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Web3 and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) are two key factors of the new Internet era. They are redefining the landscape of digital communications and distributed systems, offering new opportunities for secure, resilient, and scalable applications. The worldwide adoption of Web3 is reshaping how users experience Internet services by including concepts such as decentralization, democratization and rewarding in existing services. The main engine of Web3 is blockchain technology.
However, there are numerous areas where there is room for improvement. To begin with, most Web3 applications revolve around DeFi, however, the decentralisation offered by blockchain technology could help plenty of scenarios. Promising scenarios are supply chains, health, decentralized storage, data sharing, power grids, virtual worlds (like the Metaverse) and many more. Additionally, there are other scenarios where Web3 could have a meaningful impact, including IoT, vehicular networks, cloud and edge computing, digital identities, intellectual property management, digital twins, and integration with the physical world.
DeFi is still quite far from perfect. Indeed, fungible and non-fungible assets are constantly evolving to include more advanced functionalities as so to increase their adoption. Moreover, DeFi was shown to be susceptible to malicious activity, including fake NFTs, sleepminting, washtrading, rug pull, pump and dump, Maximal Extractable Value and other scams. Finding solutions to foresee and prevent such malevolent practices becomes crucial for the true adoption of this technology.
Lastly, blockchain technology has some inherent limitations that are still to be addressed, including creating efficient consensus protocols for public blockchains, and secure channels for transaction confirmation among others.
The Web3 Applications and the eVolution of dEcentralized finance (WAVE) workshop analyses the technological challenges and the potential of Web3 and DeFi applications. By bringing together researchers and practitioners, the workshop aims to attract contributions that can discuss how these emerging technologies can shape the future of blockchain, and address the challenges of their adoption. Papers on both theoretical and design aspects are welcomed, which describe and evaluate novel design methods and system prototypes. The workshop also welcomes work-in-progress and position papers.
TOPICS
Authors are solicited to submit original, previously unpublished papers in the following, but not limited to, topic areas:
Web3 Applications and Technologies
Web3 storage decentralization and data sharing
Novel Web3 applications (IoT, networks, cloud computing)
DLTs and Blockchain Technology
Blockchain security and performance
Adoption of blockchain in innovative scenarios
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and similars (e.g. GameFi, SocialFi)
Application of DeFi to novel scenarios
DeFi vulnerability identification and mitigation
New DeFi services
Decentralized Social Networking: analysis and applications
Decentralized Technology for the Metaverse
NFTs analysis and applications
AI for Web3 and DeFi
Privacy, scalability, and governance
Networking and communications for Web3 and DeFi
Solutions for safe online environments
Papers submission: March 9, 2025 STRICT! (AoE, UCT -12)
Notification of acceptance: March 20, 2025
Camera-ready paper due: April 14, 2025
Workshop: July 2-5, 2025 (tbc)