Taking a moment to reflect back on my time in Bhutan, now that I’ve settled back into my regular back home in Hong Kong. Bhutan is sometimes referred to by its moniker, ‘the land of happiness’, they measure GNH (Gross National Happiness) as opposed to GDP like most other countries. GNH treats economic production as just one small piece of overall human flourishing versus pure economic output. There are various metrics that are taken into account, but the core philosophy is that balance, well being and sustainability equate to national success. What drove home the concept of balance was the fact that Bhutan has embraced digital innovation in integrating @Binance pay into its financial infrastructure, yet this was juxtaposed with how every shop and restaurant still manually wrote down every single sale in a note book, which serves as their ledger. Bhutan is balancing digital innovation, but safeguarding the traditions and the very foundations it is built upon. You look around and you see houses with traditional Bhutanese style window frames and exterior, but inside the house, it’s decked out with all the latest modern devices. Looking through the lens of digital payments, this has undoubtedly had a positive impact on the way business is conducted there, it’s made business owners and every day people’s livelihoods better. It’s a value add facilitation, rather than existing at the cost of everything else, identity, character, tradition etc. Perhaps they’ve come up with the winning formula to navigate a rapidly changing world, without having to compromise what’s important. Once again, thank you @cz_binance, @ellazhang516 and the @yzilabs team for hosting @Easyresidence in Bhutan, it was definitely eye opening 🇧🇹🙏

.@Stanford Professor @RuizheJia at @EASYResidency: Why is everyone racing to solve payments first? Because it’s the fastest way to own the user relationship. Once users put liquidity into your infrastructure, they don’t leave. Then you can offer lending, investing, trade finance — everything. Payment is the beachhead. The real battle starts after.

.@Stanford Professor @RuizheJia at @EASYResidency workshop: "Stablecoin-based payments can be one of the biggest shifts in financial infrastructure (esp in fragmented markets). Everyone has to think about who’s going to win the payment world — and what the killer apps on top will be." Alipay and WeChat Pay proved the playbook: own the payment layer, and you become the entry point for savings, lending, investing, and everything. For many regions, stablecoins are the next version of that story. We’re still early.

We’re excited to be part of @easyresidency Season 4 and proud to have @yzilabs as an investor in SmartX. At tomorrow’s Demo Day, we’ll share our vision: making on-chain trading more verified, personalized, and simple. Everyone follows signals, but it’s hard to know who actually makes money — or who fits your trading style. So we start with real, verifiable trading records, helping great traders get discovered. But that’s only the beginning. We believe trading will move from Search to Recommendation, just like TikTok and Amazon. Instead of searching through endless KOLs and markets, the right traders, ideas, and opportunities should come to you. From Memes and Perps to Stocks and Prediction Markets, we’re building a more social and personalized on-chain trading experience. Grateful to our mentors and the entire S4 cohort for helping us sharpen our vision. See you on SmartX.

From Bhutan to the world 🇧🇹 @EASYResidency S4 Demo Day goes live on August 26. Meet the S4 founders and see what they’ve been building across stablecoins, payments, DeFi, AI, and frontier tech. Sign up in advance for the livestream ↓

“AI trading will likely come before AI payments.” — @cz_binance at @EASYResidency S4 Demo Day During his fireside with @ellazhang516, CZ explained that payments aren’t the immediate bottleneck for most AI users -- they can still pay with their own cards. Trading is different. It demands real-time analysis, faster decisions and constant execution, making human intervention increasingly inefficient. Rather than AI companies moving into payments first, crypto players may lead by bringing AI into trading.

In two days, @EASYResidency S4 founders take the stage for Demo Day. 🇧🇹 This summer, we came to Bhutan — in the heart of the Himalayas — to build across stablecoins, payments, DeFi, AI, and beyond. Here’s a glimpse into the founders’ journey with YZi Labs.

Renaiss raises $1.5M First Round — led by @yzilabs @easyresidency Season 3. Taste is the new asset class. Custody is the new trust layer. Blockchain is the proof. Round led by YZi Labs, with participation from Gate Ventures, Hash Global, XIN Family, Redline Labs, and angels from Mask Network, Far East Group, Logoman, Hoopi, and Legit App. From vaults to chains. From collectors to believers. Trust the vault. Trust the code. Trust the taste. A new paradigm shift starts from @BNBCHAIN now.

Live now from Thimphu, Bhutan: @EASYResidency Season 4 Demo Day 🟡 @cz_binance × @ellazhang516 fireside 🟡 YZi Labs agent demo 🟡 Alumni address @realyanxin + @RicaDixuanFU 🟡 Founders presenting what they built this summer