WHAT A🕺COMEBACK: KBW 2026!

What a good start to the morning. Blue skies, cool autumn air, and Bitcoin almost 50% above its yearly low. What a comeback!The perfect morning to head to Seoul early. Crossing South Korea by KTX from Busan to Seoul takes less than three hours, with trains reaching speeds of up to 300 km/h. Compared to Germany, the delays feel almost nonexistent. Somehow, I am pretty happy to be back in Korea.When the infrastructure works, you don't have to pay extra to use the toilets, Internet is available almost everywhere, and you get that feel safe of respected, the journey to Seoul becomes a pretty relaxed experience.

But I am not travelling to Seoul just for the train ride or because of the Bitcoin price. It is time for Korea Blockchain Week 2026 again. Whether you arrive in Seoul by car, train, or plane, you quickly feel the city's own spirit. It is not just the sheer number of people, something you also experience in Shanghai. It is that special vibe where everything seems to move faster. In Seoul, it sometimes feels like only rich people or people from outside the city are allowed to walk slowly. This time, however, I am not here just as a visitor. I brought my own rules of the game with me. Every year, the same questions come up. What opportunities will I find? Who will I meet? Will I find inspiration for my own passion?

Since my first events did not start until early afternoon, I wanted to have sushi at one of my favourite restaurants beforehand. Funny enough, one of the waiters recognises me everytime. He understands me pretty well without needing many words and already knows what I want. Somehow, he is always there whenever I visit. In Korea, a strong work ethic is part of everyday life for many people. While people in Germany often debate whether an eight-hour workday is too much, twelve-hour days are not unusual in many industries in Korea. I am not trying to talk badly about my home country, Germany. But being able to compare these cultural differences is genuinely interesting. Still, a proper portion of protein from salmon and shrimp sushi, together with green tea, beats almost any classic breakfast, at least for my taste today.

No matter how many events take place or how big a city is, I always ask myself the same question: Which events are actually worth attending? Although the crypto market had recently experienced some declines and the mood was not always full of excitement, there were plenty of events. That made me want to support the rally of the past few weeks even more.

In a city like Seoul, good time management is essential. If you cannot manage your time, you do not just miss opportunities. You might end up giving them to someone else. And the competition never sleeps.

Sometimes, I already feel like an OG in the crypto industry. Of course, there are plenty of people in this market who have been around much longer than me and are older, too. Still, I believe I have understood how the game behind the scenes works. Every year is different. New trends appear, old narratives disappear, and new projects try to capture the market's attention. What seemed revolutionary yesterday might already be forgotten tomorrow. It is like a shark tank. You are surrounded by potential customers, salespeople, and competitors, but in the end, it often comes down to the same thing. Everyone is chasing money.

If you have been involved in crypto for a while, you quickly notice how much has changed over the past few years. Topics like compliance, regulatory registrations, and privacy have become much more important. My first event at Korea Blockchain Week took me to one of the wealthier areas of Korea. I found the contrast between the luxurious surroundings and Bitcoin's original idea particularly interesting. These are exactly the kinds of discussions I enjoy. Bitcoin itself has not changed at its core, yet it has become one of the world's largest assets and now competes with established asset classes like gold. Today, countless business models try to make money from Bitcoin, even though some of them often seem to offer little more than hot air. For me, Bitcoin is the first digital store of value that combines scarcity, global transferability, and a decentralised network. Its independence is one of its strongest advantages.

I like the different sides of this industry. On one side, investors and business people talk about capital, regulation, and partnerships. On the other, developers discuss technical topics that often sound like a foreign language to me. To be honest, I mainly want to understand whether there is a way to make money with them. And then there are the memecoin stories. Someone invests a few hundred dollars in the right coin and suddenly makes a fortune. It almost feels like watching a movie that cannot be real. Everything was there, from creative concepts like House of Web3 to cosy, hidden luxury bars and exclusive clubs. This mix is exactly what makes these events interesting to me. One example was Sleepycoin, which focused on data usage and token rewards. Projects like this show how differently companies try to involve users and develop new business models. These events often mean good connections, but also good food and drinks. You really cannot complain about that.

Thanks to crypto, I have had the opportunity over the past few years to attend some genuinely exclusive events and experience things I probably would never have had access to otherwise. Sometimes, this industry is a little strange. At the same time, it opens doors that you would probably never get to walk through under different circumstances. Using a Tmoney e-bike from the KakaoApp ecosystem, I rode for around 20 minutes to Apgujeong, one of the more expensive areas near Gangnam. An e-bike or e-scooter is often the best way to beat the traffic, but this time the journey took longer than expected. From established institutions to projects trying to prove themselves, everyone was represented. There were also special cocktail bars and hidden underground bars. Gin, vermouth, amaro, coffee, and coconut. The combination tasted surprisingly good while I talked about crypto security and smart contract audits.

At some point, late at night, we continued to People the Terrace in Cheongdam, a well-known stop during crypto events that takes place every year. By now, I almost know the menu and buffet by heart because it feels like the same food every year, just with different company names attached. The market still had not fully recovered from the events of the previous months. You meet familiar faces, new people, and some who did not manage to make it this time. The crypto and blockchain industry changes incredibly fast.

Besides making new business contacts, I also took inspiration for my own projects away from these events. One example is BitcoinHaha. Something I notice about many companies is that they spend a lot of money on marketing and merchandise for conferences and events. For BitcoinHaha, this could be an interesting business strategy. Companies could use customised Bitcoin-inspired pins or other products as brand ambassadors. But it is not a simple process. Still sometimes I can be quote "To young, to simple".

Thanks to my sister, who also managed to make it to Korea Blockchain Week in time, and my Bitcoin jacket, which she brought with her, everything was perfect. It is my Black Swan Edition, featuring 18-karat gold Bitcoin pins. The jacket has become my trademark, and I am working towards bringing my vision to a bigger stage as a crypto fashion designer. It is more complicated when you have not studied fashion yourself, but that also makes the challenge of being different in the fashion world even more exciting. The jacket makes me stand out and gives people a reason to remember me. There is a difference between wearing something just to get attention and wearing something that represents who you are.

Since our hotel was in Gangnam, the evening networking events were relatively easy to reach. That matters in Seoul because traffic during rush hour can be crazy.From RWA and compliance to MiCA and memecoins, the exclusive events were generously sponsored again this year. After a long night the next day, I invited my sister and mother to one of the crypto side events. On the way there, we passed some hidden coffee shops and small stores with a Western feel.

The day went by quickly, with familiar colleagues and partners as well as spontaneous networking conversations. Some conversations lasted so long that I did not even make it to the panel discussions I had planned to attend. That is the funny thing about networking. You can plan your entire day, but one interesting conversation can throw your whole schedule out of the window. Eventually, a Korean newsletter approached me for an interview about the current situation surrounding stablecoins. Of course, I said yes immediately.

My mother, who has been active in the crypto and AI industries for many years, was also able to make some new contacts. My sister, who is not really involved in this world, also met plenty of new people through her position at American Express. Sometimes, you do not need to understand an entire industry to be an interesting contact for someone else. In the end, it turned into an interesting family afternoon in this strange but fascinating world of blockchain and AI. At some point, we ended up in a cosy coffee shop, grabbed a good coffee, and sat outside in the sun. Right next door, another crypto event was taking place. Apparently, I will never escape the crypto world. It is following me.

Memecoins were active again this year. Everyone loves the idea of making money quickly. There are always stories about people who turned a few hundred dollars into millions. These stories are no longer quite as rare as they used to be. Still, for most investors, the whole thing remains a risky game. You see someone make millions, and suddenly everyone wants to find the next big memecoin. I think that is simply part of the crypto world. Everyone wants to get in early, but timing is everything when it comes to memecoins. In a way, it is like drinking, sex, or gambling in a casino. Late in the evening, I finally ended up at a crypto event in Itaewon, Seoul's party district. But that part of the story deserves its own blog article:

In the end, Korea Blockchain Week felt far too short for me, partly for personal reasons. My last day started with a bowl of ramen and more contacts I had made during the week. They had rented an entire pop-up store, complete with their own convenience store, photo booth, food, and even an area where people could work. Since I had to travel onwards that evening because my grandmother was celebrating her 90th birthday the next day, I was especially proud that I actually managed to arrive at the Binance event on time.

There was a Tesla Cybertruck, various stands, activities, and a giveaway with small challenges. You could quickly tell that the team had put a lot of work into the event. I even managed to get a sweatshirt from the Binance pop-up store. Eventually, my hunger could no longer wait. I ended up at a small odeng shop, where I got kimbap and kimchi for less than 10,000 won. With a long weekend coming up, flights, trains, and buses were increasingly getting booked out. It made sense to leave early before the big rush began.

But there was another reason, too. My grandmother was turning 90, and I did not want to miss that moment under any circumstances. And honestly, no conference room or networking event in the world is more important than that, even though I love what I do so much. It made meeting people who are on a similar journey even more valuable. People who understand why you take risks, why you stick to your ideas, and why sometimes you have to choose a different path from the majority.

Even though my time at KBW was far too short this year, I managed to meet new business partners and discover hidden cafés and restaurants. For me, these experiences are just as important as the business results: interesting people, new contacts, good food, long nights, and the usual chaos of the crypto industry.

The longer I spend in this industry, the more I understand how important it is to follow your own path. Not every trend is worth following. Not every partnership will move you forward. And not every opportunity is automatically a good opportunity. Sometimes, progress also means saying no, focusing on what really matters, and doing things differently from the competition.

But the most important lesson remains the same for me: You do not have to follow the crowd to be successful. You need to understand what you want to achieve, find your own path, and be consistent enough to follow it.

"Don't Be Original. Stay Different!"