Buterin: The mission of Ethereum is to connect the East and West
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin delivered a keynote at EthTokyo 2025, reflecting on the blockchain’s early history, Asia’s role in its growth, and his vision for the network’s future.
Buterin emphasized that Asia played a very important role in Ethereum’s beginnings, citing the PyEthereum client developed in China and the early translation of Ethereum’s whitepaper into multiple Asian languages. He contrasted China’s rapid, large-scale approach to development with Japan’s early adoption of cutting-edge technologies.
On the technical side, Buterin reaffirmed Ethereum’s reliance on Layer 2 solutions to improve scalability and interoperability. He set an ambitious goal for the network to scale 10x by next year, while preserving decentralization and security.The speech also touched on broader trends in technology. Buterin noted how breakthroughs like zero-knowledge proofs “reset” the ecosystem, solving problems once thought intractable. He predicted a similar paradigm shift in the 2030s.
Buterin also revisited the history of ICOs, arguing that despite their flaws, they enabled global funding in ways venture capital could not. He suggested that the future lies in optimizing ICOs and DAOs for more open and community-driven governance.
Returning to his central theme, Buterin urged Ethereum to remain a bridge between East and West and called for greater participation from developers, researchers, and builders worldwide. “Ethereum thrives when it builds bridges,” he said, highlighting the need for global collaboration to drive the network’s next stage of growth.
On the technical side, Buterin reaffirmed Ethereum’s reliance on Layer 2 solutions to improve scalability and interoperability. He set an ambitious goal for the network to scale 10x by next year, while preserving decentralization and security.The speech also touched on broader trends in technology. Buterin noted how breakthroughs like zero-knowledge proofs “reset” the ecosystem, solving problems once thought intractable. He predicted a similar paradigm shift in the 2030s.
Buterin also revisited the history of ICOs, arguing that despite their flaws, they enabled global funding in ways venture capital could not. He suggested that the future lies in optimizing ICOs and DAOs for more open and community-driven governance.
Returning to his central theme, Buterin urged Ethereum to remain a bridge between East and West and called for greater participation from developers, researchers, and builders worldwide. “Ethereum thrives when it builds bridges,” he said, highlighting the need for global collaboration to drive the network’s next stage of growth.
