rewrite this title HSC Asset Management Abu Dhabi: Exploring The Future Of Digital Assets And Institutional Finance With Leading Participants

by
Alisa Davidson

Published: November 28, 2025 at 11:00 am Updated: November 28, 2025 at 10:47 am

by Ana

Edited and fact-checked:
November 28, 2025 at 11:00 am

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Upcoming HSC Asset Management conference in Abu Dhabi is scheduled for December 9–10 and will bring together leaders from the worlds of cryptocurrency and institutional finance. The two-day event will offer a platform for companies to showcase their vision, connect with top-tier investors, and engage with founders, with a strong focus on digital asset management and investment strategies.

The conference program will feature panels and discussions addressing the most relevant trends in the cryptocurrency sector. Topics will also explore investments in sovereign funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), real estate, hydrogen, data centers, fintech, and the broader digital asset ecosystem.

Let’s see what’s on the agenda and who will be taking part:

On December 9th, the Main Stage will focus on global investments, ETFs, real-world assets (RWA), security, stablecoins, and AI applications. Simultaneously, the Innovation Stage will host discussions on decentralized finance (DeFi), centralized finance (CeFi), payments, Web3 investments, consumer applications, and adoption trends.

On December 10th, the Main Stage will feature the Arab-China Investment and Technology Summit, sessions on robotics, data centers, Hong Kong-listed RWA enterprises, longevity, and a special Abu Dhabi session hosted by Sihuan Pharma. Meanwhile, the Innovation Stage will cover AI applications, RWA tokenization, ecosystem and infrastructure development, transaction and custody solutions, as well as policy and regulatory frameworks shaping the digital asset landscape.

HSC Asset Management: Day One

Main Stage 

VC Panel: Digital Assets Are an Asset Class, Now Act Like It

The Main Stage kicks off with a venture capital panel highlighting firms shaping blockchain and DeFi investments. Maelstrom focuses on targeted equity and token investments, supporting projects that advance trustless decentralization. Spartan Group contributes strategic expertise, having backed projects like Aave and Synthetix, with a focus on scaling DeFi adoption. Dubai Future District Fund, an evergreen VC fund, invests across technology sectors to drive innovation and the future economy in Dubai. Fabric Ventures funds early-stage blockchain and Web3 startups, while Canton Network provides privacy-enabled infrastructure for financial institutions, enabling secure and interoperable DeFi transactions.

From Hedge Funds to DATco: New Structures for Alternative Assets

This panel explores evolving frameworks for institutional and digital-asset investments. Hashed invests globally in blockchain infrastructure and crypto startups, while Aspen Digital offers institutional trading, asset management, and advisory services. ZeroStack integrates blockchain and AI capabilities into its treasury and enterprise infrastructure. AlphaTON provides institutional-grade exposure to TON and its growing ecosystem, and Manana focuses on building a compliance-ready, global stablecoin network.

Compute Is the New Reserve Asset: How AI Will Reprice Capital Markets

Panelists examine how decentralized computing power is reshaping finance. Argentum AI delivers secure cross-border enterprise compute services. Aethir aggregates underutilized GPUs to provide on-demand, enterprise-grade computing. IO.NET specializes in distributed GPU computing for AI and machine learning workloads, and Altlayer enables deployment of both optimistic and zk rollups.

Stablecoins and Cross-Border Payments: Who Controls Liquidity?

This session highlights liquidity management in the modern financial landscape. Etisalat Ventures backs early- and growth-stage tech startups, while AI360 helps businesses adopt AI through strategy, governance, and organizational transformation. Other participants explore trends in stablecoins, cross-border payments, and institutional adoption.

Real-World Assets Are Not a Buzzword — They’re a Bid

This panel explores the tokenization of tangible assets. 1inch aggregates liquidity across decentralized exchanges to optimize trading, and Goat Network enables BTC holders to earn sustainable on-chain yield. Object 1 develops modern residential and mixed-use projects in the UAE, including cryptocurrency payment options. Prop Tech Hub fosters innovation in Dubai’s real estate tech ecosystem, and Arvo uses AI to automate and secure healthcare payment and billing processes.

Tokenized Markets Are Here: How RWA Becomes the Core of Global Finance

Panelists discuss how tokenized assets are reshaping global finance. TON is a decentralized Layer 1 blockchain developed by Telegram’s founders. Tether issues USDT, the world’s most widely used stablecoin. NeosLegal provides regulatory and legal services for blockchain and Web3 projects in the UAE. Tokinvest operates a Dubai-based marketplace for tokenized real-world assets, while Securitize enables regulated issuance and trading of tokenized securities.

Fireside Chats

Attendees can also join intimate discussions on pressing topics, including “Where Does Big Global Capital Go Next” with representatives from Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, and Monroe Capital. “AI, Privacy and Trading” will be moderated by MoCo from Privex with Shahaf Bar-Geffen from COTI, and “AI Visionaries” will be moderated by Tariq Xponential with select industry representatives.

Innovation Stage 

Crypto Exchanges Panel: The Future Stack of Digital Finance

The conference turns its attention to exchanges, the core infrastructure of crypto trading. Gate offers more than 3,800 cryptocurrencies along with advanced tools such as automated bots and copy trading. BitMart combines accessibility with a broad product set, including spot, margin, and futures trading with up to 100x leverage. Binance contributes its integrated ecosystem spanning trading, staking, the Binance Smart Chain, and a security-focused, high-liquidity platform.

Liquidity Without Borders: Building Cross-Chain Rails

This panel explores the infrastructure enabling cross-chain transactions. Infinex is a non-custodial, cross-chain DeFi platform that combines passkey-secured wallets, multichain swaps, and asset bridging. LayerZero provides secure, permissionless communication and value transfers across multiple blockchains. 1inch aggregates liquidity across decentralized exchanges to optimize trades, while Edge Capital brings additional expertise in bridging liquidity across markets.

PayFi, Remittances, and Real-World Usage

Speakers examine the growing adoption of digital assets for payments and remittances. Dubai Digital Asset Association connects businesses, regulators, and enthusiasts to foster the local crypto ecosystem. The Hedera Foundation supports the adoption and growth of the Hedera network. Fuze offers “Digital Assets-as-a-Service,” enabling banks and fintechs to embed regulated crypto into their platforms. Polygon scales Ethereum through its Layer 2 solution, and AMINA Bank provides Swiss-licensed cryptocurrency banking services combined with traditional financial infrastructure.

The Infrastructure Race Nobody Sees: DA, ZK, Routing, and Bitcoin L2s

Panelists dive into the technical layers behind blockchain innovation. Manta Network delivers privacy-oriented Layer-2 solutions using zero-knowledge proofs. Celestia provides a modular data-availability and consensus layer for blockchains. Bitlayer Labs builds Bitcoin-native Layer 2 protocols enabling EVM-style smart contracts and scalable DeFi. Avail offers a scalable, trust-minimized data-availability layer and cross-chain interoperability.

The Trust Layer: UX, Identity, and Secure On-Chain Interaction

This panel focuses on secure and user-friendly crypto infrastructure. Bitget Wallet is a non-custodial, multi-chain wallet supporting over 130 blockchains. DFNS offers wallet-infrastructure services for developers and institutions. Ledger provides hardware wallets and enterprise-grade security solutions, while Certik audits smart contracts and blockchain protocols using formal verification and AI-powered tools.

The End of Spray-and-Pray? What a Serious Token Portfolio Looks Like in the Next Cycle

Panelists discuss investment strategies for the next market cycle. DWF, Animoca Brands, Ceras Ventures, Foresight Ventures, and Bitscale Capital explore how to structure portfolios and deploy capital effectively in Web3, DeFi, blockchain, and AI projects.

The Builders’ Roundtable: What Will Actually Scale in 2026–2028

This session highlights projects with long-term scalability potential. PWR Chain offers Layer-0 blockchain infrastructure decoupling consensus from execution. 1inch optimizes liquidity across decentralized exchanges. The Sandbox provides a blockchain-based metaverse and gaming platform, while EasyFlow enhances privacy through cryptocurrency transaction mixing.

Fireside Chats

Attendees will also enjoy fireside conversations, including one with Cracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. Another discussion, “Digital Culture as Capital: How Ownership Reshapes Global Economies,” features Yat Siu, Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, exploring the intersection of digital property, culture, and global finance.

HSC Asset Management: Day Two 

Main stage 

On the second day, the Main Stage will feature a series of thought-provoking discussions covering key developments in digital finance and emerging technologies. Sessions will include “Stablecoins and Cross-Border Payments: Who Controls Liquidity?”, exploring the evolving role of stablecoins in global payments and liquidity management; “Compute as Collateral: Financing AI Power Assets”, examining how decentralized computing and AI infrastructure are becoming investable assets; and “The NFT Market Rebuilt: Utility, IP, and Metaverse Commerce”, focusing on how NFTs are evolving to support real-world utility, intellectual property, and metaverse commerce.

In the afternoon, panels will shift toward practical adoption and future trends, including “How to Bridge Institutions into Web3”, addressing strategies for institutional integration, compliance, and scalable adoption; “AI and Crypto in Financial Journalism: Truth vs Narrative”, exploring challenges in accuracy, narrative shaping, and reporting standards in the digital-asset space; and “The Next Cycle: AI, Crypto, and the Future of Value”, a forward-looking discussion on how AI and blockchain will redefine value creation. The day will conclude with the announcement of the next Hack Seasons edition and recognition of partnership contributions, celebrating innovation and collaboration across the Web3 ecosystem.

Innovation Stage 

How Infrastructure, Compute, and Data Will Shape Global Investment Flows

This panel explores the technologies driving capital allocation and market efficiency. Sonic Labs provides optimized tools for blockchain development, while Helium powers a blockchain-based wireless network enabling IoT and mobile connectivity through user-deployed hotspots. Bitmain leads in Bitcoin mining infrastructure with its widely used Antminer ASIC rigs. RedStone delivers secure, real-time price feeds and data streams via its modular blockchain-oracle network, supporting informed investment decisions.

Stablecoins, DeFi Settlement, and the New Architecture of Real Liquidity

Panelists examine how stablecoins and DeFi are reshaping liquidity in modern markets. MetaMask enables self-custodial interactions across multiple blockchains, while GRVT offers a hybrid, zk-powered crypto exchange. Re7 Capital specializes in liquid crypto asset strategies, Wintermute provides deep liquidity and OTC trading services across centralized and decentralized exchanges, and DeBridge focuses on seamless cross-chain asset transfers.

Institutional Capital, Real Infrastructure: Structuring, Risk Management, and Market Expansion

This session highlights how institutional frameworks are evolving for digital assets. TheBlock delivers news, research, and data for digital-asset markets. Lionsoul Global provides institutional-grade investment and portfolio management. Soter Insure offers insurtech solutions tailored to crypto risks, and Laser Digital provides trading, asset management, liquidity solutions, and derivatives services for institutional clients.

Venture Allocation 2026–2028: Global Cycles, New Geographies, and Institutional Priorities

The panel focuses on strategic investment in blockchain and Web3. EAK Digital provides PR, marketing, and community services for crypto projects. Kenetic and Incepton Capital invest globally in early-stage crypto and blockchain startups. Portal Ventures focuses on early-stage Web3 projects, while Cypher Capital targets UAE-based blockchain and digital-asset investments.

RWA Meets Capital Markets: Institutional Integration, Credit Infrastructure, and On-Chain Finance

Panelists explore the tokenization of RWAs and their integration into capital markets. Ledger Enterprise delivers enterprise-grade custody, governance, staking, trading, and tokenization infrastructure. Plume builds an EVM-compatible blockchain ecosystem to bring RWAs on-chain, and Zoth develops a community-powered restaking layer for real-world assets.

Inside the Next Digital Cycle: Innovation, Regulation, and Global Expansion Playbooks

This session examines emerging trends in digital assets, regulatory evolution, and strategies for global adoption, providing actionable insights for investors, founders, and institutions navigating the next phase of blockchain growth.

Fireside Chats

The conference also features intimate discussions, including “Angel Capital in the Gulf – What Founders Must Know” with Kushal Shah, Founder of Dubai Angel Investors, and a conversation with Andrew Sobko, Founder and CEO of Argentum AI, exploring AI and blockchain intersections in enterprise and finance.

Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.

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