What Was ETHTaipei 2024?
ETHTaipei 2024 was the second annual Ethereum hackathon and conference in Taiwan, held at POPUP Taipei from 21 to 24 March 2024. A flagship event for Taiwan's Ethereum developer community, it combined a conference program on 21 and 22 March with a 40-hour non-stop hackathon running from 22 to 24 March. Details sat on the official ETHTaipei website. The event drew over 1,000 participants from across the region and the world, showcasing Taiwan as an increasingly important hub for the global Ethereum ecosystem.
To follow similar shows, check CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub and the crypto events calendar.
Key Themes and Event Highlights
The agenda centred on Ethereum's most immediate technology frontiers: Layer 2 scaling, privacy, on-chain AI, and the newly released Dencun upgrade features.
Event Highlights
- Vitalik Buterin keynote: Ethereum's co-founder delivered the headline keynote — arriving in a widely discussed creative temple-themed outfit that sparked conversation online as much as his technical insights. His presence elevated the event's global profile and drew significant media attention.
- Scale: Over 1,000 participants overall attended; 306 registered hackathon participants organized into 70 competing teams from 12 countries submitted 56 projects across the 40-hour window.
- Prize pool: Over $70,000 in prizes distributed across sponsors and tracks.
- Dencun upgrade focus: Two of the nine Community Finalists showcased cutting-edge use of the Dencun upgrade's features — specifically Blob Data (for more cost-effective Layer 2 transaction fees) and Transient Storage (for building optimized ERC-20 and ERC-721 token contracts). These represented some of the earliest real hackathon applications of Dencun's capabilities.
- Winning team — CrossYield: Team CrossYield from Asia Pacific University (APU), Malaysia, built an inter-blockchain self-repaying loan protocol addressing DeFi's core pain points: collateral flexibility, debt management, and high transaction costs. They won multiple awards worth approximately USD $5,100 from sponsors Zircuit, ThunderCore, Circle, and Dyson Finance.
- Sponsors and judges: Consensys and Polygon provided judging teams, both giving positive feedback — Consensys noted "the project quality was really competitive," while Polygon observed the average project quality was "above average from a hackathon perspective." Other sponsors included Zircuit, ThunderCore, Circle, and Dyson Finance.
- Technical themes: Layer 2 scaling, privacy protocols, on-chain AI applications, cross-chain interoperability, and Dencun upgrade integration.
How Crypto and Web3 Are Growing in Taiwan
Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has built one of Asia's most structured crypto regulatory frameworks. A draft VASP (Virtual Asset Service Provider) Act has advanced significantly, with stablecoin regulation targeted for mid-2026. Taiwan's MaiCoin and XREX exchanges are early movers in FSC-regulated crypto services. Taiwan's semiconductor and hardware manufacturing prowess gives its tech ecosystem deep roots in blockchain infrastructure. Ethereum developers are well-established in Taipei, with ETHTaipei itself growing from a first edition into a regional hub for Ethereum builders. For more shows, see CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub.
Impact on Taiwan's Ethereum Developer Community
The 2024 hackathon produced 56 working Ethereum projects in 40 hours from 12 countries — a remarkable output that proved Taiwan's developer community is internationally competitive. Vitalik's attendance signalled Ethereum Foundation's recognition of Asia's growing importance in the ecosystem. The CrossYield team's wins against international competition put Malaysian and Southeast Asian blockchain education on the global map. And the Dencun-focused projects put Taipei at the cutting edge of Ethereum's technical evolution.
Why Sponsors, Exhibitors and Projects Should Join
- Layer 2 protocols and DeFi projects: reach Taiwan's highly technical Ethereum developer community building the next generation of L2 applications.
- Cross-chain infrastructure teams: connect with teams solving interoperability problems in a region where multiple blockchain ecosystems coexist.
- Research institutions and universities: engage with student teams producing hackathon-winning innovations ready for further development.
- Funds and VCs focused on Asia: identify early-stage Taiwan-based Ethereum projects and teams at the finalist stage.
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Why KOLs, Media and Influencers Attend
A Vitalik keynote in Taiwan is a compelling story. KOLs and media find a technically rigorous hackathon with internationally competitive projects and Asia's most recognizable Ethereum personality on stage. Coverage can spread through the crypto press release network.
Why Builders and Participants Join
Developers join for the 40-hour build intensity, the strong sponsor track prizes, and the rare opportunity to present in front of judges from Consensys and Polygon in Taipei. Many teams arrive with ideas and leave with working products and international connections.
Tickets and PR Offers With CoinGabbar
CoinGabbar tracks all major Ethereum hackathons globally. Free or discounted press release publishing is available for Web3 projects. Email event@coingabbar.io.
How the Event Concluded and What Came Next
The hackathon wrapped on 24 March with Demo Day presentations and prize distributions across 56 projects. Judges from Consensys, Polygon, and sponsor tracks praised project quality above hackathon averages. The CrossYield team from APU left with multiple awards and international recognition. The 2024 edition strengthened the annual event's position as Asia's most focused Ethereum hackathon and conference. Track upcoming shows on the crypto events calendar and our crypto hackathons page.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Dencun upgrade: An Ethereum network upgrade (March 2024) introducing Proto-Danksharding (Blob Data for cheaper L2 transactions) and Transient Storage for optimized smart contracts.
- Blob Data: A new data type introduced in Ethereum's Dencun upgrade specifically for Layer 2 rollups, making L2 transaction fees significantly cheaper.
- CrossYield: The hackathon winning team's DeFi protocol — an inter-blockchain self-repaying loan platform that uses yield-bearing assets to automatically repay loans without liquidation risk.
- Transient Storage: A Dencun upgrade feature allowing smart contracts to store data temporarily (within a single transaction), reducing gas costs for ERC-20 and ERC-721 operations.
- Dyson Finance: A retail-friendly decentralized exchange (DEX) and sponsor of ETHTaipei 2024, known for its dual-investment yield product.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The event described was held in March 2024; future dates may differ. Verify with the official source and do your own research. Crypto assets are volatile.
