In the interview, Heinz Tännler, President of the Swiss Blockchain Federation and Zug’s Finance Director, discusses the significance of the Excellence Award 2024 for the organization and the Swiss blockchain landscape. Under his leadership, the Swiss Blockchain Federation has achieved significant successes and milestones, making the blockchain ecosystem in Switzerland unique worldwide. Tännler shares his perspectives on the greatest successes, future challenges, and his personal motivation to engage in the economic and innovation landscape of Switzerland.

Heinz Tännler, what does the Excellence Award 2024 mean to you as President of the Swiss Blockchain Federation?

The award is a wonderful and well-deserved recognition for the Swiss Blockchain Federation. The 80 members have been tirelessly committed to the blockchain location in Switzerland for six years. They intensively engage with regulatory, political, and legal issues, publish highly regarded foundational papers, network actors from industry, administration, science, and politics, and thus contribute to solid framework conditions and a globally unique blockchain ecosystem.

What are the greatest successes of the Swiss Blockchain Federation?

I would first mention the high quality of our working groups, the commitment of the board, the expert council, and the office. What they achieve in volunteer work, how they accompany and shape the regulatory and political process with their publications, and thereby succeeded with the DLT law or recently with the staking topic, is simply great. We are a respected and important player in Switzerland and have contributed to our country being among the global blockchain pioneers. That should fill us all with pride.

Where do you see the next challenges?

We must not rest on our laurels. We have reached important milestones, but we must not fall asleep now. Other locations are catching up and trying to copy Switzerland’s success model. We need to remain agile and cooperative. Especially the professional and trustworthy collaboration with the administration is central. Here we are working to strengthen the dialogue, not least with a new political group consisting of members of the Council of States, National Council, and Government Council. There are a number of challenges we need to master. I mention two: the Basel crypto standard, which the Swiss Blockchain Federation has already warned about, or the new EU regulation MiCA, which will strongly affect the blockchain and crypto location Switzerland.

What do you wish for the future?

We had two political driving forces with the former Federal Councillors Johann Schneider-Ammann and Ueli Maurer, who not only engaged for the blockchain location Switzerland but also for the fintech, startup, and generally the innovation industry. I miss this commitment at home and abroad from the current federal government. Switzerland is excellently positioned worldwide in the areas of artificial intelligence, drones, quantum computers, blockchain, and generally in fundamental technology and top research.

What personally motivated you to engage as President for the Swiss Blockchain Federation?

I still remember well how I felt like an alien when I first met with blockchain enthusiasts in Zug. I didn’t understand their language. But the entrepreneurial spirit, the will, and the conviction to create something new fascinated me. And then in the beautiful canton of Zug. That was the trigger for me to engage in the economic and innovation location Switzerland, the settlement of new companies, and the creation of new jobs. And with the Swiss Blockchain Federation, we have succeeded.