Bitcoin 2022: The Biggest Bitcoin Conference in the World

Guest post by Jenny Rudd of Aim Sure Group.

In April, 25,000 Bitcoin maximalists came together in Miami for Bitcoin 22. Investors Jenny Rudd and Mat Tomlinson went along to find out what’s happening at the forefront of financial digital technology.

Like all our fellow New Zealanders, it had been a while since we’d left the country, let alone spent time indoors with 25,000 other people. Florida was all “Covid? What covid!?” There wasn’t a single mask, ‘keep your distance’ sign or indeed any evidence that covid existed at all.

The largest Bitcoin event in the world

The conference took place in the Miami Convention Centre – which itself was an absolute beast. It took about 20 minutes to walk from one end of the event to the other.

Each of the five stages grouped the talks and panel discussions into themes like mining, enterprise and open-source code.

The main stage hosted some big names: Senator Cynthia Lummis, Jack Mallers (CEO of Strike), Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams, Elizabeth Stark (CEO of Lightning Labs), and Peter Thiel.

View the list full list of guest speakers of Bitcoin 2022 in Miami.

Key messages from MicroStrategy and ARK Investment

One of the most electric talks was a fireside chat between Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Investment, who joined MicroStrategy’s CEO Michael Saylor.

Their main message was whether you’ve been ‘hodling’ for some time, or are buying BTC for the first time, ‘hodl’ on tight.

Michael reasoned that as Cathie had spent a lifetime in institutional investment in capital markets, and he’d spent a lifetime trying to attract investors like her, they represented both sides of the investment coin.

The pair talked for half an hour to an absolutely packed room. They covered a few topics; the political, macroeconomic, regulatory environment, the capital markets, and technology.

On the political front, Cathie feels there’s been a sea change in the way politicians talk about Bitcoin becoming part of the mainstream financial picture.

It used to be ‘No way.’ Now it’s ‘How can we do it?’ Nowhere is that more noticeable than from US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said that regulatory frameworks should support innovation in crypto assets while managing risks.

That’s a positive U-turn from last year when she was talking about her concerns regarding Bitcoin’s environmental and money laundering implications. Congress and the senate are now enthusiastically figuring out Bitcoin.

Michael Saylor has always been good for some soundbites, and here’s another one he delivered:

“Bitcoin is the ethical safe haven for any public figure, the technical safe haven for any technical company, and the financial safe haven for any investors.”

– Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy.

There had been some spirited discussions behind the scenes between the two, particularly about inflation, and when or if it goes. But although they admitted they don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, they both agreed that Bitcoin is a great hedge against inflation.

We are in for a crypto winter for a while, but Cathie Woods and Michael Saylor have shown no damping on their Bitcoin maximalist views. Mat and I are hodling on, too.

Jenny and Mat stayed at the Betsy Hotel in Miami as guests of booking.com. Shout out to these guys for having totally flexible cancellation policies!

About Aim Sure Group

Aim Sure Group is led by Jenny Rudd, an investor and analyst who provides insights and knowledge for start-ups to expand their business and guide them through the capital raising process. Her particular focus lies on women-led businesses and those in the blockchain ecosystem.