Last week, Bloq participated in the Digital Money Forum at the 52nd Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with chairman and co-founder Matthew Roszak speaking for the fourth consecutive year. Here are two impressions of the emerging ideas and themes.

The Best is Built in Bears

The two years I’ve attended DMF are very different. During the height of the bull market run in January 2018, it was difficult to find a place to sit in the palatial ballroom where the forum was held. Despite the crypto market’s fortunes since, however, the quality of the presenters remained the same and even improved since last year—perhaps a sign that people who have stayed in our industry during the current bear market are doing so for the right reasons. Many teams announced their new, exciting projects and several lauded industry leaders spoke, including Perianne Boring, Tim Draper, and Brock Pierce. Most agreed that it’s time to build, free from the “hand-waving” of “moonbois” and lambo-chasers.

Crypto Edging Toward the Main Floor

Ledger’s two-story booth in the main exhibitor hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center encouraged me greatly. Why? Because this was evidence that a crypto company has a mainstream presence at the show – beyond relegation to a singular “crypto/blockchain” section. Ledger’s new Nano X was displayed proudly in the same room as IBM’s quantum computer, Panasonic’s smart mirror, and Intel’s hybrid 5G chips. Nearly every exhibitor that I spoke to was aware of or at least considering blockchain technology and cryptocurrency for their businesses. Mainstream understanding that blockchain technology and tokenization can help build a more connected and secure future is essential in catapulting this industry beyond speculation and into practical application during 2019.

Lexy Prodromos is a business development manager at Bloq.