Macron’s ‘Startup Nation’ Becomes a Haven for Battered Crypto

At a crypto conference in Paris in late March, the buzz stood in sharp contrast to the nearby mounds of trash that gave the impression of a breakdown in city services.

As protests and strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age roiled the French capital, digital-asset executives rubbed shoulders at a convention space inside the Louvre Palace. Attendees sipped champagne at an evening gathering in the museum section and then were treated to a private viewing of the Mona Lisa and other masterpieces.

Attendees at the Paris Blockchain event.

Photographer: Alexander Sitter/Cognito

The mood was equally at odds with the woes — most ...