Southeast Asia. An area humming with artistic innovation, business ingenuity, and a cultural proclivity for valuing private expertise. Now, Inco, flush with a new $5 million, believes they hold the proverbial magic key to the region’s Web3 potential. Is it all just smoke and mirrors, or can privacy truly be the game changer?

Privacy Matters, Especially for Artists

Think about it. A Balinese sculptor creating their artwork as an NFT. A Filipino artist who sells only limited access to their tracks through some open source marketplace hosted on a blockchain. An Indonesian artist selling a digital version of their new creation at auction. These artists are incredibly vulnerable.

Here’s the rub – if they are using a public blockchain, suddenly all of their transactions are open for anyone to see. This includes information on their annual earnings and the demographics of their art sales. This is not just a question of their financial privacy – it’s protecting their creative intellectual property. Just think about an artist being able to have their aesthetic mimicked because someone was able to read a report of their sales. It’s the equivalent of showing everyone how you make your secret sauce.

With its emphasis on confidential compute, Inco Lightning provides an impenetrable shield. This platform provides artists the tools to create and transact, confidentially. It protects their hard-earned wages and it shelters their innovative new concepts from competitors’ eager eyes. This has become increasingly critical in Southeast Asia, where copyright laws and enforcement are sometimes unreliable.

Inco is providing the secure, locked studio where artists can create without fear of being watched, copied, or exploited. That’s a bold promise, and quite frankly, it’s high time that somebody made such commitment to the needs of these creators. They’re at least as deserving as the geolocation technology behind the “everything’s public” paradigm.

Regulations? Confidentiality is the Answer

Southeast Asia isn't a monolith. Every other country has a different regulatory landscape, particularly so for crypto and Web3. Trying to navigate this labyrinth is a developer and business’s worst nightmare.

Here's the unexpected connection: confidentiality can be the bridge across these regulatory divides. Inco gives organizations the workflows and insights they need to meet the demands of any regional privacy legislation. This method builds confidence and encourages broader acceptance of Web3 technologies, all while continuing to leverage the advantages of blockchain.

Now imagine a cross-border payment system based on Inco. This allows companies operating in both Singapore and Malaysia the ability to transact easily between the two, while remaining compliant with each country’s respective data protection laws. That’s the type of real world application that makes a difference in adoption.

No personal privacy The intrusive nature is a huge barrier to entry for legacy banks and financial institutions. As the press reported, academic research indicates that mainstream finance is scared off due to the lack of privacy in today’s world with DeFi. Inco can address that anxiety. Allowing them to more easily dip their toes into the water and get engaged.

Community First, Confidentiality Follows

Today, Southeast Asia is a hub of these community-led Web3 initiatives. Hackathons, developer meetups and…greenlighting their own grassroots projects are getting organized. These communities have truly become the lifeblood of the region’s burgeoning Web3 ecosystem.

Inco’s got a great opportunity to support these communities by providing them with the tools and resources they need to build confidential applications. Now, picture sponsoring a hackathon to develop private DeFi applications using Inco Lightning. That’s a big deal, and a very direct way to empower developers and foster innovation.

It’s not solely focused on the technology. It’s a heavier emphasis on educating participants and fostering collaboration among those cities. This isn’t just delivering the tech, this is about building a movement and making people feel not lonely.

As Inco builds and offers the Confidential Token Association with OpenZeppelin and Zama to make confidential tokens, it brings people together.

Inco’s $5 million raise – now that’s a funding announcement worth more than just a funding announcement. It’s an encouraging sign that the industry is starting to realize just how crucial privacy is in Web3. Money alone isn't enough. Inco will have to put an effort and meaningful practice to connect with the Southeast Asian community. To help them navigate their unique needs, Inco can provide them with the tools they need to forge a more private, secure Web3 ecosystem.

Will confidentiality unlock Southeast Asia's Web3 boom? It's too early to say for sure. One thing is clear: Inco is betting big on it, and the region's artists, developers, and communities are watching closely. So am I.

And lastly, let’s remember that anger is a great source of energy. There is resentment across the area at being used, abused and seed-fund-raised and concept-pitched to. We think Inco has a golden opportunity here to truly champion the underdog. Onwards to fight for a better creator economy in SEA!