Mila Lolli (NFTUK): "Only acculturation can facilitate the adoption of cryptos"

The Big Whale: When you look at Web3 in the UK, you come across a few organisations like NFTUK. What is your role?

Mila Lolli: I wanted to set up NFTUK, where I work full time, to enable anyone interested in cryptocurrencies, NFTs, metavers and all Web3-related topics to be able to get together, train and, in short, progress!

With a few volunteers, we organise conferences, meet-ups. Every month we organise an event, mostly in London, where hundreds of people turn up. Many people think they're the only ones interested in these subjects, but that's not the case.

Why did you choose to call yourself NFTUK? It gives the impression that you only talk about NFTs...

That is indeed a point. When we set up the organisation, we thought that NFTs were an excellent gateway to Web3. A lot of people have already heard of them. NFTs are objectively one of the best gateways both in marketing and in use to educate on all the other subjects, particularly cryptos and decentralised finance.

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How do you see the UK crypto ecosystem? What are its main strengths?‍

It's very dynamic. Obviously at the moment, things are more complicated, as indeed they are everywhere. During a Bear Market, there is less money, less interest from the general public, but we can also see that entrepreneurs in the sector are concentrating on their projects.

Take the case of what's happening on Bitcoin NFTs with Ordinals. For the past two weeks, it's all anyone's been talking about, and I know several collections that are going to launch on it.‍

What's the main challenge for the UK crypto ecosystem?‍

It still needs to grow. But I'd say it's still acculturation. Clearly, our greatest challenge is to circulate knowledge, to enable people to understand these subjects and their importance. Without that, nothing will happen. Only acculturation can facilitate the adoption of Web3. This is true in the UK, but also in France and all over the world.‍

How exactly do you go about fostering this shared culture and knowledge?‍

As well as our events, we also work with public authorities, universities and businesses. Last year, we saw the government. They were very interested in what we're doing, especially as the new Prime Minister wants to make the UK a 'crypto-hub'. And for that, they need all the players in the sector.