I’m very excited to announce here that I’ve been selected as a keynote speaker for the upcoming Decentralized 2019 conference.  This is Europe’s premier conference on blockchain and digital currencies, being held in Athens on Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

I’ve been to a lot of blockchain conferences recently, so why am I so excited about this one?

First of all, as a lawyer and lover of philosophy and deep thought, there’s something about Greece’s 3000-year tradition of democracy, justice, ethics, and esthetics that speaks to me on a deep level.

Second, practically speaking, I’m involved in a number of real estate deals in Greece and find that despite the recent difficulties the country has experienced economically, there’s a general mood of optimism.

Especially when it comes to blockchain, many Greeks—like Member of European Parliament Eva Kaili—are convinced that this technology has the potential to help the nation overcome its past financial woes.  Kaili says blockchain could help citizens take back control over their money currently held in traditional bank accounts.

As chair of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment body, she recently told a team from Ripple that blockchain is “unstoppable. You will be disrupted if you don’t try to understand it. Instead you need to see the potential.”

Naturally, Kaili will be speaking at Decentralized 2019, and you can bet I won’t miss a word of what she has to say as one of the world’s leading lawmakers in this field.

And one final reason I’m excited:  Decentralized 2019 is being organized by the University of Nicosia.  Most blockchain conferences originate within the fintech industry.  So finding a conference with a serious academic focus, including an entire academic stream, is a refreshing change of pace.

With 1500 attendees converging on Athens from 50 countries, Decentralized 2019 is helping us put blockchain and digital assets on the map in every possible way: educational, entrepreneurial, regulatory, and technological.

There are so many events to choose from that sometimes it’s hard to decide which ones I really can’t miss.  But every once in a while one comes along and there’s absolutely no question.  Decentralized 2019 is that one.

See you in Athens?