Reflecting on JBW2026: Questions on 'On-Chain Finance' and the Potential of Web3

Special Edition of "So That Was Blockchain"

In this podcast, Yoshihiko Uchida, who has a background in bank supervision at the Bank of Japan and the Financial Services Agency, and currently teaches blockchain at Shunan City University of Science and Technology, Yuya Sakai, who has built a Web3 business by combining blockchain with Web2 services as the founder of a gourmet app, and Shinya Otsuga, deputy editor-in-chief of the crypto media "New Economy," introduce what you need to know about blockchain today.

In this special edition, we present the recording of the public session Vol.2 held on August 7. We welcomed Yusuke Shitara, editor-in-chief of "New Economy," as a guest to discuss the theme "Reflecting on Japan Blockchain Week and Looking Ahead to the Industry in 2026."

Starting from impressions of events held in July, such as IVS Crypto, WebX, and JBW Summit, we reflected on the participants and the atmosphere of the venue. In particular, we discussed the central topic of "on-chain finance," including the scope of the term, the future it envisions, and the distance to concrete services and actual needs.

We also introduced the background of launching "New Economy" and the thoughts behind the media name. While focusing on the financial sector, we considered the potential of a new economy created by blockchain, paying attention to regions, communities, and values that are not yet visualized.

Furthermore, we expanded the discussion to the necessity for both Web3 and existing finance to learn from each other, the balance of self-management of assets through Bitcoin and convenience, and the significance of using stablecoins for payments by AI agents. We also answered questions from the audience regarding the initiatives of megabanks and the roles of "credit" and "middlemen."

Next time, we plan to broadcast the recording of public session Vol.3 held on October 1 on November 3, featuring Yuya Hara, a partner lawyer at AZX Law Office, as a guest. We will delve into the theme of "How to Work with Lawyers in Blockchain Business," focusing on compliance and points that businesses should know.

The 23rd episode, which will mark the start of the third part, is scheduled to be broadcast on November 10, 2026. We will explain the overview of the third part's theme "Identity Verification × Finance = Incentivize."

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Previous Episodes

You can listen to all previously broadcasted programs from the following links.

• Listen to all previous episodes
• Listen to Part 1 (from Ep.0 to Ep.12, including public session Vol.1)
• Listen to Part 2 (from Ep.13 to Ep.22, including public session Vol.3 (planned))

Cast

Yoshihiko Uchida: Worked at the Bank of Japan from 1994 to 2023. Held positions such as planning officer at the Financial Research Institute and the Financial Institutions Bureau (group leader). He has provided insights into risk management and management of financial institutions from various angles. During this time, he also worked at the Financial Services Agency, Osaka University, and the University of Tokyo. From June to November 2023, he served as a director at Questree Co., Ltd., and from April to December 2024, he will serve as a director at Cachey, participating as a manager in web3 startups. Currently, he is a professor at the Faculty of Information Science at Shunan City University (since June 2023) and is also promoting businesses related to digital ID and electronic signatures as an outside director at Cyberlinks Co., Ltd. (from March 2024) and providing consulting related to blockchain utilization as the representative director of Yuidzumu Co., Ltd. (from October 2025).

X Account: https://x.com/uchida_tomato

Yuya Sakai: Co-founded SARAH Co., Ltd. during his student days. In addition to Japan's largest menu-focused gourmet app "SARAH," he built a big data service for the food service industry called "FoodDataBank" for major food manufacturers. As COO, he led a total fundraising of 1 billion yen and M&A, PMI. Since 2019, he has led the Web3 transformation of SARAH. He developed a layer 1 unique blockchain "ONIGIRI Chain" specialized in food and healthcare data management and built a token economy. After stepping down as representative director in 2025, he became independent. Currently, he is engaged in consulting focused on the social implementation of blockchain utilization and Web3 businesses with actual needs.

X Account: https://x.com/skyuya03

Interviewer: Shinya Otsuga, deputy editor-in-chief of New Economy

Official X account of So That Was Blockchain: https://x.com/soublock
Official website of So That Was Blockchain: https://soublock.com/