Agenda

This is how it went down

Mission Control

Skylab

8:00 am

Event

Conference opens/Breakfast

Mission Control

It's the most important meal of the day. Fuel up before diving into an exciting day!

Event

Conference opens/Breakfast

Mission Control

It's the most important meal of the day. Fuel up before diving into an exciting day!

9:30 am

Talk

The Liberating Power of Blockchain: View from Venezuela

Mission Control

Carlos Hernandez, Economist and Journalist

In February of this year, the New York Times published "Bitcoin Saved My Family" written by Carlos Hernandez, shining a light on the innovative and liberating power of cryptocurrencies. Carlos will be joining us in Mexico City to give us an on-the-ground perspective of what's going on in Venezuela, and sharing his insights around how to build tractable products in challenging environments.

Talk

The Liberating Power of Blockchain: View from Venezuela

Mission Control

Carlos Hernandez, Economist and Journalist

In February of this year, the New York Times published "Bitcoin Saved My Family" written by Carlos Hernandez, shining a light on the innovative and liberating power of cryptocurrencies. Carlos will be joining us in Mexico City to give us an on-the-ground perspective of what's going on in Venezuela, and sharing his insights around how to build tractable products in challenging environments.

10:00 am

Talk

The View From Here

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

SDF Executive Director Denelle Dixon opens the conference with the vision and goals for Meridian.

Talk

The View From Here

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

SDF Executive Director Denelle Dixon opens the conference with the vision and goals for Meridian.

10:15 am

Panel

Business Building on an Open Network

Mission Control

Cole Diamond, CEO, Coinsquare
Pavel Matveev, CEO, Wirex
Meinhard Benn, CEO, SatoshiPay
Gabrielle Patrick, CEO & General Counsel, Knabu.me
Moderated by Lisa Nestor, Senior Strategist, Stellar Development Foundation

How do you build an effective, self-sustaining business plan on an open financial network? Learn from ecosystem leaders as they share best practices, strategic insights, and opportunities for collaboration among products such as stablecoins, wallets, and consumer apps.

Panel

Business Building on an Open Network

Mission Control

Cole Diamond, CEO, Coinsquare
Pavel Matveev, CEO, Wirex
Meinhard Benn, CEO, SatoshiPay
Gabrielle Patrick, CEO & General Counsel, Knabu.me

How do you build an effective, self-sustaining business plan on an open financial network? Learn from ecosystem leaders as they share best practices, strategic insights, and opportunities for collaboration among products such as stablecoins, wallets, and consumer apps.

10:16 am

Workshop

Intuitive SCP

Skylab

Marta Lokhava, Stellar Development Foundation

In this talk, we'll present a simplified version of the Stellar Consensus Protocol and build the right intuition behind it through detailed examples and visualizations. Bring your questions!

Workshop

Intuitive SCP

Skylab

Marta Lokhava, Stellar Development Foundation

In this talk, we'll present a simplified version of the Stellar Consensus Protocol and build the right intuition behind it through detailed examples and visualizations. Bring your questions!

11:15 am

Talk

Using Stellar for Cross-Border Payments

Mission Control

Marco Neri, CEO, Saldo
Ifeoluwa "IO" Orioke, CEO, Flutterwave
Nick Bayerque, CEO, Settle
Maria Gaitanidou, Head of Compliance, Coins.ph
Moderated by Hugo Cuevas-Mohr, CEO, The Platinum Network

In this session, we'll talk with leaders from around the world on how they're using Stellar to crack the puzzle of cross-border payments in their ecosystem.

Talk

Using Stellar for Cross-Border Payments

Mission Control

Marco Neri, CEO, Saldo
Ifeoluwa "IO" Orioke, CEO, Flutterwave
Nick Bayerque, CEO, Settle
Maria Gaitanidou, Head of Compliance, Coins.ph

In this session, we'll talk with leaders from around the world on how they're using Stellar to crack the puzzle of cross-border payments in their ecosystem.

11:16 am

Discussion

Unpacking Wallets: Discussion Group + Workshop

Skylab

Morley Zhi, Stellar Development Foundation
Gleb Pitsevich, Co-founder, LOBSTR
Dmitri Gmyza, Co-founder, LOBSTR

This will be an open group discussion on everything concerning wallets. Among other topics we'll discuss how Stellar wallets can be better, and how SDF can make wallets easier to build, along with a workshop on the new Wallet SDK.

Discussion

Unpacking Wallets: Discussion Group + Workshop

Skylab

Morley Zhi, Stellar Development Foundation
Gleb Pitsevich, Co-founder, LOBSTR
Dmitri Gmyza, Co-founder, LOBSTR

This will be an open group discussion on everything concerning wallets. Among other topics we'll discuss how Stellar wallets can be better, and how SDF can make wallets easier to build, along with a workshop on the new Wallet SDK.

12:00 pm

Event

Lunch

Mission Control

Fuel up with local delights for a filling lunch. Vegetarian/vegan friendly.

Event

Lunch

Mission Control

Fuel up with local delights for a filling lunch. Vegetarian/vegan friendly.

12:30 pm

Talk

IBM Community Update

Mission Control

Nitin Gaur, Director, IBM WW Digital Asset Lab

What's the latest about IBM World Wire? Hear directly from Nitin about IBM's recent progress and projections as we go into 2020.

Talk

IBM Community Update

Mission Control

Nitin Gaur, Director, IBM WW Digital Asset Lab

What's the latest about IBM World Wire? Hear directly from Nitin about IBM's recent progress and projections as we go into 2020.

1:00 pm

Panel

Building DEX Liquidity: How to Bootstrap and Scale

Mission Control

Scott Freeman, Co-founder and Partner, JST
Thomas Scaria, Strategy Lead, Wyre
Sergey Yusupov, Apay
Ian McAfee, CEO, Shift Markets
Moderated by Arianna Simpson, Founder and Managing Partner, Autonomous Capital

Resilient liquidity on Stellar's decentralized exchange is fundamental to scaling the network, so how do we bootstrap and grow markets? Listen to those on the cutting edge share their thoughts -- from open-source trading bots to facilitating institutional participation.

Panel

Building DEX Liquidity: How to Bootstrap and Scale

Mission Control

Scott Freeman, Co-founder and Partner, JST
Thomas Scaria, Strategy Lead, Wyre
Sergey Yusupov, Apay
Ian McAfee, CEO, Shift Markets

Resilient liquidity on Stellar's decentralized exchange is fundamental to scaling the network, so how do we bootstrap and grow markets? Listen to those on the cutting edge share their thoughts -- from open-source trading bots to facilitating institutional participation.

1:00 pm

Talk

Defining a Stellar Community

Skylab

Zac Freundt, Stellar Development Foundation
Saulo Santos "b1tcc", Lumenaut
Wouter Arkink, Stellar Torch | A Stellar Day

In this semi-open discussion, we'll explore how a global community is defined through participants spearheading innovation and education.

Talk

Defining a Stellar Community

Skylab

Zac Freundt, Stellar Development Foundation
Saulo Santos "b1tcc", Lumenaut
Wouter Arkink, Stellar Torch | A Stellar Day

In this semi-open discussion, we'll explore how a global community is defined through participants spearheading innovation and education.

2:00 pm

Talk

Fireside Chat with Rod Garratt

Mission Control

Rod Garratt, Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair in Economics, UCSB
Moderated by Justin Rice, Stellar Development Foundation

Rod Garratt has amassed an impressive resume in the fields of economics and blockchain. Currently the Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Rod is also a visiting scholar at the Bank of Canada, and has worked with the Bank for International Settlements, the Bank of England, and is a former Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In this Fireside Chat, we'll ask Rod for his thoughts on Central Bank perspectives on cryptocurrencies.

Talk

Fireside Chat with Rod Garratt

Mission Control

Rod Garratt, Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair in Economics, UCSB
Moderated by Justin Rice, Stellar Development Foundation

Rod Garratt has amassed an impressive resume in the fields of economics and blockchain. Currently the Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Rod is also a visiting scholar at the Bank of Canada, and has worked with the Bank for International Settlements, the Bank of England, and is a former Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In this Fireside Chat, we'll ask Rod for his thoughts on Central Bank perspectives on cryptocurrencies.

2:00 pm

Workshop

Building a Stablecoin Anchor

Skylab

Jim Danz, Co-founder, AnchorUSD

Technical workshop. Bring your questions!

Workshop

Building a Stablecoin Anchor

Skylab

Jim Danz, Co-founder, AnchorUSD

Technical workshop. Bring your questions!

2:50 pm

Event

Coffee Break

Mission Control

Event

Coffee Break

Mission Control

3:15 pm

Panel

3,2,1, Liftoff: Building a New Payment Infrastructure in LATAM

Mission Control

Marco Muñoz, CEO, Blockchain Academy Mexico
Juan Pablo Ramirez Herrera, Blockchain and DLT Lead, Bancolombia
Oscar Elizondo, Co-Founder, Biccos
José Rodriguez, Director, Blockchain Land
Moderated by Marco Neri, CEO, Saldo

Latin America represents one of the greatest geographic opportunities for cryptocurrencies, but comes with its own set of unique challenges. In this panel we'll discuss adoption, traction, and attitudinal shifts in the region around cryptocurrencies. En español.

Panel

3,2,1, Liftoff: Building a New Payment Infrastructure in LATAM

Mission Control

Marco Muñoz, CEO, Blockchain Academy Mexico
Juan Pablo Ramirez Herrera, Blockchain and DLT Lead, Bancolombia
Oscar Elizondo, Co-Founder, Biccos
José Rodriguez, Director, Blockchain Land

Latin America represents one of the greatest geographic opportunities for cryptocurrencies, but comes with its own set of unique challenges. In this panel we'll discuss adoption, traction, and attitudinal shifts in the region around cryptocurrencies. En español.

3:15 pm

Panel

Stellar for Everything Other than Payments

Skylab

Tyler van der Hoeven, Tiny Anvil

Stellar is for payments! But what if it could be used outside of the financial space to change the way applications and services are developed, secured and distributed? Uncover Stellar's potential for YOUR use case in this session.

Panel

Stellar for Everything Other than Payments

Skylab

Tyler van der Hoeven, Tiny Anvil

Stellar is for payments! But what if it could be used outside of the financial space to change the way applications and services are developed, secured and distributed? Uncover Stellar's potential for YOUR use case in this session.

4:00 pm

Talk

Getting People Connected at Scale with OXIO in Mexico

Mission Control

Nicolas Girard, CEO, OXIO

Hear about how OXIO is creating new innovative pathways in Mexico.

Talk

Getting People Connected at Scale with OXIO in Mexico

Mission Control

Nicolas Girard, CEO, OXIO

Hear about how OXIO is creating new innovative pathways in Mexico.

4:01 pm

Talk

Public Blockchains need Private Transactions

Skylab

Oleg Andreev, Protocol Architect, Stellar Development Foundation

Financial markets care deeply about confidentiality and access to critical trading information. To supercharge them with highly liquid digital assets we need a whole new approach to confidentiality of data on a globally transparent ledger.

Talk

Public Blockchains need Private Transactions

Skylab

Oleg Andreev, Protocol Architect, Stellar Development Foundation

Financial markets care deeply about confidentiality and access to critical trading information. To supercharge them with highly liquid digital assets we need a whole new approach to confidentiality of data on a globally transparent ledger.

4:45 pm

Event

Private Validators Happy Hour

Skylab

Tom Llewellyn-Smith, Stellar Development Foundation

Meet your fellow Validators from around the world!

Event

Private Validators Happy Hour

Skylab

Tom Llewellyn-Smith, Stellar Development Foundation

Meet your fellow Validators from around the world!

5:00 pm

Talk

SDF's Next Steps

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

In this session, Denelle Dixon will speak about the short, medium, and long term strategic vision for the Stellar Development Foundation. Expect updates to critical SDF initiatives, structures, and growth objectives.

Talk

SDF's Next Steps

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

In this session, Denelle Dixon will speak about the short, medium, and long term strategic vision for the Stellar Development Foundation. Expect updates to critical SDF initiatives, structures, and growth objectives.

5:30 pm

Event

Happy Hour and Evening Entertainment!

Mission Control

Networking is always best with drinks and canapés. Relax with some refreshments and music after a long day of talking shop.

Event

Happy Hour and Evening Entertainment!

Mission Control

Networking is always best with drinks and canapés. Relax with some refreshments and music after a long day of talking shop.

8:00 pm

Event

Day 1 Ends

Mission Control

Pat yourself on the back for a Day 1 well done!

Event

Day 1 Ends

Mission Control

Pat yourself on the back for a Day 1 well done!

8:00 am

Event

Conference opens/Breakfast

Mission Control

It's the most important meal of the day. Fuel up before an exciting Day 2.

Event

Conference opens/Breakfast

Mission Control

It's the most important meal of the day. Fuel up before an exciting Day 2.

9:30 am

Talk

The Lay of the Land: Making Sense of Seismic Change

Mission Control

Francisco Rivadeneyra, Senior Research Advisor, Bank of Canada
Amit Sharma, CEO, FinClusive Capital
Linda Schilling, Assistant Professor of Financial Economics, Ecole Polytechnique CREST
Moderated by Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

From regulation to policy implications, this panel will feature industry experts who take a 36,000 foot view of the cryptocurrency landscape.

Talk

The Lay of the Land: Making Sense of Seismic Change

Mission Control

Francisco Rivadeneyra, Senior Research Advisor, Bank of Canada
Amit Sharma, CEO, FinClusive Capital
Linda Schilling, Assistant Professor of Financial Economics, Ecole Polytechnique CREST
Moderated by Denelle Dixon, Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation

From regulation to policy implications, this panel will feature industry experts who take a 36,000 foot view of the cryptocurrency landscape.

9:30 am

Talk

Stellar Protocol: Design Consideration and What's Next

Skylab

Tomer Weller, Stellar Development Foundation
Orbitlens, StellarExpert

Come to Skylab to learn about how the Stellar protocol evolves and discuss what's next for it.

Talk

Stellar Protocol: Design Consideration and What's Next

Skylab

Tomer Weller, Stellar Development Foundation
Orbitlens, StellarExpert

Come to Skylab to learn about how the Stellar protocol evolves and discuss what's next for it.

10:30 am

Panel

Fundraising 101 for Blockchain

Mission Control

Pablo Perez III, Founding Partner and COO, LEAP Global Partners
Arianna Simpson, Founder and Managing Director, Autonomous Partners
Luke Kim, Network Manager, UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator and Director, Startup Grind
Reuben Godfrey, CEO, GoodCash
Moderated by Alberto Navarro, Head of Product, Arkangeles.co

Blockchain companies have some unique challenges when it comes to capital raising. In this panel we will hear from industry experts on how to navigate the unique seas of creating scalable growth strategies and how to think about approaching investors when building businesses built on blockchain.

Panel

Fundraising 101 for Blockchain

Mission Control

Pablo Perez III, Founding Partner and COO, LEAP Global Partners
Arianna Simpson, Founder and Managing Director, Autonomous Partners
Luke Kim, Network Manager, UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator and Director, Startup Grind
Reuben Godfrey, CEO, GoodCash

Blockchain companies have some unique challenges when it comes to capital raising. In this panel we will hear from industry experts on how to navigate the unique seas of creating scalable growth strategies and how to think about approaching investors when building businesses built on blockchain.

10:30 am

Talk

Conversation with BinanceX's Teck Chia

Skylab

Teck Chia, Head, BinanceX
Justin Rice, Stellar Development Foundation

Binance X has been making waves with their recent efforts around developer engagement under Teck's leadership. Teck Chia also comes to Meridian with deep experience in accelerating adoption in difficult markets. In this session, SDF's Justin Rice will converse with Teck about his advice, experiences, and insights on successful scaling as well as better practices around developer engagement before opening it up to a lively group Q&A.

Talk

Conversation with BinanceX's Teck Chia

Skylab

Teck Chia, Head, BinanceX
Justin Rice, Stellar Development Foundation

Binance X has been making waves with their recent efforts around developer engagement under Teck's leadership. Teck Chia also comes to Meridian with deep experience in accelerating adoption in difficult markets. In this session, SDF's Justin Rice will converse with Teck about his advice, experiences, and insights on successful scaling as well as better practices around developer engagement before opening it up to a lively group Q&A.

11:30 am

Panel

Tokenizing Real-World Assets

Mission Control

Jarek Nowotka, CTO, Bitbond
Jase Wilson, CEO, Neighborly
Dan Doney, CEO, Securrency
V. Gowribalan, Co-founder, GRIP Investments
Austin Trombley, Vice President-- Blockchain and AI, Franklin Templeton
Moderated by Craig McGregor, Co-Founder and CEO, DSTOQ

What benefits are unlocked by tokenizing real-world assets? Tokenization has the potential to revolutionize how assets are represented and traded, lowering barriers and democratizing access to previously disadvantaged audiences. Join this panel of visionaries that are actively working to usher in the future of the financial industry.

Panel

Tokenizing Real-World Assets

Mission Control

Jarek Nowotka, CTO, Bitbond
Jase Wilson, CEO, Neighborly
Dan Doney, CEO, Securrency
V. Gowribalan, Co-founder, GRIP Investments

What benefits are unlocked by tokenizing real-world assets? Tokenization has the potential to revolutionize how assets are represented and traded, lowering barriers and democratizing access to previously disadvantaged audiences. Join this panel of visionaries that are actively working to usher in the future of the financial industry.

11:30 am

Talk

SDFs New Building Blocks

Skylab

Christian Rudder, Stellar Development Foundation

How SDF will build to grow the network. We’ll explain SDF’s 2020 product focus and unpack how it will create value for all teams building on Stellar. If we have time, we’ll do a Q&A.

Talk

SDFs New Building Blocks

Skylab

Christian Rudder, Stellar Development Foundation

How SDF will build to grow the network. We’ll explain SDF’s 2020 product focus and unpack how it will create value for all teams building on Stellar. If we have time, we’ll do a Q&A.

12:30 pm

Event

Lunch

Mission Control

We'll be serving an impressive spread of local cuisine. Vegetarian/vegan friendly.

Event

Lunch

Mission Control

We'll be serving an impressive spread of local cuisine. Vegetarian/vegan friendly.

1:30 pm

Event

Stellar Spotlights

Mission Control

Moderated by Jed McCaleb

This is an opportunity for a select group of companies to share their vision and achievements. Each 3 minute pitch will be followed by 2 minutes of questions from Jed McCaleb. In this session you'll hear from Nodle (Garrett Kinsman), Bidcoins (Nick Papillon), WYCKX (Roeland de Jong), ilmatic (Danny Tamez), Poseidon (Laszlo Giricz), Tangem (Sergio Mello), Blue Orion (Hans Woppmann), LUMIT (Fernando Vera), Litemint (Frederic Rezeau), Realtybits (Umed Latifov), Rehive (Michael Brink), and Optionblox (Markus Paulson-Luna)!

Event

Stellar Spotlights

Mission Control

Moderated by Jed McCaleb

This is an opportunity for a select group of companies to share their vision and achievements. Each 3 minute pitch will be followed by 2 minutes of questions from Jed McCaleb. In this session you'll hear from Nodle (Garrett Kinsman), Bidcoins (Nick Papillon), WYCKX (Roeland de Jong), ilmatic (Danny Tamez), Poseidon (Laszlo Giricz), Tangem (Sergio Mello), Blue Orion (Hans Woppmann), LUMIT (Fernando Vera), Litemint (Frederic Rezeau), Realtybits (Umed Latifov), Rehive (Michael Brink), and Optionblox (Markus Paulson-Luna)!

1:31 pm

Discussion

Stellar Ops: Tips and Tricks for Running Stellar-Core, Horizon, and more

Skylab

Tom Llewellyn-Smith, Stellar Development Foundation
Konstantin Richter, CEO & Founder, Blockdaemon

We want to hear your insights, best practices, and frustrations in this inclusive discussion group.

Discussion

Stellar Ops: Tips and Tricks for Running Stellar-Core, Horizon, and more

Skylab

Tom Llewellyn-Smith, Stellar Development Foundation
Konstantin Richter, CEO & Founder, Blockdaemon

We want to hear your insights, best practices, and frustrations in this inclusive discussion group.

2:00 pm

Discussion

Diversifying Tools in the Stellar Ecosystem

Skylab

Sergey Nebolsin, Evil Martians
Victor Sokolov, Evil Martians

Discussion

Diversifying Tools in the Stellar Ecosystem

Skylab

Sergey Nebolsin, Evil Martians
Victor Sokolov, Evil Martians

3:00 pm

Talk

Notes from Abroad: Digital Adoption in Cash Economies

Mission Control

Shakib Noori. CEO, M-Paisa
Ernest Mbenkum, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Wallet and Exchange
Boaz Sobrado, Founder, WhyNotCuba.com
Moderated by Lily Liu, Co-founder, Earn.com

Crypto adoption looks different all around the world. However, in this panel, we're zeroing in on the particular challenges and opportunities in predominately cash economies. We'll hear from leaders who can give on-the ground insights from Afghanistan, Cuba, Cameroon, Georgia, and Brazil.

Talk

Notes from Abroad: Digital Adoption in Cash Economies

Mission Control

Shakib Noori. CEO, M-Paisa
Ernest Mbenkum, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Wallet and Exchange
Boaz Sobrado, Founder, WhyNotCuba.com
Moderated by Lily Liu, Co-founder, Earn.com

Crypto adoption looks different all around the world. However, in this panel, we're zeroing in on the particular challenges and opportunities in predominately cash economies. We'll hear from leaders who can give on-the ground insights from Afghanistan, Cuba, Cameroon, Georgia, and Brazil.

3:00 pm

Talk

Stellar's Open Membership: How it Works and Why We Need it

Skylab

David Mazières, Chief Scientist, Stellar Development Foundation

Talk by Stellar Development Foundation Chief Scientist, David Mazières.

Talk

Stellar's Open Membership: How it Works and Why We Need it

Skylab

David Mazières, Chief Scientist, Stellar Development Foundation

Talk by Stellar Development Foundation Chief Scientist, David Mazières.

4:30 pm

Discussion

Conference Close

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon

Executive Director Denelle Dixon closes the conference with thoughts, insights, and takeaways from two days of building, learning, and growing.

Discussion

Conference Close

Mission Control

Denelle Dixon

Executive Director Denelle Dixon closes the conference with thoughts, insights, and takeaways from two days of building, learning, and growing.

5:00 pm

Event

Conference Conclusion + Drinks

Mission Control

Event

Conference Conclusion + Drinks

Mission Control

Stay tuned for the agenda!

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Carbon offsetting for all Meridian participants has been generously provided by Poseidon.eco