Vitalik Buterin to participate in first conference since February

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and eight other members of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) have confirmed their attendance at the Ethereum Conference EDCON 2023, to be held in Podgorica, Montenegro.

It will be the first time Buterin is seen in public since Feb. 12, when he gave a keynote speech at ETHDenver in Denver. He discussed the progress and challenges of Ethereum 2.0, a significant upgrade that aims to make Ethereum more scalable, secure, and sustainable.

EDCON, or Community Ethereum Development Conference, is an annual event that aims to bring together Ethereum developers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts worldwide to share their ideas and experiences on Ethereum and its related technologies.

The conference will take place from May 19 to May 23, and the agenda includes keynote speeches, panels, and technical workshops focusing on issues around crypto and blockchain regulation, layer 3 (L3) solutions, decentralized governance and societies, and the state of the ETH network, among others.

Ethereum Foundation heavyweights to attend event

Apart from Vitalik Buterin, several EF members are also slated to speak at the Podgorica event, including Vlad Zamfir, Tim Beiko, Skylar Weaver, Barry Whitehat, Piper Merriam, Andy Guzman, and Leo Lara.

Other notable speakers at the event will include former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan, Gitcoin co-founder Scott Moore, Polygon zkEVM technical lead Jordi Baylina, and StarkWare co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson.

Many expect Buterin’s appearance at EDCON to generate a lot of attention and excitement among the Ethereum community since he rarely attends public events.

Podgorica, scene of Do Kwon’s capture

Buterin’s visit to Podgorica will come nearly two months after Montenegrin law enforcement authorities apprehended another big name in the crypto space in the same city.

Terra co-founder Do Kwon was arrested in Montenegro while trying to board a flight to Dubai with forged passports. 

He was charged with fraud by US prosecutors in the district court in Manhattan for his alleged role in the collapse of the $40 billion Terra ecosystem in May 2022.

Do Kwon is accused of two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud, and conspiracy, and is currently being held in Montenegro, awaiting extradition to South Korea or the United States.