What Was Belgrade Blockchain Week 2024?
Belgrade Blockchain Week 2024 was a nine-day Web3 festival held across Belgrade, Serbia, from 1 to 9 June 2024. Organized by Petar Popovic (CEO of Renfter), the week featured the official ETH Belgrade conference (3–5 June) at MTS Dvorana (MTS Hall), a 3-day hackathon (5–7 June), and more than 20 independent side events hosted by protocols and communities throughout the city. Details sat on the official Belgrade Blockchain Week website. Belgrade is one of the world's most underrated Web3 cities — home to 50+ blockchain companies including Polygon, Tenderly, and DeFi Saver — and this event gave those companies a flagship moment to showcase Belgrade's global blockchain status.
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Key Themes and Event Highlights
The nine-day format compressed conference, hackathon, and community side events into a packed week that made Belgrade a temporary global Web3 destination.
Event Highlights
- ETH Belgrade conference (Jun 3–5): The centrepiece event at MTS Dvorana brought together 100+ speakers for three days of Ethereum-focused talks, panels, and workshops.
- Key speakers: John Lilic (Executive Director, Telos Foundation), Solange Gueiros (Blockchain Developer Advocate, Chainlink Labs; Co-Founder, ETHSamba), Eleftherios Karapetsas (Founder, Rotki Solutions), Andy Tudhope (Kernel), Abril Zucchi (Fleek), Kevin Jones (BuidlGuidl), Kevin Olsen (Gitcoin), and Abena Asante (Bankless Africa).
- Hackathon (Jun 5–7): The three-day hackathon ran after the conference, allowing participants to immediately apply insights from the conference days to their builds.
- Side events (20+): Throughout the week, major protocol communities hosted dedicated events across Belgrade — including Polkadot Day, Sui Meetup, Solana Meetup, NEAR Devs Day, Wonder Women of Web3, World of DeSci, and a Chainlink Workshop. The full programme was published at the official website.
- Belgrade as a Web3 hub: With 50+ Web3 companies in Belgrade including globally recognized names like Polygon (infrastructure), Tenderly (developer tooling), and DeFi Saver (DeFi management), the event demonstrated that Belgrade is not an emerging blockchain city — it is already an established one.
- 1,000+ expected guests: Organizers anticipated 1,000+ attendees from across the global Ethereum and Web3 community converging on Belgrade for the week.
How Blockchain and Web3 Are Growing in Serbia
Serbia has its own "Law on Digital Assets" — passed in July 2020 and one of the first dedicated crypto laws in the Balkans. The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) and the Securities Commission regulate digital asset service providers. Unlike EU MiCA countries, Serbia operates its own framework as a non-EU candidate state. The first crypto exchange in Serbia launched in 2012. Belgrade is home to 50+ Web3 companies, making it one of the highest concentrations of blockchain companies per capita in Europe. Serbia's low cost base, strong engineering talent, and favorable regulatory environment make it attractive for blockchain startups. For more shows, see CoinGabbar's blockchain events hub.
Impact of the Week on Serbia's Web3 Ecosystem
The inaugural week placed Serbia on the global Ethereum conference map for the first time. Having 100+ speakers at ETH Belgrade — including prominent voices from Chainlink, Gitcoin, BuidlGuidl, and Bankless Africa — validated Belgrade as a destination worthy of top-tier Web3 talent. The Polygon, Tenderly, and DeFi Saver presence as local companies meant attendees discovered that world-class blockchain infrastructure is being built in Serbia. For Belgrade's developer community, the week created connections that would drive collaboration for years.
Why Sponsors, Exhibitors and Projects Should Join
- Ethereum and L2 protocols: reach a highly technical developer community in a city where 50+ Web3 companies already build on Ethereum infrastructure.
- DeFi protocols: engage with a community that includes the creators of DeFi Saver — one of Europe's most respected DeFi management platforms.
- Developer tooling companies: Tenderly's home-city presence makes Belgrade's developer community one of the world's most tooling-aware.
- Grants programmes and DAOs: Gitcoin, BuidlGuidl, and Kernel all sent representatives — the event is an ideal place to discover talented Belgrade builders for grants and fellowships.
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Why KOLs, Media and Influencers Attend
Belgrade is a vibrant, underrated European capital with a rich culture and nightlife — and Belgrade Blockchain Week adds world-class Web3 content to that mix. KOLs covering Ethereum, DeFi, and developer ecosystems find both compelling content and a compelling destination. Coverage can spread through the crypto press release network.
Why Builders and Participants Join
Ethereum developers and Web3 builders join for three conference days, a three-day hackathon, and a week of protocol-specific side events — one of the most intensive blockchain learning environments in CEE. Belgrade's concentration of Web3 companies means attendees can meet the teams behind Polygon, Tenderly, and DeFi Saver in their home city.
Tickets and PR Offers With CoinGabbar
CoinGabbar covers blockchain events across Southeast Europe and globally. Free or discounted press release publishing is available for Web3 projects. Email event@coingabbar.io.
How the Week Concluded and What Came Next
The week closed on 9 June after nine days of Ethereum content, hackathon builds, and protocol community events across the city. The first edition proved that Belgrade could attract 1,000+ Web3 guests and 100+ speakers — making a second edition an immediate priority. Petar Popovic and the organizer team began planning the 2025 return. Track upcoming shows on the crypto events calendar and our blockchain events page.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Tenderly: A Belgrade-founded Web3 developer infrastructure company providing real-time transaction simulation, monitoring, and debugging tools for Ethereum smart contract developers.
- DeFi Saver: A Belgrade-based DeFi management platform that enables advanced Ethereum DeFi strategies including automated liquidation protection, collateral management, and yield optimization.
- Renfter: A Belgrade-based NFT renting protocol co-founded by Petar Popovic, the organizer of Belgrade Blockchain Week. It provides white-label NFT renting infrastructure for blockchain games and projects.
- ETHSamba: An Ethereum community event in Rio de Janeiro, co-founded by ETH Belgrade speaker Solange Gueiros (also a Chainlink Labs Developer Advocate).
- Law on Digital Assets (Serbia): Serbia's own crypto law, passed in July 2020, predating MiCA and establishing one of the first dedicated digital asset regulatory frameworks in the Balkans. Regulated by the NBS and the Securities Commission.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The event described was held in June 2024; future dates may differ. Verify with the official source and do your own research. Crypto assets are volatile.
