Everything You Need to Know about ConsenSys in France
Learn more about what VariabL, enterprise solutions, PegaSys, and the European Commission’s Blockchain Observatory are doing in Europe.
ConsenSys officially landed in Paris in December of 2017, and since then the team has been growing rapidly, making inroads in a number of areas required for a balanced and sustainable growth of the blockchain ecosystem in Europe. Paris is the homebase for a number of ConsenSys projects like derivatives-on-Ethereum platform VariabL, the R&D arm of Ethereum protocol specialists PegaSys, a major actor in the development of global enterprise solutions, and is committed to engaging with regulatory and government bodies and with the European Commission’s landmark EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum.
In tandem with the recent launches of ConsenSys offices in London and Dublin, endeavors in Paris are also primarily concerned with supporting the growth of blockchain and Ethereum in Europe-at-large. As national governments around the continent begin to approach official response to digital currency and blockchain innovation, developers and entrepreneurs alike are quickly becoming more familiar with the applicable potential of blockchain. Building a sustainable infrastructure requires supporting the process from both perspectives, and guiding the emergent community towards better practices while leading by example.
“We do not see ConsenSys France as the subsidiary of a multinational group” says Ken Timsit, Managing Director of ConsenSys France. “ConsenSys is a flat, global, decentralized mesh of more than 900 technologists and entrepreneurs of more than 50 nationalities in 30 countries, where every voice counts. The members of ConsenSys France are viscerally committed to supporting the French ecosystem in words and in action, while maintaining open and collaborative relationships with the rest of the world.” ConsenSys Paris will soon open a new 1000 square meters office in the center of Paris that will also play a role as a co-working space, accelerator and community space for French blockchain startups.
“Blockchain in France and around Europe is growing every day,” says Nathan Sexer of VariabL. “You can tell at the meetups and events. There is a huge interest around the topic, but it’s still very immature as a technology and in regards to the governmental landscape. Of course, there’s a lot of noise, but I think ConsenSys has a big role to play in education, and people are getting more educated about blockchain in general.”
While the enterprise-centric Solutions team in Paris has been producing prototypes of Ethereum-based applications for major finance and industry heavyweights, there are a number of ConsenSys spokes and projects working out of France. Here’s an overview:
VariabL, with a team based largely in France, leverages blockchain technology to offer a secure and efficient derivatives trading platform on Ethereum, and is working towards releasing version 2.0 of the VariabL Alpha. To learn more, check out Derivatives on Blockchain: Key Concepts, the State of Decentralized Exchanges, 2018 and How to Deal with Financial Regulations in the New Generation of Blockchain Markets.
PegaSys is the protocol engineering wing of ConsenSys, with a team spread all over the world, that creates modular Ethereum applications for major enterprise clients. The PegaSys team is leading the way in creating private/public interoperable blockchains, scalable solutions, and providing a backbone to blockchain for business. To learn more, check out Blockchains and Interoperability: Helping Enterprises Step into a Larger World and Scaling Consensus for Enterprise.
ConsenSys Paris is also home to ETHCompute, a research circle that facilitates R&D projects in the fast maturing blockchain space to grow without the pressure of delivering products on short timelines. ETHCompute endeavors provide a platform and libraries for developers to use cryptographic tools to ensure privacy when they’re building decentralized app. Keep an eye on the DappCon conference in Berlin in July 2018 for more updates!
The EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum is a two-year initiative that was launched by the European Commission in February 2018 in conjunction with ConsenSys alongside a number of universities including University College of London, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Southampton, and the Knowledge Media Institute at Open University. The project represents one of the most in-depth forays into the study of blockchain by an EU governmental body, and is playing a major role in laying the foundation for a productive relationship between the blockchain community and the legacy institutions of European finance, industry, and governance.
“What we are doing with the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum is building a repository of knowledge that can help accelerate blockchain innovation and ecosystem development in Europe ,” says Ludovic Courcelas, who heads up the initiative. “We produce thematic reports, research papers with the universities and foster the debate at EU-level during workshops and events which are recorded and made publicly available; bringing together Europe’s best experts to analyze and produce thought leadership both on the policy framework and the use cases and transition scenarios. We are also building a map of hundreds of blockchain initiatives within the EU via the EU Blockchain Initiative Map.”
The EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum’s mission is notable because it focuses primarily on blockchain as decentralized database technology, rather than merely as an enabler of crypto-assets. This dovetails pronouncements made by many European Union officials, that blockchain technology holds the promise of transformative industrial innovation in both the public and private sectors.
“We are already seeing a lot initiatives at the national level, that the European Union should be able to take advantage of.” says Matthieu Saint Olive, of ConsenSys Paris. “Some countries like France, Estonia, Spain, Germany and the UK have been very vocal about it. The French government has initially been very focused on crypto and digital assets, but it is now turning its attention to the broader implications of the technology as well. As French residents and also as part of ConsenSys, we feel a responsibility to work full steam ahead and take initiative to ensure progress on every front. We hope that blockchain technology will be looked at with the same degree of urgency as Artificial Intelligence in the government’s policies.”
While growth is first on the mind for many blockchain pioneers in Europe and at ConsenSys, there are plenty of those more focused on experimenting with the technology and pushing the boundaries of decentralization. “We’re working with a technology that’s not yet mature,” says Amira Bouguera of ETHCompute. “It’s better to take time and make sure you’re doing things the right way.”
“We try to be a force for good” says Jerome de Tychey, of ConsenSys France. “It’s easy for nations, companies, and proponents of particular protocols, to get caught in the fear of missing out and compete with each other. While competition is good for innovation, we try to stay true to the ethos of decentralization and build collaborative bridges with everyone. Members of ConsenSys Paris are heavily involved in local community associations like Asseth and Chaintech, and they participate earnestly in government consultations.”
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author above do not necessarily represent the views of Consensys AG. ConsenSys is a decentralized community with ConsenSys Media being a platform for members to freely express their diverse ideas and perspectives. To learn more about ConsenSys and Ethereum, please visit our website.
