# Marek Olszewski I Crypto Can be Real, and it's Real on Celo I Pragma Singapore 2024

- Speakers: [Marek Olszewski](https://streameth.org/speakers/marek-olszewski)
- Channel: [ETHGlobal](https://streameth.org/ethglobal)
- Date: 2025-10-09
- Duration: 21:10
- Topics: Celo, Marek Olszewski, Pragma Singapore 2024, real-world crypto, Celo L2, crypto payments, stablecoins, MiniPay, Opera Mini, Haraka, Vera Wallet, Mento, cross-border payments, uncollateralized loans, Ethereum L2, OP Stack, EigenDA, Tron, blockchain remittances, mobile crypto wallet, local currency stablecoins, L1 to L2 transition, savings, lending circles, on-chain finance, emerging markets, web3 adoption, cell2, Layer 2 Celo, crypto for real people
- Watch: https://streameth.org/watch/yt-oGTFSSGFtUM
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGTFSSGFtUM

## Description

At Pragma Singapore 2024, Marek Olszewski, Co-Founder of Celo, delivers an engaging and inspiring talk on how crypto can be real—and already is on Celo. Moving beyond meme coins and speculation, Marek showcases real-world use cases like cross-border payments, savings, uncollateralized lending, remittances, and on-chain mobile experiences, all happening on-chain via the Celo platform.

Marek reveals how Celo surpassed Tron in daily active stablecoin users, how MiniPay (built into Opera Mini) is unlocking on-chain financial tools for millions, and how projects like Vera and Haraka are making stablecoin savings and microloans accessible to users in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. He also dives into Celo’s transition from an L1 to an L2 on Ethereum using the OP Stack and EigenDA, bringing Celo’s mobile-first UX, token gas fees, and carbon offset model to Ethereum’s rollup-centric future.

00:00 Intro: Making Crypto Real on Celo
01:32 Real World Use Cases of Crypto
03:28 Savings Use Case with Stablecoins
04:01 Cross-Border Money Transfers
04:34 Splitting Bills Across Borders
05:06 Uncollateralized Loans via Crypto
05:44 Payments as a Core Use Case
06:20 Most Used Blockchain for Payments
06:56 Celo Surpasses Tron in Stablecoin Users
07:39 Overcoming the Bear Market
08:12 Transaction Growth on Celo
09:19 What’s Driving Real Usage
09:56 MiniPay and Opera Mini Wallet
10:30 Year-on-Year Usage Growth
11:03 Saving with Stablecoin Yield (Vera Wallet)
12:29 Crypto vs Traditional Remittances
13:36 Lending Against Future Income (Haraka)
15:15 Why We Need Stablecoins for All Currencies
16:23 Stablecoins on Mento for Local Economies
16:58 Celo’s Transition from L1 to L2
17:31 Unique Features Celo Brings to L2
18:11 The Challenge of a Hard Hard Fork
19:21 Celo L2 Roadmap: Dango, Alpha Horus, Mainnet
20:21 Ethereum as the Settlement Layer
21:00 Final Thoughts and Spirited Away Ending

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🇸🇬 *Pragma Singapore*
Pragma Singapore 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place September 19, 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore.  Pragma Singapore 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Singapore playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6z0saYJnVdgXWfz-vaoEYx&si=uavhkhF5Kc8XBoLv

ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. 

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✅ *Follow Marek Olszewski*
X: https://x.com/marek_

✅ *Follow Celo*
X: https://x.com/Celo

✅ *Follow ETHGlobal*
X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​
Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal
Website: https://ethglobal.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal 

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