CC Data Hosts Digital Assets Summit

This month, digital asset enthusiasts descended on London for a major networking event organised by CC Data.

The Institutional Digital Asset Summit has become a significant event, attracting international attendees and notable speakers contributing to a wide range of topics.

Here, we take a look at what was on the agenda for the 2023 summit.

What is CC Data?

Founded almost a decade ago, CC Data provides digital asset data to institutions and investors. Formerly known as CryptoCompare, the organisation is focused on safeguarding data integrity and ensuring consistency in market data by standardising global sources.

CC Data is renowned for investing in tech and infrastructure to enhance its services and is part of a movement to encourage digital asset adoption.

The Institutional Digital Asset Summit (CCDAS), in London, is part of fostering that engagement.

CC Data was co-founded by Charles Hayter and Vlad Cealicu, who serve as CEO and CTO respectively.

## CCDAS 2023

Held over two days at the start of the month, the summit covered a wide range of hot topics.

The summit began with a networking event for VIP guests, a chance to rub shoulders with influential figures in the digital asset and wider investment worlds. As with similar events, the opportunity to make face-to-face contact with movers and shakers is a major attraction of the CC Data summit.

Perhaps one of the most important agenda items was a discussion on future-proofing the digital asset industry. This looked at how to ensure continued growth in the sector amid global regulatory uncertainty.

Jurisdictions worldwide are grappling with regulation to make digital asset investment a safer space. There is a well-recognised need to protect investors, but many countries have struggled to understand how to impose rules which give that protection without stifling innovation.

The need for regulation gathered pace following last year’s dramatic collapse of the FTX exchange, leading to some jurisdictions considering knee-jerk rules that would harm the growth of the digital assets sector.

With the background, it was a timely subject to feature prominently on the CC Data DAS agenda.

Other discussion points

The summit agenda also included many more fundamental considerations about the present and future of the digital asset sector.

The scene was set with the opening presentation, considering the past, present, and future of cryptocurrency.

One session examined how institutional investors are shaping the digital asset landscape and how that should be managed. Another delved into the derivatives market, studying exposure and leverage within the digital asset ecosystem.

One agenda item that caught attention ahead of the summit focused on the role of venture capitalists and their role in driving digital asset growth. It is becoming commonplace for venture capital to play a significant role in the development of many digital asset platforms and offerings, and the summit examined how this works and whether it is beneficial.

Tokenisation is a hot topic in crypto circles, so it was unsurprising to find a session dedicated to studying trends in traditional tokenisation and looking beyond crypto.

Attendees were also able to hear the latest thinking on digital asset investment products, from the current ETFs (exchange-traded funds) to innovative new products that could hit institutional markets soon.

In common with many similar crypto-centric conferences, CC Data DAS 2023 included a number of ‘fireside’ chats, informal interviews with leading lights in the digital asset space. Among these were representatives of LMAX Digital, the institutional cryptocurrency exchange, as well as the UK Financial Conduct Authority.

The latter was fundamentally important following the rollout of strict new crypto rules in the UK during 2023 and with further regulatory steps due to come into force.

The speakers

The roll call of speakers scheduled for the 2023 CC Data Digital Asset Summit read like a veritable who's who of finance and digital asset leaders.

The Chair of the UK Parliament Crypto and Digital Assets All Party Parliamentary Group, Dr Lisa Cameron MP, and FCA Head of Capital Markets Helen Boyd were among the headline guests due to appear.

Other leading figures on the roster included Bitcoin educator Dan Held, Bitstamp CEO JB Graftieaux, Wilshire CEO Mark Makepeace, and Tyrone Lobban, MD of Onyx by JPMorgan.

The City of London, arguably the global HQ of financial services, was represented by Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli.

More than just talk

Of course, conferences like this are not just an opportunity to hear from star speakers and network. The CC Data summit was also an opportunity for businesses to exhibit.

Many conference attendees measure the value of an event by the quality of the organisations represented. Having the City of London, the UK Parliament, and the FCA represented matters, but it is equally important to see big financial names in attendance.

The reputation of CCDAS has been enhanced by the ability to attract traditional institutional investors to this digital-asset-focused forum. These have included the likes of HSBC, UBS, Citi, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, and Standard Chartered.

Its value has been further enriched by the attendance of finance players such as the Nasdaq, the London Stock Exchange Group, and S&P Global.

Of course, no digital asset conference would be valuable without representatives of the cryptocurrency sector and digital asset champions. Again, CCDAS has scored well, with the likes of Ripple, Crypto.com, Coinbase, and Bitstamp contributing.

The coverage

Anyone involved in cryptocurrency knows that widespread mainstream media coverage of digital assets usually only happens when something goes wrong, like a market crash, hack, or platform implosion.

Another strength of CCDAS has been its ability to attract representatives of leading reputable global media outlets. These have included the BBC, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, and CNBC, among many more.