FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says the partnership is a “watershed moment” as the Australian blockchain ecosystem continues to go mainstream.
FTX Trading Limited (FTX) will be the naming rights sponsor for Australian Blockchain Week 2022, which will run from March 21 to 25.
Blockchain Australia is the peak industry network in Australia, bringing together industry, academia and government to discuss the opportunities of blockchain technology.
I’m incredibly excited to announce @FTX_Official as the Naming Rights Sponsor for Blockchain Week 2022.
A huge to @SBF_FTX for your support of the Australian ecosystem pic.twitter.com/B6cUWaTWIE
— Steve Vallas (@stevevallas) January 17, 2022
Over 200 speakers across 75 events will present at Australian Blockchain Week, including FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Launched in May 2019, FTX is a Bahamian-based cryptocurrency derivatives exchange. At the time of publication, it had a 24-hour trading volume of $1.41 billion according to Coinranking.
Steve Vallas, Chief Executive Officer of Blockchain Australia, said the appointment comes at a “watershed moment” as the Australian blockchain ecosystem continues to go mainstream.
“Growing interest in blockchain technology from major financial institutions together with signs of increasing regulation for the industry mean this year’s event is being held at a critical time for all players in this market.”
Bankman-Fried said that the partnership comes as the first iteration of its focus on supporting the “long-term growth of the Australian market.”
“We look forward to contributing to discussions to advance the local industry, better safeguard and protect consumers, and enabling financial institutions to evolve and thrive in the crypto industry.”
Related: Blockchain Australia says gov’t still dismissing industry as a ‘wild west’
Australian Blockchain week will come shortly after the businessman’s address at the Asian Financial Forum on Jan. 11, where he called on regulators to create a single framework for digital assets.
In December 2021, Bankman-Fried led FTX to be among the top 2021 unicorn companies, ranking 11th with a valuation of $25 billion.
The deal comes as the latest instance of international crypto exchanges paying big bucks to get their names in front of an Aussie audience. Yesterday, Singaporean crypto exchange Crypto.com agreed to pay $30 million to sponsor the Australian Football League.
