KOROR (Island Times/Pacnews) — President Surangel Whipps Jr. told the Palau Blockchain Summit last week that the island nation’s future is digital.
Over 30 Web3 leaders, including Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum, attended the summit hosted by the Palau Blockchain Society, the Palau Ocean Foundation Metropolis Global and Cura.
“I think today we’re all learning about how we can embrace new technology,” Whipps said, adding that new technology is also a way to be economically resilient.
“As we look into the future, we think of Palau not just as a physical nation, but also as a digital one and we see Palau as a place where innovation thrives, where tradition and technology can coexist,” he added.
In January 2022, Palau established a digital residency operated by its government technology platform, RNS. The program offers physical and digital identity cards to digital residents.
Whipps said every digital resident is also an “ambassador of Palau’s values.”
“We really want to embrace the digital age, the wisdom of our ancestors, the energy of our youth, and the vision of a brighter and more connected future,” he said. “We invite you to be part of this journey, to co-create, to innovate, and to provide us with a global context as we push along into this next challenge.”
