[Event Review] Beyond Scaling: The DeFAI Era——encryption world moves towards integration

On April 13, 2025, Central, Hong Kong - With the development of the blockchain industry entering a new era of "application-driven" growth, the event "Beyond Scaling: The DeFAI Era" organized by the global blockchain accelerator ScalingX was successfully held in Hong Kong. This event focused on cutting-edge topics such as AI, RWA (real-world assets on-chain), and Crypto payments, attracting numerous developers, founders, investors, researchers, and media representatives to participate. In a four-hour intensive agenda, the discussion covered the real pain points and future blueprints under technological integration.

📍 Venue Atmosphere: Deep communication in calmness, seeking the "real narrative"

Unlike the lively and boisterous industry events during the previous bull market, "Beyond Scaling" did not deliberately emphasize "hype" and "traffic," but instead focused on authentic and substantive industry exchanges and in-depth dialogues. The event officially started at 1 PM, with guests and audience members arriving early to engage in discussions, creating an atmosphere full of professionalism and a spirit of exploration. Project teams exchanged updates on their projects, while investors quietly sought the next potential track.

In his opening remarks, Chichi, co-founder of ScalingX, said: "We have always believed that the power of technology comes from 'connectivity', whether it is the connection between AI and blockchain, the connection between the real world and the digital world, or the connection between entrepreneurs and ecological resources. 'Beyond Scaling' is not the end, but the beginning of the next phase. ”

💡 Keynote Speech: New Paradigm of AI and RWA

The first keynote speech was delivered by Openledger, focusing on the trends of AI and crypto integration. They proposed that in the future, AI will take on more roles of "intermediate layer logic" in the Crypto world, from on-chain decision-making to off-chain reasoning. AI and Blockchain complement each other and represent a fusion model worth exploring in depth.

🧠 Panel 1: AI in Crypto – Under innovation, there are both worries and opportunities

The first roundtable was hosted by Chichi, co-founder of ScalingX, focusing on "The Practical Applications and Security Challenges of AI in Crypto."

Guests come from:

0G Labs

Kite AI

Openledger

Swarms

Beosin

Key discussion points:

AI has been widely applied in the Crypto field for contract auditing, trading strategies, data mining, and other aspects, but it has also given rise to new security threats such as "contract injection attacks" and "fake identity verification."

The guests unanimously agreed that AI itself is neither safe nor unsafe; the key lies in how to construct secure boundaries and monitoring mechanisms. For example, Swarms is testing a dual-layer structure of off-chain AI models and on-chain result verification.

Regarding whether "all AI applications need blockchain", the guest stated that currently there are still many AI projects choosing the Web2 deployment path, and blockchain should take on the role of "coordinator" and "auditor", rather than "carrier".

🏛️ Panel 2: RWA in Crypto - The First Kilometer of Ideal into Reality

The second roundtable was hosted by Alma, the founder of Techub News, and delved into the discussion on "how real-world assets can safely and legally enter the blockchain."

Guests include:

Victory Securities

AI Mall

HF REALX

Core Summary of Key Points:

Guests generally pointed out that the uncertainty of regulation is the biggest obstacle for RWA at present, as different countries have vastly different standards for the recognition of tokenized assets, making project progress difficult.

The guest also specifically mentioned the issue of compliance costs, believing that the high legal and KYC expenditures are squeezing the survival space of small and medium-sized projects. This may, in turn, be detrimental to the decentralized concept of Web3.

💳 Panel 3: Payments in Crypto - Stablecoins, CBDCs, and the Future of Payment Experience

The third roundtable focused on "How Crypto Payments Can Really Change the User Experience" and was moderated by Angela TONG, CMO of Jsquare.

Guests include:

Cobo

Infini

RedotPay

CloudTech

Exciting discussion moment:

Guests unanimously believe that the real breakthrough point of crypto payments lies in the "seamless user experience", where users do not need to understand concepts such as private keys and Gas fees when using it. This sets extremely high demands on wallet manufacturers.

RedotPay shared a case study of stablecoin payment testing, indicating that in high-inflation countries, cryptocurrency payments have become the default payment method for some merchants.

Regarding the competition and cooperation between CBDC and stablecoins, the guest stated: "CBDC is more of a political tool, while stablecoins are driven by market demand. Ultimately, both will shape a new payment landscape together."

🤝 Off-chain communication: Connection is far more important than content.

During the free exchange and tea break session at the end of the agenda, many guests continued to engage in in-depth discussions around project progress, collaboration opportunities, and industry perspectives. The ScalingX founding team connected with the participating projects, and many attendees expressed that "being seen" is more important than just listening to speeches.

This event has also laid a solid foundation for ScalingX to continue deepening its presence in the Asian market. It is reported that the "Beyond Scaling" series of events will successively take place in Tokyo, Singapore, and other locations, continuing to focus on the theme of "helping projects grow" by connecting resources and co-creating ecosystems.

📌 Summary: A new starting point for the application era

"Beyond Scaling: The DeFAI Era" focuses on AI, RWA and payments, which not only presents the latest application trends in the crypto industry, but also sends a clear signal: technology convergence is becoming the most authentic and valuable narrative thread in the next phase of Web3.

At a time when the market has not fully recovered, choosing to discuss "landing" and "connection" is the most significant practical meaning of this event.