The largest-ever Bitcoin conference continued on Saturday. Here’s a rundown of what you may have missed.
Some of crypto’s most influential people headlined the second day of Bitcoin 2021 Miami, offering words of wisdom about the future of decentralization, property rightsand financial inclusion.
Day 2 began with a panel discussion centered around Bitcoin’s macro landscape, where Morgan Creek Digital founder Mark Yusko drew attention to the destruction of the dollar caused by the Federal Reserve’s endless money printing. “Thirty-nine percent of all dollars were created in the last 12 months,” he said, adding that the U.S. dollar is “the biggest shitcoin of them all.”
The heavy panel discussion surrounding Bitcoin and monetary policy was followed by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk discussing what happens when a counterculture goes mainstream. “It was very fast, it was international, for me it was the future of finance,” he said of Bitcoin. “I did buy Bitcoin in 2012.”
“Tony Hawk Pro Hodler” – @tonyhawk
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
Hawk then hit the half-pipe to show off some of his legendary skills
Bitcoin and skateboards may be a cool combination. Tony Hawk took the crowd at #Bitcoin2021 outside to show off some of his skills. pic.twitter.com/EXXZA8Xi2k
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
The Nakamoto Stage also featured a panel discussion called, “The Moral Case for Bitcoin,” where investor, educator and notable Texan Jimmy Song talked about the importance of property rights: “Property rights are the most basic human right… there is no other right without property rights.”
“Property rights are the most basic human right… there is no other right without property rights.” – Jimmy Song #Bitcoin2021.
The Moral Case For Bitcoin with @GuyHirsch, @Breedlove22, @jimmysong, and @TheCryptoconomy. pic.twitter.com/bkn2j6mFXQ
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
Lightning Labs’ co-founder Elizabeth Stark and leading macro analyst Lynn Alden shared the stage in the early afternoon for a session titled, “Bitcoin for Billions, Not Billionaires.”
“There are billions of people in the world that don’t have access to financial services. Bitcoin is extremely important,” Stark said, adding:
“We’ve heard a lot about Bitcoin that is bad, but I really care deeply about bringing this technology to people that may not be allowed on Twitter, that don’t even speak English!”
“Every decade or so, there are new victims for government debts,” Alden said, adding that we should focus more on Bitcoin’s use cases rather than solely its investment potentia.
“…Bitcoin as an asset, Bitcoin as a stock, but we should focus on its use cases.” – @LynAldenContact
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
“Making Bitcoin Infrastructure Ubiquitous” was the next topic to grace the Nakamoto Stage, with Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz and Paxos co-founder Charles Cascarilla leading the discussion.
“Bitcoin is already the most held asset outside of the U.S. dollar,” Novogratz said, adding that he’s “wildly optimistic” about institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies.
“I’m wildly optimistic that’s happening (institutional adoption). It takes time, but I am bullish in this space.” – @novogratz
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
Cascarilla talked about the “unbelievable possibility” of Bitcoin beyond just price appreciation:
“There is just an unbelievable possibility here for what Bitcoin can do, it’s just getting started. Don’t focus on the short term price, think about what the long term impact could be.” – Charles Cascarilla
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
The stage for green energy, which was headlined by angel investor Steve Lee and Bitcoin Magazine technical editor Aaron van Wirdum, had an unexpected interruption when a member of the DOGE army swarmed the stage:
And now, a very unplanned DOGE announcement #Bitcoin2021 pic.twitter.com/pxdLGXxpEh
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
The final panel of the day was headlined by Avanti’s Caitlin Long, ShapeShift founder Erik Voorhees, Alameda Research’s Sam Bankman-Fried and Yoni Assia, founder and CEO of eToro. The discussion, titled “Evolution of Exchanges,” featured several notable soundbites from the panel:
“Satoshi didn’t create anything that was designed to be leverage, and really didn’t care about liquidity.” – @CaitlinLong_
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
“Most Bitcoin investors (on eToro) invest because they believe in something. The majority of our customers never had a blockchain transaction. Most people find it difficult.” – @yoniassia
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
Perhaps the most notable soundbite of the day was embedded in Zap CEO Jack Mallers’ presentation titled, “One Small Step for Bitcoin, One Giant Leap for Mankind.” In that presentation, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele declared Bitcoin to be “legal tender” in his country, adding that digital-currency adoption will help foster job creation:
“Bitcoin is now legal tender in El Salvador. This will increase jobs in the country.” – Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador.
Countries are waking up. This is just the start. pic.twitter.com/rH5MuNvKxU
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 5, 2021
Follow Cointelegraph on Twitter for a complete recap of Bitcoin Miami 2021. And make sure to read our Day 1 roundup of the historic event.
