EthCC [8] in Cannes - Recap of Europe's Largest Ethereum Conference

The Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) wrapped up its eighth edition on July 3, 2025, in Cannes, France, marking its place as Europe’s leading blockchain event. Originally a grassroots meetup, EthCC has grown into a major four-day gathering, drawing over 6,400 attendees, 500+ speakers, and 69 sponsors. More than 245 side events also took place across the city, creating a vibrant ecosystem of innovation. This energy found a natural home in Cannes, now a crypto-friendly city, played a key role in hosting EthCC. Mayor David Lisnard praised the city’s initiatives, with over 30% of local businesses accepting crypto payments. The city’s reputation as a hub for innovation was evident, offering the perfect backdrop for blockchain discussions.

Robinhood Expands into Tokenized Finance

One of the biggest announcements came from Robinhood, which revealed plans to offer tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs across 31 European countries. These digital stock tokens will initially launch on Arbitrum, with a future migration to Robinhood’s own Layer 2 blockchain. The move positions Robinhood as a next-gen financial platform, with blockchain at its core, including crypto perpetual futures and expanded staking services.

Vitalik Buterin’s Call for True Decentralization

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin took the stage to address the importance of genuine decentralization. He challenged the crypto industry to evolve beyond its current phase, emphasizing that decentralization must truly empower users. Buterin proposed tests for evaluating decentralization, warning against services that conceal central points of failure and stressing that privacy should be integral, not optional, in blockchain design.

Innovations in Blockchain Technology

A major highlight was the progress in zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology. Leo Fan of Cysic showcased a breakthrough in decentralized Ethereum block proving, achieving over 1.3 million Keccak (hash) function proofs per second. Meanwhile, Edan Yago of BitcoinOS demonstrated how ZK proofs could bring smart contract functionality to Bitcoin, enabling cross-chain interoperability without altering Bitcoin’s base protocol. In Layer 2 and DeFi development, Offchain Labs’ AJ Warner highlighted Arbitrum’s self-funding model, while Eugene Pshenichny of Lido presented Lido V3, a flexible staking solution for Ethereum.

Real-World Assets and Institutional Adoption

The concurrent Real-World Asset (RWA) Summit focused on tokenized assets like government bonds and real estate, exploring the regulatory frameworks for their adoption. Ambre Soubiran of Kaiko and Andrew O’Neill of S&P Global discussed the growing role of Ethereum in regulated markets, with Ethereum positioning itself as a major player in the modernization of global financial infrastructure.

Ethereum’s Maturation and the Future

As the conference concluded, Jerome de Tychey of Ethereum France reflected on EthCC’s growth from a small gathering to Europe’s largest Ethereum event. The week showcased a shift in the Ethereum community from experimentation to critical financial infrastructure. The conference underscored the industry's commitment to decentralization, privacy, and sustainable growth.

EthCC 8 highlighted Ethereum's continued dominance in the blockchain space, showing how the community is evolving from technical breakthroughs to real-world applications. With more institutional interest and a growing commitment to decentralization, the future looks promising for Ethereum and the wider blockchain ecosystem.

 

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Website ETHCC: https://ethcc.io