionate about supporting sustainable initiatives and collaboration in the finance and payments world.

Jason Tucker-Feltham
Founder & CEO – Venrai

Jason Tucker-Feltham is the founder & CEO of Venrai, a leading digital asset compliance firm. Venrai provides steer to companies navigating an increasingly complex global regulatory landscape. Prior to Venrai, Jason held senior positions at global investment banks. Leveraging over a decade of experience at some of the world’s leading financial institutions, he delivers a wealth of insight to the digital asset clients he serves. Jason holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) professional designations. He is a member of the AFME Digital Assets Task Force, and of Global Digital Finance.

Jonathan Fry
CEO – TeamBlockchain Ltd

Jonny Fry, Non-Executive Chairman of Gem Cap UK Ltd, CEO, of TeamBlockchain Ltd and an advisor for several companies helping them with their strategic growth and managing corporate and reputational risk. He founded, and was the CEO for over 20 years, of Premier Asset Management Plc, a mutual fund company which he listed on the London Stock Exchange. He writes Digital Bytes, a weekly analysis of how, why, and where Blockchain Technology and Digital Assets are used in different industries and jurisdictions globally. This analysis is translated into Catalan and Chinese and used by a variety of organisations and has its own show on Blockchain radio which is broadcasted to over 140 countries.

Rob Gaskell
Founder & Partner of Appold

Rob is an investor and advisor to the emerging technology sector with over 28 years of experience in running and expanding international financial organisations

Appold is an emerging technology advisory and investment firm focused on fintech, blockchain and DeFi. More recently Appold set up a DeFi focused investment company, Appold DeFi.

Before setting up Appold, Rob was a co-founder of 2030 and President of the Pillar Project, both well-respected Blockchain companies. Before that Rob was a Director of Stonehage Fleming, one of the largest independent multi-service family offices, and Ermitage, a specialist asset manager, focused on the Hedge fund industry.

Outside of Appold, Rob runs networking groups for the digital assets industry and founded London Blockchain Forum with James Bowater.

Gokce ‘GG’ Gizer
Investments and Organisational Development

Gokce Gizer is passionate about leveraging digital technology to influence change for a sustainable future. She is leading the EdenBase fund’s investments, targeting companies with the potential to become super-performers by implementing frontier technology such as AI and Blockchain, and developing sustainable supergrowth programs for tech companies. During her time in New York, she served as the Contest Director of the Extreme Tech Challenge, with Semifinals at CES and Finals on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island. As part of ACTAI Global, she organized Crypto events in Davos during WEF and worked on the world’s first NFT for good, to support ocean conservation, launched at the Blockchain Summit in Morocco in 2018. GG has taught courses on innovation and sustainability, and has worked with hundreds of startups and global programs to create value for all stakeholders and payments world.

Erin Grover
Head of Blockchain Social Impact Strategy

Erin Grover’s specialty is in crypto asset management, crypto funds and algorithmic trading. She connects investors to blockchain based hedge funds and traders with a focus on transparency and reassurance typically found in traditional investment firms, affording clients easy access to the investment potential of cryptocurrency.

Her passion is to provide more opportunities for financial awareness and investment opportunities to diverse populations and women in particular. She is a strong advocate for the potential of blockchain technology to bring efficiency and transparency to the delivery of funds for international aid.

Toby Lewis
Founder & CEO – Novum Insights

Jonny Fry, Non-Executive Chairman of Gem Cap UK Ltd, CEO, of TeamBlockchain Ltd and an advisor for several companies helping them with their strategic growth and managing corporate and reputational risk. He founded, and was the CEO for over 20 years, of Premier Asset Management Plc, a mutual fund company which he listed on the London Stock Exchange. He writes Digital Bytes, a weekly analysis of how, why, and where Blockchain Technology and Digital Assets are used in different industries and jurisdictions globally. This analysis is translated into Catalan and Chinese and used by a variety of organisations and has its own show on Blockchain radio which is broadcasted to over 140 countries.

Alissa Ostrove
Chief of Staff – CryptoCompare

Alissa is the Chief of Staff at CryptoCompare, a global leader in digital asset data and indices. A passionate advocate of the potential of cryptocurrencies to transform global financial markets, she leverages her background in international development to propel CryptoCompare’s mission to promote greater transparency and provide trusted data on digital assets. In addition to spearheading CryptoCompare’s operations, marketing and events, Alissa leads CryptoCompare’s regulatory affairs and sits on the advisory councils of CryptoUK and Global Digital Finance (GDF). She co-chairs GDF’s working group on shared market surveillance and is a regular industry speaker. Alissa has been recognized as one of the top 100 women in crypto and blockchain. She has a Bachelor’s in Economics and Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Platinum Partner
Gold Partner
Silver Partner
Streaming Partner
Lanyard Partner
Room Host

Last Year’s Event: The Inaugural Crypto AM Awards 

The Inaugural Crypto AM Awards were hosted at Boisdale Canary Wharf in March 2020 and celebrated innovation and excellence. 

The panel of judges included Emily Nicolle, City AM’s former Technology Editor; Eric Van Der Kleij, Chairman of Activeledger.io & Cofounder of Edenbase.io; Daniel Doll- Steinberg, Co-found Eden Base and ATARI Token Projects; Maya Zehavi, Founder & CEO of Stealthy New Venture; Naeem Aslan, Chief Market Analyst, Ava Trade; On Yavin, Founder & CEO of Contelligence; Rob Gaskell, Co- Founder 2030 Group; and Steve Good, Digital and Business Strategist, Entrepreneur, Author of Be Left Behind. 

The recipients of the 2020 Award were working within AI, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and included the following individuals and companies: 

  • Community Enhancement Award – CryptoCompare 
  • Service Provider Award – CMS Law 
  • Enterprise Blockchain Award – Cygnetise 
  • UX/UI Award – Zerion 
  • Educational Platform Award – Cointelligence 
  • Social Impact & Sustainability Award – Electroneum 
  • Payment Service Provider Award – Bitstamp 
  • Digital Asset Custodian Award – Gemini Trust 
  • Incubator / VC Award – Outlier Ventures 
  • Crypto Exchange Platform Award – Coinpass 
  • Deployment in Fintech Award – ConsenSys Codefi 
  • Outstanding Industry Contribution Award – Marta Piekarska-Geater, Hyperledger