Santander’s Piotr Zielonka on CoinGeek Backstage: Metaverse, blockchain technology sets the pace for the next decade

Every few decades new innovation comes that is so revolutionary and changes the world for good. Blockchain technology does it today, and it lays the foundation for the future, believes Santander Bank Polska SA’s Piotr Zielonka.

Zielonka spoke with CoinGeek Backstage host Becky Liggero in Warsaw at Blockchain 4 Gaming, an event that brought together gamers, blockchain enthusiasts, technophiles and even bankers like himself.

Zielonka is a senior equity research analyst at Santander Bank Polska, the third largest bank in the Central European country. His focus is on the technology industry, with a particular interest in gaming.

“We are very excited about the trends emerging within the sector because a new emerging trend can define the future of a sector for the next few years,” he pointed out.

Change is not easy, he admitted. But when a new trend or technology is revolutionary, there is no holding it back, and it sometimes leads to the collapse of existing giants that fail to adapt quickly enough.

Zielonka remembers a few decades ago when some of the biggest companies in certain sectors were small startups with big ambitions. In games, for example, he remembers when CD Projekt Red started. Now the Polish company is a giant in the gaming world with some of the biggest games including The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077.

“[Today] we have new trends like metaverse, like blockchain, like Web3. These are new trends that are emerging and starting to transform not only the gaming sector, but the technology sector in general, he said.

Zielonka warned any company that remains stagnant under the misguided belief that its influence will last forever. This kind of mentality will “probably be the end of this company, as there is always something new on the horizon.”

Poland has become one of the largest game markets, both for consumers and developers. The country has over 400 game development studios that provide some of the best performing games. According to Piotr, it boils down to the Poles’ hard-working nature.

“We are a country still trying to define who we are and what we want to achieve,” he noted.

See: BSV Global Blockchain Convention presentation, Scaling Games at Layer One: Why It Matters

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeks Bitcoin for beginners section, the ultimate resource guide for learning more about Bitcoin – originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto – and blockchain.