Hedera News - Week of June 14, 2024

This week has been eventful with numerous exciting developments, events and interviews within the Hedera ecosystem. Read below as we delve into the latest news and updates that are shaping the future of the ecosystem.

Exclusive Interview: Swirlds Labs and the Vision for Hedera

In this Genfinity interview, Dr. Leemon Baird, Chief Scientist at Swirlds Labs and co-founder of Hedera, and Mance Harmon, the Chairman of the Board at Swirlds Labs and co-founder of Hedera, and Eric Piscini, CEO of Swirlds Labs, share the history and pioneering vision of Swirlds Labs within the Hedera ecosystem.

Leemon, Mance, and Eric explore the rising adoption of DLT, the evolution and growing recognition of RWA tokenization, and the future trajectory of developer activity. They also emphasize the importance of collaboration within the industry and the importance of initiatives such as the DeRec alliance. Finally, the trio highlight real-world use cases for Hedera’s technology, such as tokenizing money market funds and tracking carbon footprints, and emphasize their collective vision for  a future where DLT is as integral to society as electricity. 

• Watch the Interview: Pioneering the Future: Swirlds Labs and the Vision for Hedera

Nilmini Rubin Joins Global Digital Development Forum

Hedera Chief Policy Officer Nilmini Rubin joined the Global Digital Development Forum alongside Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) Senior Resident Fellow Kenton Thibaut, Freedom House Director of Strategy Katherine Walsh, Special Competitive Studies Project - SCSP Director for Foreign Policy Stephen Nordin, and USAID Deputy Director for Technology Sabeen Dhanani for an exploration into the geopolitics of digital development and the intersection of diplomacy and innovation.

The 2024 Global Digital Development Forum marked its 5th anniversary, uniting its community to address challenges, propose solutions, and foster collaborative innovation. Organized by USAID, Chemonics, IBM, DAI, and TechChange, this year's forum focused global digital solutions for international development challenges.

Neuron - Leading The Future of DePin Podcast

In this spaces hosted by Genfinity, Brandon Hargreaves, Editor and Host of The HBAR Bull and Hedera Forum, and Brandon Davenport, Director of Communications at the Hashgraph Foundation, talked to James Dunthorne, CEO and Co-Founder of Neuron, about the transformative potential of decentralized infrastructure networks. 

Neuron is an open source public network that is leveraging Hedera to revolutionize how service networks are managed. During the interview, James Dunthorne explained that Neuron aims to revolutionize Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN),  by connecting service providers directly with consumers, removing points of failure, and creating efficiencies in cost and accessibility. In the future, he believes every device, person, and sensor will utilize Neuron for building, with Hedera’s DLT serving as the connective tissue. 

During the podcast, Brandon Hargreaves also explored Hedera’s plans for the future — including its foray into the Internet of Things (IoT). 

Listen here: Introducing Neuron: Leading the Future of DePIN

Eric Piscini Takes The Stage at Proof of Talk

At Proof of Talk 2024 in Paris, Swirlds Labs CEO Eric Piscini joined Algorand Foundation CEO Staci Warden, VeChainOfficial CEO Sunny Lu, and United Nations Blockchain Advisor Pankhuri Bansal to explore the social impact of Real World Asset Tokenization with DLT Science Foundation Founder Paolo Tasca.

"Capital will always follow infrastructure. That applies in all industries, but especially in financial services as banks and other financial service providers are always looking for opportunities to drive costs down by enhancing efficiency." - Eric Piscini

Tune.fm Featured in Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone presents Hedera’s decentralized ledger technology (DLT) as a solution to the ongoing issues with inequitable artist compensation and ownership in the music industry. The article highlights that Tune.fm, a Web3-based music streaming platform and music NFT marketplace, is using the Hedera network — which it describes as “the most sustainable public blockchain network available” — to ensure artists on its platform own their data and content. This means Tune.fm can pay artists 100 times more than Spotify, using Hedera’s DLT.

In addition to ensuring that musicians get paid their worth, Tune.fm also enables artists to monetize their superfans through high-value tokenization which, the article explains, “is not only great for fans, it unlocks more compensation for artists.” This emphasizes Hedera’s versatility and real-world application.

Read More: Web3’s Promise of Equity for Artists May Be Here at Last

AJwritescrypto Consensus Interview

While at Consensus, AJwritescrypto interviewed Eric Piscini, CEO of Swirlds Labs. During the interview, Eric explored his ambitions for Swirlds Labs, what he loves about the Decentralized Recoverly (DeRec) Alliance, how the different strands of the Hedera ecosystem work, and Hedera’s vision for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. AJwritescrypto and Eric both agreed that the beauty of Hedera is its vision: one day, millions of people will use Hedera without even knowing. That, AJCryptoWrites, is Hedera’s “secret sauce.” 

When AJwritescrypto asked for his outlook on macro trends, Eric explained that he has “been bullish like this only once before” and in five years, the conversation will shift from regulation to “how do we actually replace the existing fabric of our economy by using blockchain solutions?” 

Watch the Interview: EXCLUSIVE HBAR INTERVIEW (CEO of Swirlds Labs at Consensus)