Original author: James Wo, Founder CEO, Digital Finance Group
The 8th Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC[8]) was held in Cannes, France from June 30 to July 3, with more than 6,500 developers, researchers, investors, and ecosystem contributors gathering for four days of presentations, panel discussions, and community-led events, making it the largest Ethereum conference to date. As one of Europe’s most developer-focused Ethereum events, this year’s EthCC highlighted the maturing and revitalized Web3 landscape, driven by real-world convergence, emerging frontier technologies such as AI, and the resurgence of DeFi.
In addition to the main stage at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes became the hub of activity for a week with over 300 side events covering AI Crypto, Stablecoins, Tokenization, DeFi and Infrastructure. DFG was honored to be participating in the pitch again as an EthVC sponsor and I was delighted to share insights on Chain Abstraction on the main stage.
Here are three key themes we focused on during EthCC 8:
AI Agents move from profit-driven popularity to practical use
We are witnessing a major shift in AI in Web3: what started as a race for token-driven enthusiasm has evolved into a focus on real-world functionality and long-term applications. Instead of designing products around speculative gains, teams are prioritizing usability, verifiability, and monetization models that go beyond token economics. The question dominating the discussion is no longer “How do we monetize the hype?”, but “How do we provide the tools that users actually need?”
This evolution has given rise to a new architectural blueprint that fuses LLMs for decision making, smart contracts for execution, and verifiable systems for trust and security. For example, ecosystems such as NEAR are introducing an infrastructure that allows AI agents to engage in commerce through enforceable agreements that cover milestones, terms of service, and payment conditions. This innovation transforms digital interactions from simple task execution to legally binding transactions, marking an important step towards AI agents becoming autonomous actors in real economic systems (rather than just robots handling isolated tasks).
To support this shift, developers are building the base layer of the agent economy, including tools for monetization, inter-agent communication, attribution, and performance measurement. These components will enable agents to interact, collaborate, and compete in dynamic markets, unlocking models such as recommendation-based systems and task-specific interoperability. This infrastructure is critical to creating a sustainable, connected ecosystem in which AI agents can thrive beyond isolated use cases.
Stablecoins and RWAs as the foundation of institutional finance
Stablecoins have quickly become an integral part of the global financial ecosystem. Recent regulatory increases have brought much-needed clarity, positioning stablecoins as compliant, mainstream tools for adoption. This shift is spurring interest from institutional investors, with major financial institutions beginning to leverage stablecoins for payments, settlements, and fund management — for example, USDC’s integration with traditional payment networks demonstrates growing confidence among established financial institutions.
At the same time, tokenized RWAs are expanding rapidly, from fund management to decentralized credit systems. These assets are reshaping capital markets by introducing features that traditional finance cannot match, such as programmability, transparency, and reduced cost structures. This wave of applications is further expanded in underserved industries through tokenized tools, thereby improving inclusion and global liquidity.
Today, AI-driven systems are able to autonomously optimize stablecoin yields and RWA allocations across chains and protocols, thus improving the landscape. Smart rebalancing mechanisms, risk mitigation engines, and cross-chain portfolio execution are designed to balance performance and compliance. The integration of compliant stablecoins, tokenized RWAs, and automated intelligence makes Web3 no longer just a financial layer, but a powerful institutional-grade infrastructure for the digital economy.
DeFi is making a comeback, smarter and safer
After nearly two years of contraction, DeFi is regaining momentum with a focus on security, efficiency, and interoperability. The next wave will be shaped by cross-chain liquidity layers, institutional-grade compliance, and AI-driven automation. The focus has shifted from chasing short-term returns to building systems that can scale sustainably and withstand volatility - an essential requirement for institutional adoption.
One of the most notable discussions at EthCC 8 was AAVE v4, which introduces a unified liquidity layer that enables seamless cross-chain lending, a dynamic interest rate mechanism, and stronger risk controls. The upgrade also deepens integration with stablecoins, including features such as soft liquidations and automatic fund management. These advances reflect a broader trend toward modular, risk-aware architectures that can adapt to market conditions without sacrificing efficiency or security.
AI-driven automation is accelerating this evolution. Autonomous agents are now able to optimize liquidity provision, execute hedging strategies, and identify high-yield opportunities across multiple chains. Predictive analytics are helping protocols anticipate and mitigate risk before it escalates. This is a stark contrast to the early days of DeFi, which relied heavily on manual management and static incentives. Today, DeFi is evolving into an intelligent, self-optimizing financial layer, paving the way for broader institutional adoption, long-term sustainability, and a resilient infrastructure that can compete and complement traditional markets.
DFG at EthCC 8
In addition to sponsoring the main venue EthVC, DFG also actively participates in important peripheral activities, communicates with top developers, and explores innovations that shape the future of Ethereum. On June 30, DFG President Terry Culver delivered a wonderful speech entitled Building the Next Wave of Ethereum Innovation at the opening ceremony of EthVC, sharing insights on capital allocation, prioritizing practicality over scarcity, evaluating founding teams, and how to support lasting projects in Web3.
We also brought a breeze of cool to EthVC: stylish handheld fans kept the community cool throughout the week in sunny Cannes.
It was great to be able to speak on chain abstraction at the EthCC main event ! DFG is committed to supporting great founders and teams building great technology and products. We believe crypto is at an inflection point and abstraction will unlock the next wave of growth.
On July 3, Terry also participated in an investment panel discussion at the Hack Seasons conference hosted by Mpost , sharing insights on the evolution of the stablecoin landscape and long-term investment. Terry reviewed DFG’s early role in supporting USDC and our mission to connect traditional finance with cryptocurrency while adhering to censorship resistance, as this is the most important yet most fragile value in the ecosystem.
Geng Kai, DFG Head of Research, joined the judging panel for the EthCC Builders Showcase hosted by AKINDO on July 2. We are honored to support AKINDOs event and its Buildathon movement, an initiative to incentivize long-term developers and grow a hackathon culture. The future of Web3 belongs to those who aim for decades, not cycles. At DFG, we are committed to supporting long-term value, not short-term hype.
Geng Kai also moderated a panel discussion titled “ On-chain AI Stack: Agents, Models, and Infrastructure ” at the Multichain Day event organized by Wrapped on June 30, delving into key topics such as AI infrastructure design and scalability, interoperability and cross-chain execution, agent and model reliability, privacy, data integrity, and verifiable AI. DFG’s portfolio companies NEAR and ZetaChain, as well as other industry leaders, also participated.
On June 29th, Geng Kai moderated a panel discussion titled “ AI-driven financial stack: building infrastructure for DeFAI ” at the DeFAI breakfast event organized by Epic Web3, exploring how to define DeFAI and the new capabilities it enables, why adoption is still niche and how to drive growth, the future value of autonomous agents and their potential tokenization, and the ethical design considerations that will shape DeFAI in the next 5-10 years.
EthCC 8 was a great conference!
EthCC 8 once again proved the vitality and resilience of the Ethereum ecosystem. The energy in Cannes was palpable - every conversation with Web3 developers revealed bold ideas and groundbreaking products that continue to push the limits of Web3. These exchanges not only strengthened our confidence in Ethereum as a pillar of decentralized innovation, but also strengthened our optimism that future real-world utility will drive mass adoption. At DFG, our mission is to support innovations that shape the future - projects that have generational impact and real-world utility. We are excited to continue this journey with the developers who are driving Web3 forward. Until then, we look forward to seeing you at the next event, this time in Asia!
About DFG
Digital Finance Group (DFG) is a global leading Web3 investment and venture capital firm founded in 2015. DFG manages over $1 billion in assets and invests in different areas of the blockchain ecosystem. Our portfolio has invested in more than 100 pioneering projects including Circle, Ledger, Coinlist, Near, Solana, Render Network, ZetaChain, etc.
At DFG, we are committed to creating value for our portfolio companies through market research, strategic consulting and sharing our vast resources globally. We are actively working with the most transformative and promising blockchain and Web 3.0 projects that are poised to revolutionize the industry.
DFG website: https://dfg.group
DFG Twitter: @DFG__Official
DFG LinkedIn: DFG
