Interview with Conflux Founder Long Fan: Commitment to Technology and Long-Term Thinking

On May 15th, Professor Long Fan, the founder of Conflux, attended the Conflux Digital Finance and Ecological Development Conference held in Hong Kong. As an alumnus of Tsinghua University Yao Class, an MIT PhD, and a professor at the University of Toronto, Long Fan has rarely accepted media interviews in recent years, quietly promoting the technical exploration and global expansion of Conflux as a compliant public blockchain.

In the face of the RWA boom, the Memecoin frenzy, and the accelerated development of stablecoins, the blockchain industry is speeding up. How does Conflux maintain its technical focus amidst this? As a compliant public chain, what long-term thinking is behind Conflux?

In this interview, Long Fan shared for the first time his path choices, independent judgments on industry trends, and advice for young developers.

Entrepreneurial Spirit and Technological Foundation

Long Fan believes that he is primarily a computer science researcher, and this identity encompasses all of his experiences. He stated that Conflux has been committed to building a high-performance public blockchain based in China or Asia, aspiring to become an important infrastructure in the Web 3.0 era. This has been the direction determined by the team since 2018 and they have been persistent in it.

When discussing the technical advantages of Conflux, Long Fan emphasized that Conflux achieves high performance of 3000-6000 TPS without sacrificing decentralization and security. Since the mainnet went live, it has maintained zero security incidents, reflecting the stability and credibility of the architecture.

Conflux focuses on offshore RMB stablecoins and the BSIM card in collaboration with China Telecom. Long Fan believes that these are all ways to leverage Conflux's unique advantages as the only compliant public blockchain in China.

Compliance Road: Long-term Beliefs and Path Choices

Long Fan stated that Conflux became the only compliant public chain in China due to its historical reasons. Many teams abandoned the path of compliance for short-term considerations, while Conflux chose to bear the high compliance costs and was more restrained in many decisions.

They firmly believe that compliant development is achievable and are willing to put in the effort for it. Most of the core team graduated from Tsinghua University and have studied abroad, hoping to find a path of normal development.

During the communication process with regulators, they found that as long as both parties are willing to communicate, it is possible to find a solution that is acceptable to both.

Regarding the layout of Hong Kong, Long Fan believes that Hong Kong is currently playing the role of a "special zone" for blockchain. Compared to the mainland, the compliance costs in Hong Kong are much lower. He pointed out that Hong Kong is in a natural policy dividend period, which is a very important opportunity window.

RWA and Memecoin: The Two Extremes of the Blockchain World

When it comes to the RWA and Memecoin craze, Long Fan believes that RWA is not a bubble, but a process where the industry is breaking through regulatory barriers and seeking new narratives. It represents an upgrade of blockchain technology in practical applications.

As for Memecoin, Long Fan compares it to "gambling in the era of cryptocurrency," believing it reflects the ancient human need for risk and stimulation. He thinks that there is no need to overly criticize or attack Memecoin, as it is essentially just another form of expression.

Adhering to the Technical Route and Long-termism

Long Fan stated that Conflux will continue to adhere to the technical route of "high-performance public chain in Asia." Although the pace of advancement is relatively slow, they believe that this direction is valuable in the long run.

For new developers entering the industry, Longfan suggests choosing a suitable path based on their own circumstances. They can choose to chase short-term trends or focus on long-term directions. The key is to find the path that suits them best.

For ecological construction, Conflux tends to support teams that are willing to invest long-term and have clear plans, rather than short-term "migrant" developers. Long Fan emphasized that they hope to establish solid cooperation with teams that genuinely want to land and promote the共同成长 of the ecosystem.