– Kei Oda is the head of Japan and the Asia-Pacific region for Quantstamp, a Web3 security firm.
– He spent 16 years trading bonds at Goldman Sachs before getting involved in cryptocurrencies out of boredom.
– Kei finds the Japanese crypto ecosystem to be vibrant and progressive, with a focus on security tokens.
– Taxation has been a major hurdle for the Japanese crypto scene, with high tax rates on profits and token sales.
– The Japanese government is actively trying to attract talent and startups to Japan through initiatives like digital nomad visas.
– Kei helped create an event called Tokyo Blockchain Night to provide a networking space for crypto enthusiasts.
– The collapse of FTX had a limited impact on the Japanese market due to stricter regulations and asset custody practices.
– Japanese regulations have become more strict after the CoinCheck hack, leading to increased activity and even the launch of stablecoins by major banks like MUFG.