With a new administration in Washington, the U.S. approach to crypto policy and enforcement stands at a pivotal crossroads. This session explores how shifting political priorities, agency leadership, and legislative momentum are shaping the regulatory landscape for digital assets and what it all means for actual implementation and enforcement.

Speaker: Alan Cohn, Partner at Steptoe LLC

With MiCA reshaping the European regulatory landscape, Swiss companies must adapt to stay competitive and compliant. This hands-on workshop offers practical strategies, legal insights, and actionable guidance tailored for Swiss firms navigating MiCA's cross-border impact. Learn how to align operations, mitigate regulatory risk, and turn compliance into a strategic advantage in the evolving digital asset market.

As the digital asset ecosystem matures, policymakers worldwide are racing to define its regulatory future. This panel will examine the evolution of global standards, the emergence of frameworks like MiCA, the U.S. approach, and Asia's regulatory leadership, and the challenges of achieving cross-border alignment. Join experts and regulators as they unpack how evolving policies are shaping innovation, compliance, and market stability in the next phase of digital finance.

Speakers:
Diego Ballon Ossio, Partner at Clifford Chance
Verónica Pollak, Senior Legal Council at AMINA Bank
Andreas Glarner, Partner at MME

Navigating tax in the Web3 space can be complex—but with the right strategies, it can also be optimized. This workshop offers practical guidance on achieving tax efficiency within the Swiss regulatory framework.

Speaker: Thomas Linder, Partner at MME

As on-chain governance becomes more sophisticated, balancing transparency with user privacy is a growing challenge. This panel explores how to design robust, inclusive, and privacy-preserving governance models that support decentralization without compromising sensitive user data. Hear from leading builders and researchers on emerging frameworks, cryptographic tools, and real-world implementations shaping the future of secure digital governance.

Speakers:
Bill Laboon, Web3 Foundation
Ghazi Ben Amor, ZAMA

Speaker: Lily Liu, President of Solana Foundation

Speaker: Dominic Williams, Founder, President & Chief Scientist of DFINITY Foundation

As crypto venture capital regains momentum, the landscape in 2025 is marked by shifting investment strategies, regional disparities, and allocation challenges. This panel examines where VCs are placing their bets in the evolving crypto space, the rise of late-stage deals over pre-seed investments, and how U.S. dominance in crypto funding is shaping global market dynamics. With competition from AI startups and spot-based ETPs capturing capital flows, what sectors and geographies are still attracting venture dollars? And as fund managers navigate regulatory headwinds and tightening liquidity, what signals are driving VC allocations in the crypto ecosystem?

Speakers:
Diana Biggs, Partner at 1kx
Maximilian Schneider, Investment Manager at Blockwall
Moderator: Benedek Orban, Board Member at CVA and Head of Ecosystem at CV Labs

As AI continues to evolve, its convergence with open, decentralized networks could reshape how intelligence is built, shared, and governed. This panel explores the rise of decentralized AI, from permissionless data markets to agent-based systems running on-chain. What are the opportunities—and risks—of moving AI beyond centralized control? Join us to unpack the technologies, ethics, and infrastructure driving the next frontier of intelligence.

As sustainability reporting becomes more critical—and more scrutinized—organizations face mounting pressure to ensure their ESG data is accurate, transparent, and verifiable. This panel explores how blockchain and AI can work together to streamline sustainability data management, enabling real-time tracking, automated analysis, and immutable audit trails. From carbon footprints to supply chain transparency, discover how emerging tech is redefining how we measure, verify, and act on sustainability commitments.

Speakers:
Romain Leroy-Castillo, Swiss Sustainable Finance
Daniel Jogg, Enerhash
Alvaro Cosi, Switzerland for UNHCR
Yvonne-Anne Pignolet, DFINITY Foundation
Michele Soavi, CVA / ImpactScope

AI agents are becoming more autonomous—and when paired with blockchain, they gain trustless execution, verifiable outcomes, and secure value transfer. This panel explores how the convergence of AI and blockchain is enabling a new class of agents that can transact, govern, and coordinate independently on open networks. From decentralized finance to supply chains, discover how on-chain AI agents are redefining automation, ownership, and digital collaboration.

Speakers:
Konrad Merino, NEAR Foundation
Luc Jodet, Xange

As criminals turn to AI for deepfakes, scams, and automation of illicit finance, compliance teams are racing to match them with smarter tools—leveraging AI for transaction monitoring, behavioral detection, and real-time risk scoring. But how to effectively govern AI systems in Compliance applications? This panel brings together experts from compliance, tech, and policy to explore how AI and human oversight must evolve to meet the rise of "smart crime".

Speakers:
Michaela Schütz, Deputy Head CH MLRO, MROS
Chris McAteer, Head of Financial Crime and Digital Compliance, SIX
Alexandra Lloyd, Head of Risk & Compliance, YouHodler
Moderator: Ekaterina Anthony, CEO of Smart-Compliance and CVA Board Member

Human trafficking remains a hidden yet persistent threat—even in developed economies like Switzerland. This keynote explores how Anti-Money Laundering (AML) frameworks are being leveraged to detect, disrupt, and dismantle trafficking networks by tracking illicit financial flows. Discover the critical role of financial institutions, regulators, and technology in turning money trails into actionable intelligence.

Speaker: Beat Lehmann, MROS

The Universal Digital Law Codex (UDLC) is a pioneering legal initiative designed to establish a policy- and jurisdiction-neutral, technologically adaptive legal framework for digital interactions, assets, contracts, dispute resolution, and governance. This codex is intended to serve as a universal standard for legal certainty and enforceability in digital systems, from blockchain and AI to quantum computing — providing digital platforms, businesses, and users with the tools they need to operate securely and legally across borders and technologies.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Andreas Furrer, MLL, University of Luzern

Speaker: Matthias Staubli, PwC

As the digital asset industry matures, legal disputes are becoming more frequent—and more complex. This panel explores practical alternatives to litigation, including arbitration, mediation, and smart contract-based enforcement, to resolve conflicts efficiently. Learn how industry players are building frameworks for faster, fairer, and more cost-effective dispute resolution in a decentralized world.

Speakers:
Maxim Kon, Founder and CEO of Consultiks and Board Member of CVA
Martin Liebi, CVA

Filing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) is a crucial and complex aspect of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance. This interactive workshop provides practical guidance and real-world scenarios to help AML professionals identify red flags, draft accurate narratives, and apply current industry standards, in order to effectively support authorities in the fight against money laundering.

Speakers:
Mercedes Nieto, Head Regulatory, Bitcoin Suisse
Jean Canzanella, Senior Financial Analyst, International Division, MROS
Alessandro Pulvirenti, Senior Financial Analyst, Operational Analysis Cantons, MROS

The Crypto Valley Conference Startup Competition is returning for its third edition, bringing the most cutting edge, and savvy blockchain projects to the CVC25 stage. Open to trailblazing early-stage startups utilizing blockchain and cryptographic technology to improve existing services or create a new way of interacting and transacting.

We will shortlist 10 startups to pitch their project live on the CVC25 stage. Top 10 will be announced soon!

Judging Panel:
Philipp Vonmoos, Solana Foundation
Maximilian Schneider, Blockwall
Raphael Grieco, Olive Capital
Bastian Wetzel, CV VC
Mathieu Chanson, VeryEarly
Benedek Orban, CVA | CV Labs

Speakers:
Emi Lorincz, Crypto Valley Association
Rene Hüsler, HSLU

Speaker: Thomas Moser, Swiss National Bank

The U.S has pulled away from launching a Central Bank Digital Currency, yet Europe is undeterred. The Digital Euro and Pound seem like a likelihood, and Switzerland has launched its pilot wholesale CBDC. Most CBDC projects recognise the need to encourage third-party innovation and avoid disintermediating financial services. So what does that mean for those who want to build products and services around CBDCs? We'll look at the prospects for third-parties that want in on the action. How can fintechs partner with governments, and who will be the winners in our industry if CBDCs enter the mainstream?

Speakers:
Thomas Moser, Swiss National Bank
Daniel Eidan, Bank of International Settlements, BIS
Paolo Bortolin, City of Lugano
Marco Kessler, SDX

Switzerland has established itself as a leading location for blockchain technologies, thanks to progressive regulatory frameworks, authorities' pro-innovation attitude, and close cooperation between politics and industry. However, this lead is under threat. Countries in Asia and the Middle East are rapidly catching up, offering increasingly attractive conditions for blockchain businesses. Meanwhile, the sharp political shift under the Trump administration serves as a wake-up call. At the same time, slow-moving processes, regulatory uncertainties, and new international requirements are seen as obstacles in Switzerland. A joint and coordinated approach is being proposed by the Swiss Blockchain Federation, the Crypto Valley Associatiion and the Bitcoin Switzerland Association.

Speakers:
Luzius Meisser, BTCS
Hans Kuhn, SBF
Maxim Kon, CVA

Access to digital assets, 24/7 markets and smart data are an undeniable leading aspect of both personal and institutional finace. Banks and fintechs can't overlook this. If customers rely on you for personal finance, you're in a strong position. If they turn to you for investment solutions, you control a lucrative piece of the pie. This panel will point out where the opportunity lies in wealthtech and how to unlock it, while offering pragmatic advice on how to smash through the roadblocks that have stalled progress.

Speakers:
Serge Kaulitz, Luzerner KB
Peter Hubli, Züricher KB
Sandro Brühlmann, PostFinance

As more financial institutions migrate capital onchain, their exploration for yield enters a whole new dimension. The largest asset managers and funds in the world are now asking crypto twitter's favorite question: where does the yield come from? hear from the world's leading asset managers and institutional investors on how they approach the DeFi staking landscape & capturing yield onchain.

Speakers:
Bitwise
Giovanni Vicioso, CME
Martin Leinweber, MarketVector Indexes
Elodie de Marchi, Kaiko

What is the market outlook for the second half of 2025? How's the macro environment and Investor sentiment driving investments in Bitcoin and other digital assets? Our market research experts will share insights on market structure, fundamentals, positioning trends, and the metrics that matter most in navigating a complex and rapidly evolving environment.

Speakers:
Katalin Tischhauser, Sygnum
Dominic Weibel, Bitcoin Suisse
Moderator: Mihai Grigore

As institutional capital flows deeper into crypto, it's reshaping the very structure of market liquidity. This panel explores how long-term, programmatic investment is reducing volatility, tightening spreads, and bringing stability to key assets like BTC and ETH. From the evolution of liquidity pools and cross-market infrastructure to multi-chain interoperability and unified execution platforms, discover how institutions are reengineering crypto markets for scale, efficiency, and resilience.

Speakers:
Jonathan Mathai, G-20
Katryna Hanush, Wintermute
Frank van Zegveld, Talos

In the high-stakes world of digital assets, custody remains both a foundational pillar and a persistent vulnerability. This session takes a deep dive into some of the largest financial hacks in crypto history, unpacking how custodial failures and operational blind spots led to billions in losses. We'll explore how the industry is evolving in response: from multi-party computation (MPC) and hardware-secured enclaves, to insurance-backed custodians and regulatory-grade controls. Whether you're a protocol founder, institutional investor, or infrastructure provider, this discussion offers critical insights into building resilient custodial setups that meet the demands of security, scalability, and trust.

Speakers:
Anoosh Arevshatian, Zodia Custody
Ripple
Aliya das Gupta, Sygnum Bank

As enforcement of the Global Travel Rule ramps up worldwide, virtual asset service providers (VASPs) are navigating the complexities of implementation across jurisdictions and technologies. This panel explores real-world experiences, highlighting what's working, where friction remains, and how the industry is adapting. From interoperability challenges to regulatory alignment, get practical insights into the future of compliant, cross-border crypto transfers.

Speakers:
Sumsub
Ilya Volkov, Youhodler
Laura Hildebrandt, Coinbase

As the global regulatory landscape continues to materialize for the digital asset ecosystem, staking is one of the most pertinent areas of clarity needed for institutional investors to deepen their digital asset strategies. leading legal and regulatory voices from digital assets funds, protocols, and operators as they discuss the implications of what's at stake for institutional staking policy.

Speakers:
Kasper Luyckx, Crypto Finance
Olivier Galaud, Everstake
Eva Lawrence, Figment

As regulatory frameworks tighten, crypto exchanges are rethinking their product strategies. This panel dives into how leading platforms are innovating within regulatory boundaries, from tokenized assets and staking to compliance-first user experiences. Explore what the next generation of exchange products looks like—and how to build them in a world that demands both agility and accountability.

Speakers:
Konstantin Kraus, Kraken
Denitza Vatchkova, Bullish
Frederic Volpe, Binance VIP & Institutional
Audris Siow, Bitvavo
Moderator: Emi Lorincz, Crypto Valley Association | Talos

As digital assets evolve and regulatory scrutiny tightens, Multi-Party Computation (MPC) is emerging as a core pillar of next-generation security infrastructure. Once confined to academic and cryptographic circles, MPC is now being deployed at scale by custodians, exchanges, fintechs, and protocols to secure billions in value—without relying on single points of failure.

This session explores:

• The maturity curve of MPC: from theory to production
• Real-world use cases: custody, DeFi, wallets, cross-border settlements
• How MPC compares to traditional HSMs and cold storage
• Challenges: latency, governance, and standardization

Speakers:
Anna Santilli, Fireblocks
Markus Perdrizat, CVA | ACK

Speaker: Jacques Boschung, Halborn

Stablecoins continue to gain traction as a core component of the crypto financial stack. Adjusted for inorganic activity, stablecoin transaction volumes hit a new all-time high last quarter. With increasingly lower fees and broadening use cases - ranging from remittances to enterprise payments - stablecoins are positioned to capture more institutional and retail flow in 2025, particularly in high-inflation economies. This session explains why modern payments infrastructure offers vital upgrades, outlining use cases and tangible advantages to explain how digital assets and currencies are creating a more resilient and secure financial infrastructure. This session will be a glimpse into the future, as well as a necessary assessment of where dated financial technology is at risk of becoming unfit for purpose.

Speakers:
Yves BENNAÏM, Bitcoin Initiative
Olga Konchenkova, CVA

Speaker: Raphael Zakarias, Backpack Exchange

Enterprise blockchain use cases often involve value exchange—whether it's digital twins of goods, digital assets, or rights. But instant settlement models require companies to pre-fund transactions with crypto, tying up capital before a deal is even confirmed—something treasurers dread. Stablecoins could change that. With intermediaries like banks or custodians facilitating real-time conversion between fiat and stablecoins, the liquidity barrier may finally be lifted. Could this be the breakthrough that unlocks broader adoption of enterprise blockchain? Join us as we explore the promise—and practicalities—of stablecoin-powered settlements.

• AI Oracle: A Blockchain-Powered Oracle for LLMs and AI Agents
• Are you a DePIN? A Decision Tree to Classify Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks
• Short Paper: SlotCollider – Detecting Storage Slot Collisions in Ethereum Smart Contracts
• Short Paper: Implementing Swap Contracts on Blockchain Networks

• How May Bitcoin Mining Reduce Carbon Emission?
• Comprehensive Modeling Approaches for Forecasting Bitcoin Transaction Fees
• Short Paper: A Low-Latency System for Collecting Massive Crypto Option Tick Data from Deribit

• Governance of Ledger-Anchored Decentralized Identifiers
• SoK: A Taxonomy for Distributed-Ledger-Based Identity Management
• Short Paper: Requirements and Benefits of a DAO Tokenomics Framework

• Verifiable Weighted Secret Sharing
• Short Paper: Decentralized Fair Exchange for Assets across Blockchain and the Internet
• Dyna-hinTS: Silent Threshold Signatures for Dynamic Committees
• Timelock Shield: A Robust Defense Against MEV and Censorship Attacks in Blockchain
• User Perceptions of Cryptocurrency Attacks – Extended Abstract