Fireside Chat: How Blockchain Can Streamline Public Services | EBC11

Transcript

Hello everyone. If you stay, you're not going to regret. So just like give us 10 minutes. That is all we need, right? To convince you how cool public service is in Madrid. >> Yeah, it's literally 10 15 minutes and it's a very interesting topic. uh as the presenter was was mentioning how how we put blockchain on public services uh is quite of a challenge but uh luckily enough uh the community of Madrid has Ignathia as a general manager for for digitalization and uh and uh the the community of Madrid and uh well in general Spain has been investing in blockchain our our favorite technology for uh for for public services and actually we're amid

amidst the the implementation of ISBE which is the infrastructurios blockchain despa the blockchain services for Spain uh that is a uh one of the perfect example of public and private collaboration. So Ignathio uh sell us Madrid a little bit. Okay. So just to my aim here for this 10 minutes is just like to catch your interest and uh for you to say like okay public services can be actually cool. So what we have done for the past couple years is invest on uh our uh let's say blockchain infrastructure for deploying both private services but also admin services public services right uh why are we doing this? So this year we have

invested over €2 million euros on uh on this infrastructure together with uh the let's put it like this the association that encompasses all blockchain companies in Madrid and well in Spain actually that is called Alastria and this is our kind of business counterpart and what we're doing here is just like building the infrastructure for every one of you to deploy on uh like a public private permission uh infrastructure right it's of course coordinated with the European one and while we want basically is just like streamline public services by bringing them into web 3.

That's that's kind of the thing and it makes sense because what we're doing in in the region of Madrid is just like we're being the tech leaders of of Europe and uh if you want to be I mean if you're in technology you should be in Madrid actually but that's that's long story short that's that's what you need to do. uh we are betting big time on of course what you've heard before AI cyber quantum and now uh we have our own infrastructure for blockchain and I think that we're just going to be simply overly efficient we were saying this uh before that uh if we actually manage to deploy public services on on the on the chain I think that uh it will be a miracle so just stay tuned because that's going to be so cool actually

>> he's saying this one in Barcelona so he's a brave guy that's for sure >> uh it's more an efficiency play is more like a sovereignty play or is just for innovation leadership. >> I think the three of them, right? Uh on the one hand, I we went into the project thinking the innovation angle because honestly like web 3 is cool. Let's put it like this. So we came in like from the innovation standpoint. But then we thought like hey we suffered on our own the public services and the administration because we're freaking slow. So that's that's just like a fact.

So uh we started to play the efficiency efficiency game right. So uh here we are seeing how uh deploying over blockchain and this infrastructure that we're building is going to help us cut all the fat and all the slack that is embedded by design on the system right uh so we came in because of innovation we are on it because of efficiency and actually the overall push of Europe for sovereignity right so I think that we need our own infrastructure in Europe of course uh so I think we touched the the three points but in that order kind of >> tell us a real use case the one that really moved the needle >> well you know this one right so it's

just like >> somehow yeah but you know you're the one that have to >> okay so so here's the here's a bit the conversation that we're currently having uh what we did from the public uh standpoint is we invested on infrastructure so now we have the rails then we put on parallel a financing line for companies to develop their own use cases to be deployed deployed over the infrastructure. So because building infrastructure is cool and the railways is cool if people use it otherwise it makes no sense. It just gets rusty and it's it's just like lost money, right?

So now we have been deploying services. What's the thing like the services that have been deployed are the classic use cases that we always hear of uh university degrees credentials and this kind of thing, right? which is cool, don't take me wrong, and it's going to be amazing, but what we really need is bringing money into the uh into the chain, right? So, what the play that we're currently doing is just like, hey, how can we be that support network for whenever the Spanish central bank or whomever wants to deploy money uh can bring in the those cases, right? So, we're looking after tokenization, we're looking after stable coins, and we're looking after the the money because once it's inside the network, inside the

infrastructure, I think that will be self- sustained. Otherwise, it will be cool and nice, but there will be not actual real business, right? >> That's very good to hear. Uh, and uh the aim here is building something that is financially sustainable. Not only the ESG, the the the environmental sustainability, also the financial sustainability, not to ask for public money again and again. >> I mean, you're the guy from Santandere, right? Absolutely. Tell us about it. >> Well, in this one, in this one, I'm I'm uh acting on a a last capacity, but anyways. Um, so it's a private public collaboration. This is a good one. This is a very big one. But how can we work more with Europe with all what the things that are happening in the EBSI project, the European blockchain service

infrastructure that uh is more kind of a public play, but how can we deal more, interact more and don't build digital islands anymore? >> Actually, that's a difficult one. Uh even if I had prepared the answer for this, I wouldn't have it. So, it's just like right now what we're doing is hey, we have our infrastructure. it's f I mean fulfilling all the European legislation and standards. So what and it's just like interoperarable right so I think that we will be able to set up those agreements with the different chains just to do you know like doing that kind of play uh we are chasing a connection of course which is kind of straightforward with Latin America is an

amazing uh web three hub right so we are talking with lacknet and we're talking with different chains that would allow us just also to expand uh and with Europe we should do the same right now you have uh I I mean there's one network let's infrastructure for the different countries for them to deploy digital identity projects but uh eventually that doesn't move the needle for companies right so I think that the fact that on our infrastructure there's going to be I mean there's already private projects deployed and also we're moving public sector onto the chain I think that is what's going to make other people that we're currently uh talking to currently they might think oh you're bluffing

right So it's just like you did your investment, you want to sell it and whatever. But once we actually have the value and which we have it I mean by the end of this year we we our infra will be up and running companies will already have business cases on the chain and then also next year I'll be moving we will be moving the public services into uh also the chain. I think people will take it seriously and go like I want to connect with these guys right and then is when we're going to see the play on how it rolls and then we will be looking face to face and you can hear me on this and just like uh with the singapors of the of the of the sort right and of the liking cuz I think we're doing a very interesting play and

remember this I mean if you're here it's because you know it right but before the AI hype web 3 was everything and then now the the previous panel for instance was talking about AI agents everything will need to be back to blockchain. So it's just like I think that whenever that hype passes by and it starts fading it will be still transformational they will realize I mean all this needs to be tracked no so so that is when while others are talking and distracted about other topics I think we're doing the right investment at the right time so when the world reawaks kind of thing we would have already the the infraat to for you to deploy the the the projects right >> let's talk about identity which is one of the cross use cases that is It's

quite obvious that uh blockchain has a has a place there in terms of technological alternatives to tackle the amazing opportunity of identity but it's controversial at the same time as for example in the UK is being voted it's difficult to pass the citizens they fear about governments surveilling and uh playing the big brother yeah >> in the liberal mind that I have this is kind of there but how can we convince people that it's not for surveilling is more for you know for good for the good of the society and um you know how can can we convey the message >> I mean as always as long as you make people's life easier they don't care

about I mean the interim right and just like so for me as I was saying now I have I used to I used to have my private hat but now I'm uh public administration which is kind of a interesting role to have um living it from within in and also experiencing it a citizen when I want to as an administration allocate money for a given sub sector of my citizens for whatever reason. Imagine we were we were talking before about like all this uh school loans that we give or whatever. know if I as a citizen I have my digital in this case region of Madrid wallet but well never me never nevertheless Spanish wallet whatever

I could get proactive on the allocation of my funds and whenever I just design a financing line it will get straight to your pocket I mean to your wallet actually so it's just like that is where the programmable money that we were saying before you start to think less about the oh my gosh they're controlling me versus hey they're making my life easy because I don't need to deal with administration I don't need to lead with the with the hurdles and I just like it's easy for me so just take it right >> which would be the mirror to look at it's like Estonia or other small countries that of course are the pioneers but uh are also smaller and less complex how can we maybe learn from from this digital economies that they

where they provide digital citizenship is something to play maybe in Madrid before and then after in the whole Spain. >> I believe we are, this is my ego talking of course, but I think that we are the ones to be looked onto, right? I think like from a European standpoint, Spain through Madrid, but Spain is is the the leader and the the mirror on which other countries and other regions should look at. Uh, in terms of who inspires us, I I would say more Singapore. Uh, also I'm heavily biased because I was living there until July last year. So it's just like Singapore I think is kind of the place where I'm kind of um triggered to

copy so to say cuz it's just like you really feel as a citizen like the benefits of just like deploying governmental services on the chain right so within Europe I think we are the leaders we I mean we are clearly uh Asia would be a Singapore to to copy their play and then uh and then yeah that's that's I I think what we what we should do >> the main hurdle that you you you encountered is uh is about technology governance regulation or culture meaning how you convince your public employee employ employees that they're they're needed they're still needed you we need them uh how can they add value how can maybe they see the technology as a way

of losing power where it is the other way around it's more about enhancing the human >> I think governance is the biggest hurdle right now cuz the way we doing this is not like I placed the tender for someone to build the infrastructure but I'm like co-owner of the infrastructure. So it's just like also kind of all that governance and and the rules setting up the rules um is is what's taking most of our time and most of our kind of mental bandwidth and then the cultural part but I think that's I mean that has changed brutally over the past uh 3 years right I think people initially and I'm not going to go on to the cliche right

people initially were thinking of uh web 3 and blockchain as crypto and scams I mean that is long gone on and people are already seeing the push uh towards I mean that cloud kind of disappeared and now they're seeing the the actual value. The thing like I I always tend to I mean this is my personal line of thinking but projects like uh Hyperledger we were saying before like IBM Hyperledger some years ago they they did a lot of hurt I mean to to to to the blockchain community in a way and uh and I think that people are past that and then they they are able to move from the classical pilots that are useless so to say to real deployments and uh we will be seeing uh and it's very easy to see it's

not that we are gurus or visionaires within the next two to five years everyone moving onto the chain >> and the last one conscious of time where we would be in a two years period >> well um if I don't deliver the infrastructure by year end I most likely be fired so it's just like uh I I guess that by the end of the year we will have an infrastructure and we will have the rails and uh the biggest hurdle will be for me I What I would love to see in two years time is just like the first financing lines from public sector uh being delivered onto citizen of Madrid in this case wallet and also having at least being the backup network for uh

central banks at least Spanish central bank for the money flow that we were saying and this is two years time and things will go super fast so stay tuned because it's it's crazy how fast this is going and as you know well I I mean, come to Madrid, habibi be in a way. >> Let's follow it up. Um, it's a pleasure to talk to you. I will be here for hours, but we don't have the time. Alastia will be with you trying to avoid you get fired. Uh, we we will deliver uh at least uh we'll we'll try as hard as we can. And please for the audience, we have a a booth over there of Infrastructure Blockchain Despa. Please visit us uh and get the most you can.

Thank you European Blockchain Convention for having us. Yeah, thank you. Cheers. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you guys.