XION "Web3 must permeate people's daily lives" [Coin Interview]

Anthony Anzalone, XION Founder

Known for 'Banksy NFT'

"Will accelerate the popularisation of virtual assets"

Starts market expansion in the EU and elsewhere

Strong intention to enter South Korea

"In five years, the term Web3 will disappear. XION will provide a user experience so familiar that people will not be conscious of Web3."

Anthony Anzalone, XION founder, said this in an interview with Bloomingbit on the 1st. We heard from founder Anzalone about the value of virtual assets and blockchain technology and XION's long-term goals.

'Banksy NFT' was the founding trigger

Anzalone was first known in the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) industry as 'Burnt Banksy.' In 2021, he drew attention by burning the world-renowned artist Banksy's work 'Morons' and rebirthing it as a non-fungible token (NFT). He explained, "At that time most people did not regard NFTs as true works of art," and "I wanted to change that perception as much as I liked virtual assets."

That experience became the reason for founding XION. Anzalone said, "When the Banksy NFT auction was held, very few people had Ethereum (ETH), MetaMask wallets, or Coinbase accounts," and "the biggest obstacle to the spread of virtual assets today is usability." He added, "Virtual assets have many advantages such as fast remittance speed and decentralization, but in the end if the public cannot use them, they are useless," and "XION's purpose is to accelerate the popularisation of virtual assets."

This context also underlies XION's development of 'Generalised Abstraction' as a core technology. Generalised Abstraction is a technology that simplifies wallets, signatures, fees, device accessibility, etc., at the protocol level to allow users to access Web3 services using familiar methods such as email, Face ID, or credit card payments.

Partnerships with Apple, Amazon, etc.

XION's technology is currently recognized as highly valuable in the market. In a funding round last year, XION raised $25 million (about 35 billion won) from global investors such as Animoca Brands and Multicoin Capital. As of this date, cumulative funding raised is $36 million (about 50 billion won).

XION's flagship service is EarnOS. EarnOS is a service that generates tamper-proof advertising metrics for companies based on technology that verifies user data and tailored ads and records them on-chain. Companies can obtain reliable marketing metrics through EarnOS, and users can receive direct compensation in exchange for providing data.

Major global companies are already using XION's services. Uber, Amazon, and BMW are representative examples.

Also, XION recently became the first blockchain mainnet to support Sign in with Apple through a partnership with Apple. Anzalone explained, "Companies choose XION because they can adopt better customer relationship management (CRM) or marketing tools without learning complex blockchain technology," and added, "Web2 users are already using Web3 features unbeknownst to them through global brands."

"Will strengthen cooperation in South Korea"

XION's short-term goal is market expansion. First, XION published a white paper related to MiCA, the European Union's virtual asset regulatory bill, laying the groundwork for entry into the European market. Anzalone said, "Confusion is inevitable in the process of regulating a new industry," but added, "Rather than confronting each country's regulatory agencies, we will respect regulations and seek ways to cooperate with local authorities."

He also expressed strong intent to enter the Korean market. He said, "We will establish a bootcamp, 'Xion House', in Seoul," and "We plan to implement locally tailored strategies centered on (Korean) community leaders." He added, "I will soon visit Korea in person to confirm the needs of companies and users, and expand the XION ecosystem in cooperation with Korean companies."

Jinwook, Bloomingbit reporter wook9629@bloomingbit.io