This year’s Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) in Cannes, France, attracted a significant turnout, with thousands of members from the crypto community in attendance. Despite its primary focus on Ethereum, EthCC 2025 garnered interest from experts across various blockchain ecosystems.
The diverse array of side events throughout the conference underscored its appeal to the broader crypto ecosystem. Participants attended Bitcoin meetups and stablecoin-focused discussions, demonstrating the event’s comprehensive commitment to the cryptocurrency sector.
Tomorrow alone will feature nearly 100 events at @EthCC! 🫣 Among the highlights from @borderlessxyz, @avax, @bitvavocom, and @berachain, efforts are underway to help attendees curate their event experience based on personal interests. DMs are open for anyone interested! 💬 pic.twitter.com/jHbQIJ4rTd
— sheeets.xyz (@sheeetsxyz) June 30, 2025
Robinhood Makes Waves with Mainstream Event
Fintech company Robinhood leveraged the conference’s excitement by hosting a high-profile event to unveil its latest range of cryptocurrency products and services aimed at users in the United States and the European Union.
Titled “To Catch a Token,” the exclusive gathering took place at the picturesque Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes and hosted 300 attendees. Robinhood Chairman and CEO Vlad Tenev announced that EU customers could now access US stock tokens on the platform.
Robinhood’s Senior Director and COO, Tanya Denisova, highlighted the company’s expansion efforts into France and several other European nations. Key announcements included the introduction of crypto staking for eligible US customers, starting with Ethereum and Solana. The company has already offered staking to its European and EEA customers since last year.
The event marked Robinhood’s ambitions within the cryptocurrency sector, where it currently serves approximately 26 million customers in the US and is poised for similar growth internationally.
Johann Kerbrat, general manager and SVP of Crypto at Robinhood, explained to Finance Newso that one of the event’s objectives was to showcase how a traditional US brokerage is working towards blockchain solutions. “However, the platform looks the same—nothing has changed visually,” he noted.
It is worth mentioning that many attendees came from traditional finance backgrounds rather than being steeped in crypto.
Stablecoins in Focus at Stable House
While Robinhood’s side event attracted a mix of attendees, a contrasting gathering occurred at “Stable House,” hosted by payments infrastructure firm Borderless.xyz. This event convened Web3 developers to share innovations regarding stablecoins in a seaside villa.
Tomer Weller, Chief Product Officer at Stellar, initiated the discussions by presenting real-world applications of stablecoins. He elaborated on the Stellar Development Foundation’s (SDF) pilot blockchain-based aid distribution program in Ukraine.
Weller also pointed out that decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities have been integrated into Stellar with the recent introduction of smart contracts. He highlighted the notable rise of DeFi applications built on a foundation of stablecoins since this implementation.
“We consider the stablecoin base layer to be akin to a checking account for this new finance model,” he explained. “DeFi empowers users to construct more sophisticated financial instruments that serve as savings equivalents.”
Weller added that Stellar users typically hold stablecoins due to inflation concerns with local currencies, and DeFi presents opportunities for accessing real-world assets (RWAs) and earning yields.
He concluded that Stellar is experiencing the emergence of a comprehensive set of financial instruments developed with stablecoins as their base.
Binance Engages with Local Leaders on Crypto Payments
Meanwhile, cryptocurrency exchange Binance organized a side event that delved into crypto payments at the exclusive Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic in Cannes. The intimate gathering welcomed Cannes Mayor David Lisnard, who provided insights on the use of cryptocurrency payments in the region.
Mayor Lisnard affirmed that Cannes is positioning itself as one of the most crypto-friendly cities globally, as over 80 merchants along the French Riviera now accept cryptocurrency and stablecoin transactions facilitated through Binance Pay. This shift has significantly contributed to the city’s thriving tourism sector.
Indeed, the acceptance of crypto payments is gaining momentum in Cannes, with numerous merchants, hotels, and restaurants displaying signage to indicate their cryptocurrency acceptance.
No way you can pay with @MetaMask for ice creams in Cannes. Adoption is here fr fr! pic.twitter.com/fuy2S0dMZm
— hoobi.eth 💗 (@hubkotl) June 28, 2025
EthCC 2025 Offers Stylish Swag
Several side events at EthCC provided attendees with crypto-themed swag to help them beat the summer heat.
Guests at the Robinhood event received fans for a refreshing breeze and promotional hats emblazoned with “market cap.” The Stellar team distributed tank tops featuring the catchy phrase “Girls Gone Stable,” which became popular among conference-goers. Other brands like Bitstamp and Mastercard handed out t-shirts, while UR Coin provided stylish flip-flops.
If the stuff on the right feels too hard, you can just wear the shirt. #StableSummer pic.twitter.com/iErMPQDrU8
— Stellar (@StellarOrg) July 3, 2025
Another unique item featured at the conference was NFT-embedded press-on nails from Chipped Social. Attendees wearing these nails could share their contact information and social media links simply by tapping a smartphone to their nail.
Last night someone asked me if I’m the founder of @chippedsocial after showing them “tap my nail to connect with me” magic, and I never felt more proud of @winnyirl and her amazing team 🫶 pic.twitter.com/cu93wOiwAC
— ⟠ Anett ⟠ anett.eth 🪐🐳 (@AnettRolikova) July 4, 2025
The event underscored EthCC’s role as a meeting place for innovation, adoption, and community engagement within the ever-evolving cryptocurrency landscape.
The post Ethereum and Beyond: EthCC Side Events Focus on Mainstream Adoption, Stablecoins and Beach Swag appeared first on Finance Newso.
