What to Expect from Bitcoin 2024
The world’s biggest Bitcoin conference starts today and takes place this weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. It is anticipated to be one of the most important conferences in crypto history. It has an impressive lineup of speakers, side events, and a keynote speech from former president and current candidate Donald Trump. Here’s what you need to know to stay updated on everything happening this critical weekend.
The Bitcoin Conference, hosted annually by BTC Media, the company behind Bitcoin Magazine, has historically been held in Miami, Florida. However, this year, the conference was moved to Nashville, the home city of BTC Media and a flourishing hub for Bitcoin activity in the United States. Bitcoin Park, a co-working space dedicated to Bitcoiners that hosts monthly events with developers, politicians, and general enthusiasts, is an example of the grassroots BTC movement taking over the city. Like Miami, residents have aligned with Bitcoin’s libertarian values, such as privacy and financial freedom.
Though the conference officially starts today, side events and separate conferences kicked off at the beginning of this week. The Litecoin Summit, focusing on “the silver to Bitcoin’s gold,” was held on July 24–25 and featured prominent Litecoin community members like founder Charlie Lee. Other events include a mining summit, several Ordinals meetups, and the “Satoshi Speakeasy.” These events demonstrate Bitcoin’s growing developer base, which focuses on creating tokenized assets on the chain and is more interested than ever in securing the network via mining, even after the halving significantly reduced their profits.
Along with the conference floor, attendees can find many Bitcoin-related companies looking for partnerships, new users, and a chance to establish themselves as an important piece of Bitcoin infrastructure. A new documentary highlighting the reasoning behind Bitcoin’s existence, “God Bless Bitcoin,” has its world premiere at the conference, featuring prominent industry leaders like Mark Cuban, Michael Saylor, and Anthony Pompliano.
On the first day, a few talks appear more interesting than the rest. At 4 p.m., keynote speaker Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will speak about his belief in Bitcoin and likely discuss how it is a part of his presidential campaign platform. Directly before, at 3:30, prominent NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will also give a keynote, explaining the need for Bitcoin as an alternative to government-controlled money. At Bitpush, we will summarize other essential and enlightening talks in our Days 1 and 2 recaps, including talks from ARK Founder Cathie Wood and MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor.
On Saturday, the event on everyone’s mind is Donald Trump’s keynote speech at 2 pm. However, he is not the only politician to speak; others include Senators Tim Scott, John Deaton, Marsha Blackburn, Congressman Ro Khanna, and House of Representatives member Wiley Nickel.
Most significantly, Senator Cynthia Lummis, famously pro-crypto, is expected to announce legislation for a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve sometime this weekend, possibly during her talk with Tim Scott today at 3 pm. The legislation would require the Federal Reserve to hold Bitcoin like gold and foreign currencies to protect against any adverse event with the US dollar. If passed, this would be the most significant development related to Bitcoin of the entire year, as it legitimizes Bitcoin in the eyes of the most powerful government in the world. Some expect this to start a digital arms race between companies trying to accumulate as much Bitcoin as possible. Additionally, there is speculation that Trump will support this legislation or announce his own in his speech, which would firmly establish him as the most pro-crypto candidate.
At Trump’s talk, there will likely be mention of the recent assassination attempt, his pro-crypto policies around preserving the rights to self-custody and mine, a promotion of the US mining industry, and talk of not creating a central bank digital currency. This will be the first time Trump, or any former president, has a speech about Bitcoin, and the implications and consequences could change the industry forever.
There is a lot of excitement around this year’s conference, and justifiably so. Between the number of politicians speaking of the general growth of the Bitcoin L2 space, there has never been a brighter time to be a Bitcoin holder.
Follow Bitpush News this weekend as we provide up-to-date coverage and potentially exclusive interviews from the conference.
By Lincoln Murr
