GWDC 2026 KOREA Successfully Concludes: Hong Kong and Korea Build a Dual Engine of Policy and Technology, Developers Focus on AI Agents, Stablecoins, and RWA Innovations

Hosted by Web3Labs and co-organized by Techub News, HypaiLabs, and TokenPost, the Global Developer Conference GWDC 2026 KOREA took place successfully at the aT Center in Seoul, South Korea, from September 29 to 30.

As one of Asia's most influential tech events, this year's GWDC continued with the theme "For Builders, By Builders," attracting significant attention from the global Web3 and AI communities. According to official data from the conference, the total number of registrations through the Luma and Fnny platforms reached 12,706. Over the two-day event, more than 2,000 global attendees, over 100 prominent speakers, and hundreds of leading companies participated in the celebration.

1. Deep Policy and Industry Linkage Between Hong Kong and Korea: AWPA Alliance Officially Established

On the first day of the conference, guests from politics, business, and academia gathered to witness a new milestone in East Asia's Web3 and AI industry collaboration.

Political messages and industry foresight. South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol delivered a video address stating that South Korea possesses top-tier semiconductor and digital data infrastructure, positioning it as a potential global testing platform for AI applications. Dr. Wu Jietzhuang, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, emphasized that the combination of AI and blockchain is giving rise to a new paradigm of living, and Hong Kong's advantages in tax rates and financial freedom will provide strong support for global entrepreneurs. South Korean National Assembly member and initiator of the Digital Assets Basic Law Min Byung-deok stated that establishing a sound market that protects innovation and investors requires collaborative action from Asian countries.

The "Hong Kong-Korea Web3 Policy Promotion Alliance" (AWPA) was launched. Initiated by members Wu Jietzhuang and Min Byung-deok, the AWPA was officially announced at the conference, aiming to deepen policy collaboration in areas such as asset compliance, stablecoin mechanisms, and cross-border data flow.

Dual engine positioning. Web3Labs CEO Caspar Wong stated that following the successful first GWDC held in Hong Kong in February this year, the Korean edition further builds a bridge between the two regions' technology and economy, aiming to make Hong Kong and Korea the dual engines of the global Web3 revolution.

2. Four Core Consensus in the Industry: Shifting from Technology-Driven to "Scenarios, Distribution, and Implementation"

After two days of over ten keynote speeches, multiple roundtable forums, and fireside chats, attendees reached four core consensus points regarding the future integration of Web3 and AI:

1. AI Agents become the new subject of the on-chain economy. Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, and Justin Sun, founder of TRON, along with other guests, unanimously agreed that blockchain infrastructure is inherently compatible with AI agents. Having a crypto wallet for agents equates to obtaining open financial services and value transfer channels.

2. Stablecoins transition from "trading pairs" to "AI and borderless payment infrastructure." Nick See Tong, head of Base in the Asia-Pacific region, stated that Base has captured a major share in the micro-payment protocol x402 aimed at AI agents. Institutions like Coinbase Institutional and VERY LABS also pointed out that stablecoins are rapidly expanding from trading tools to everyday cross-border transfers, merchant payments, and small settlements between agents.

3. RWA (Real World Asset Tokenization): Focus shifts from "issuance" to "liquidity and distribution." Representatives from Ondo Finance, Hashgraph, Canton Foundation, and Paxos Labs noted that tokenization itself is no longer a technical bottleneck; the real challenge lies in cross-chain interoperability, liquidity guidance, and compliant distribution channels after assets are on-chain.

4. Product validation standards transformation: Distribution capability and real retention rates outweigh mere technology. Investors from Cointelegraph Accelerator, HB Ventures, and other institutions reminded entrepreneurs that AI tools have significantly lowered product development barriers, and future core competitiveness will lie in real user retention, clear profit models, and strong distribution and promotion capabilities.

3. Geek Craze: 120+ Hackathon Teams Compete, University Alliance Builds Long-term Incubation Bridges

The 48-hour Geek Hackathon held concurrently at the venue became the innovation highlight of this year's conference. This hackathon attracted over 120 Builder teams (more than 150 developers) from over eight countries and regions, including China, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan, participating both on-site and online. The conference expressed special thanks to 39 media partners, 31 communities, and 30 university alliances for their strong support!

At the closing ceremony, the Top 3 winning teams from the two hackathon tracks were officially announced:

TRON Track:

• Champion (1st Place): Protocol Alpha Finder (Project: Protocol Alpha Finder);
• Runner-up (2nd Place): b.p (Project: faat);
• Third Place (3rd Place): Team J (Project: SettleMap)

FuriosaAI × Bricksum (FxB) Track:

• Champion (1st Place): 404 Found (Project: CFO Agent);
• Runner-up (2nd Place): Make the world better (Project: Accord lock);
• Third Place (3rd Place): ; (Project: Agent Accord)

Additionally, Alex Chung-hyun, head of Bitrise Korea, stated that the team visited over 100 universities in South Korea and established a total prize pool of $100,000 to support young developers. The conference officially established a permanent organization, the University Alliance, which will continue to connect universities, enterprises, and global accelerators to provide long-term incubation and funding support for outstanding student teams.

About GWDC 2026 KOREA

GWDC (Global Web3 Dev Con) is a premier global event for Web3 and AI developers, aimed at gathering global Builders, investment institutions, and policymakers to jointly promote the cross-border landing and commercialization of cutting-edge technologies.

Conference official website: https://www.gwdc.net/