Interview with Sota Watanabe, founder of Astar Network: Creating a world where Web 3.0 is the norm

Nowadays, large companies are gradually entering the Web 3.0 field.

In Japan, the tax reform for crypto assets for companies and the movement towards the use of stable coins are accelerating, and momentum is building for the lifting of the ban on crypto asset ETFs that have been approved and traded in the United States and other countries. In particular, tax reform is a long-standing issue that can be said to be the "long-cherished wish of the industry," and in the future, it is expected that a 20% separate reporting tax will be introduced for individual transactions. With the increase in crypto asset trading and use, there is a possibility that the spread of Web 3.0 in Japan will progress rapidly.

One of the projects driving the domestic Web 3.0 field is the existence of Astar Network, a public blockchain originating in Japan. Led by founder Sota Watanabe, they have accelerated efforts toward the mass adoption of Web 3.0 with various companies.

How does Watanabe, who can be said to be a key figure in the Web 3.0 field, view the current Web 3.0 and what are his prospects for the future?

What do you think about the current Web 3.0 field?

Sota Watanabe (hereinafter, Watanabe): I have a strong impression that the current Web 3.0 is just something that Web 3.0 people want, and that it is just a private Web 3.0 that is not appealing to the general public who are not interested in technology or the ideas of it.

In order for many people to use Web 3.0 like the current Internet, it is necessary to implement it in society and to provide easy-to-understand benefits. We have announced a collaboration with the Sony Group to move Startale and Astar to the next stage. We will make the most of Web 3.0's technology and position, and the knowledge we have cultivated through collaborations with various major companies, to create killer use cases that are actually used in the real world.

Future outlook ▶︎ We will develop services that are integrated into all layers to deliver Web 3.0 to more mainstream industries.

What kind of appeal do you want to deliver and what do you want to achieve through your company's projects and services?

Watanabe: I would like to develop a world-leading product by changing the common sense of the Web 3.0 industry and presenting a new narrative.

Until now, Web 3.0 has been an underground culture, as typified by industry insiders waking up in the morning and posting "GM" (short for "Good Morning") on X or Discord. With our newly launched product, we want GM to become "Go Mainstream" instead of "Good Morning," and we want to realize a world where Web 3.0 is used as a matter of course in more mainstream industries and everyday life beyond the Web 3.0 industry.

To achieve this, we have set a strategy to provide vertically integrated services not only at the blockchain layer, but also at the infrastructure layer and eventually the layer above that.

Profile

◉ Sota Watanabe

Founder of Astar Network/ CEO of Startale Labs

Founder of the Japanese public blockchain Astar Network. CEO of Startale Labs. Founder of Next Web Capital and Hakuhodo key3. Director of the Japan Blockchain Association and advisor to Marui Group, GMO Web3, Dentsu web3Club, etc. Selected as one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in the technology sector in 2022