The world’s largest crypto event, called Token2049, was held in Dubai at the Madinat Jumeriah Resort from April 30 to May 1. The conference was attended by 15,000 people from more than 160 countries and featured over 200 speakers, including industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators.
The event kicked off early with the DJ playing music before 9 am. People were spotted dressed as giant whales in astronaut suits, a playful nod to crypto culture. Some were even dressed in shiny silver tuxedos or suits with Bitcoin logos and cyborg-style sunglasses.
There was an event called “Money Rain,” in which promoters launched confetti of crypto-printed banknotes into the air. Later in the night, there was a dance party in the desert where VIPS grooved to the peppy beats and enjoyed Armand de Brignac champagne worth $500 (approx. Rs 42,500), reported The Wall Street Journal.
Reportedly, the event organiser also handed out free glasses of champagne to people.
There was a zipline over the resort’s canals for attendees. A camel was also draped in a crypto exchange’s logo for people to take photos, the report added.
After the event, a parade of Lamborghinis and Ferraris drove guests to an afterparty at Bohemia Beach Club on the Palm Jumeirah. Organisers scattered memecoin-themed banknotes and gave one lucky guest a private experience with a Japanese adult-film star.
According to the WSJ, many cities have tried to become the global centre for cryptocurrency. Malta called itself Blockchain Island, Switzerland as Crypto Valley, and Miami as MiamiCoin. But it is Dubai that is currently living up to the hype as big crypto companies like Binance have set up major offices there in recent years.
People are making plans to invest in Dubai due to low taxes, a special regulator designed just for crypto, and wealthy investors in the Gulf, reported news agency Reuters.
Dubai’s Emirates NBD bank launched crypto trading services, and the DMCC announced plans for a new crypto tower by 2027, the report added.
