Ivan 'Ded' Pavlovsky, a long-time industry observer, attended Consensus Hong Kong 2026 and reported on emerging market trends and dynamics.

The conference gathered 11 000 participants and shifted attention from retail communities toward bankers, regulators and institutional capital.

Conference atmosphere

Atmosphere at the event emphasized practical compliance, licensing frameworks and clear market access rather than speculative narratives or fringe technical debates.

Speakers underlined Hong Kong's active licensing efforts while noting that the United States and Europe are proceeding more cautiously with regulation.

Trends observed

• Asia is emerging as the new center of crypto activity as regulators and financial institutions promote structured on-ramps and predictable rules.
• Tokenization of government bonds and investment funds has moved from concept to pilots, attracting real billions in institutional interest and capital.
• DePIN combined with artificial intelligence was framed as a foundation for a machine-driven economy, with blockchain used as a payments layer.
• Discussions around BTCFi reflect bitcoin's transition from passive storage to an asset deployed to generate yield and income streams.
• Venture funding criteria hardened: projects without a working product or demonstrable revenue now face significantly lower chances of receiving investment.

Implications for the industry

Market participants were advised to prioritize compliance, deliverable products and measurable revenue growth to attract institutional partners and capital.

Observers concluded that evolving infrastructure and clearer rules in Asia could accelerate adoption cycles and redirect global capital flows within crypto markets.