6 March 2024
Leading Bitcoin advocates and key politicians will convene at the National Press Club Ballroom in Washington D.C. for the second annual Bitcoin Policy summit hosted by the Bitcoin Policy Institute. The bipartisan policy event will address the increasing integration of Bitcoin and digital assets into the political landscape of the United States while identifying important policy measures that interact with this burgeoning ecosystem.
The upcoming summit on April 9, 2024 will bring together key players in the Bitcoin ecosystem covering a diverse range of subjects including: energy and the environment, national security, perspectives on Bitcoin and democracy, and how to counter the rise of digital authoritarianism. Confirmed speakers include Avik Roy (President, Foundation for Research On Equal Opportunity), Mike Brock (CEO of Block’s TBD), Sarah Kreps (Director, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute) and Matthew Pines (Director, Security Advisory at Sentinel One). The full speaker list can be viewed here. Further speakers will be announced prior to the event according to Bitcoin Policy Institute representatives.
At the inaugural Bitcoin Policy Summit on April 26, 2023, policymakers including US Senator Ted Cruz, US Senator Cynthia Lummis and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer met with Bitcoin industry representatives to discuss the importance of Bitcoin from a national and economic security perspective, as well as the importance of Bitcoin in the context of human rights. Notable Bitcoin industry representatives included Alex Gladstein (Chief Strategy Officer, Human Rights Foundation), Jack Mallers (Strike CEO), and Roya Mahboob (CEO and Co-Founder, Digital Citizen Fund).
During the 2023 summit, Senator Ted Cruz made headlines when revealing that he was: “incredibly bullish on Bitcoin specifically”, perhaps indicating his preference for Bitcoin over alternative digital assets. He also remarked: “I own a little more than 2 bitcoin, and every Monday I own a little bit more. I bought the dip.” With bitcoin trading at approximately $28,000 per coin at the time of his statement in 2023, Cruz’s bullishness appears to have been well-founded.
This year’s Bitcoin Policy Summit will be livestreamed to viewers in partnership with Bitcoin Magazine, bringing live footage to viewers across social media including Twitter (X) and YouTube. Interested attendees can also receive exclusive discounts on Bitcoin Policy Summit tickets by visiting https://www.btcpolicysummit.org/ and entering code “bmag21” for 21% off tickets. It should be noted that attendees must apply and be selected in order to attend as in-person attendance is highly limited.
Policymakers, industry leaders and media may contact the organizers of the Bitcoin Policy Summit via their website https://www.btcpolicysummit.org/ for questions and comments.