Well, May has arguably been the biggest month in the history of blockchain globally with MAJOR developments ushering in the next billion users. The rise of stablecoins is the ticker with big plays across multiple chains and major players. Let’s dive in:
- $BTC hits another ATH this month, coinciding with Bitcoin Pizza Day worldwide.
- BVNK and WorldPay brought $2.3 trillion of payments on-chain through stablecoins. Read more here.
- Hong Kong and the US passed bills relating to stablecoin adoption, raising $3.675B in just three days.
- Ethereum (ETH) is taking over Wall Street: Wall Street’s appetite for ETH continues to grow. Read more at Bankless.
- Coinbase joins S&P 500: A historic milestone for the crypto industry. LinkedIn post.
- Dubai leads real estate tokenisation: The Dubai Land Department is making significant strides. Read more.
- Stripe launches stablecoin accounts for businesses in 100+ countries with $1.1B in their own stablecoin $USDB already. Could this be a solution for the de-banking problem? Stripe announcement.
- Citi estimates the global stablecoin market to reach $3.7 trillion by 2030.
- The rise of stablecoins continues at pace with a broad global payment rail infrastructure now in place.
I’m also speaking at Deconference from 16-19 June. Will you be there? Please let me know and we can arrange a Kiwi meetup!
🎉 Member Updates
Have you visited the BCNZ Member Portal yet? It’s your one-stop resource for the latest event updates, opportunities, educational resources, and our job board. If you don’t have access, please reach out to Trevor here.
- Our EC meeting was held on 6 May. Minutes can be read in the BCNZ Member Portal.
- Senior Leadership Meeting for NZTech was held on 12 May, bringing together all Executive Directors to maximise cross-community collaboration.
- BCNZ ED Trevor Topfer was a panellist at the AI in Creative Industries session as part of Techweek.
- Binance hosted Pizza Day as part of Techweek on 22 May, coinciding with BTC reaching its ATH! Check out their wrap-up here.
Event Recap: How to DAO
Our “How to DAO: DAOs in Practice” webinar on May 7th was a tremendous success, bringing together six leading experts to explore the practical applications of Decentralised Autonomous Organisations.
Key takeaways included the importance of clear purpose, the balance between decentralisation and coordination, and how DAOs can create more transparent, participatory organisations across various sectors. The speakers emphasised that while technology provides the framework, it’s ultimately the human element that determines a DAO’s success.
Thanks to our panellists:
- Harry Satoshi (Founder, CryptocurrencyNZ)
- Professor Alex Sims (University of Auckland)
- Mark Pascall (Co-founder, Wellbeing Protocol)
- James Waugh (Founder, Axia Labs)
- Callum Gladstone (Co-founder, FireEyes DAO)
- Will Remor (Head of Tokenised Assets, MakerDAO)
The event recording is available for members in the BlockchainNZ Member Portal.
EasyCrypto and Homeshare Make FMA Sandbox!
Congratulations to both EasyCryptoand Homeshare for securing spots in the first wave of the FMA sandbox. It’s exciting to have blockchain projects being tested and helping determine a sustainable regulatory outcome for New Zealand.
Welcome to…
AUSNZ Tech, Azos Finance, Anonymouz, and Michael Wolff Barrister, who have joined the BlockchainNZ whānau this month!
📅 Coming Up
Off The Chain: The Tax Edition
24 June – We’re bringing CryptoTax Calculator to Lane Neave in Auckland to help you understand your tax reporting obligations and showcase their simple solution that makes reporting on crypto a breeze.
Azos Official Launch Party
27 June – New BCNZ members, Azos Finance are running a launch event at The Exchange, Christchurch. Learn about the $AZUSD token and how it supports a regenerative digital economy.
Click here for more info or to RSVP
Tokenisation of Real Estate in New Zealand – July!
24 July – New Zealand is poised to lead globally in real estate tokenisation. This Blocksquare and BlockchainNZ event explores how blockchain can democratize property investment and unlock major GDP growth.
We’re seeking sponsors to bring this transformative event to life. Check out the prospectus here. Registrations for this event open soon!
Call for Sponsors for CryptoWinter 2025
August -New Zealand’s first major blockchain conference, bringing together 150 handpicked industry leaders. This exclusive two-day event explores DeFi, tokenisation, policy, and innovation with diverse stakeholders including academics, government officials, and Māori & Pasifika tech leaders.
Help us shape Aotearoa’s blockchain future. Check out the prospectus for sponsorship opportunities.
💡 Member Offers
Crystal AI
Crystal is a purpose-built “crypto co counsel” AI for navigating global crypto-specific laws and regulatory guidance. She can’t give legal advice – only humans can do that – but she can cut down time and cost of pulling it all together and digesting for you in your language. Our Crystal Basic subscription is a user-friendly “chat view” to help you research, draft and review the things that come across your desk with the help of Crystal as the global crypto legal and compliance brain.
All G20 countries are comprehensively covered, and the remainder range from basic to comprehensive level of coverage. Our database is updated daily with new crypto laws and regulatory guidance from all around the world.
All BCNZ members that sign up before 30 June 2025 receive 20% off Crystal Basic for the first 3 months using code: BCNZ320. You can sign up here: Crypto Co Counsel, and at the same link you can also express interest in Crystal Business, our agentic workflows as a service platform.
🚀 Get Involved
📅 Upcoming events
- Off The Chain: Tax Edition – 24 June
- Azos Finance Event (Christchurch) – 20 June
- Tokenisation of Real Estate in NZ – July (date TBC)
📢 Got news? Share it with us!
🤝 Want to collaborate? Let’s make it happen.