Bill Hanifin
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Editor’s note: The following is a post submitted by the organizers at Money2020, quickly becoming the most relevant payments conference in the US. The group announced the creation of ‘(Bit)coinWorld at Money2020’ in 2014 and we share this to deepen the understanding of the evolving payments world among our readers. We’ve got a lot to learn about Bitcoin, as most of us do. Therefore this post does not equate to an endorsement of Bitcoin, at least until we’ve studied more and attended this year’s Money2020 event.
At Money2020, we’re big supporters of crypto-currencies, including bitcoin. We believe the underlying distributed payment protocols hold incredible disruptive technological potential on a global basis. We also believe that based on the value and utility of crypto-currencies as well as the investment in and incredible brainpower that’s building out the infrastructure, protocols like Bitcoin are heading towards the tipping point of a network effect.
Once we hit this point, there will be no turning back and these protocols will be here for the long term. Clearly, there are regulatory and other issues to work through–worldwide–but this is not unusual for most disruptive products, markets or technologies–innovation of that kind never travels an easy path.
Based on inbound interest as well as proactive outreach, we at Money2020 started to build relationships with companies throughout the distributed payment protocol and crypto-currency ecosystem in early 2013, before much of the mainstream media coverage and latest run up in crypto-currency values.
We started accepting bitcoin as payment for sponsorships in early 2013 (for 2014, we’re broadening our acceptance to
include attendee registrations just as soon as the integrations are complete). The result was that some of the leading companies in the distributed payment protocol and crypto-currency space had a substantial presence at 2013’s Money2020.
Money2020 is unique in the payments and financial services events industry in that we cross-pollinate among innovators in a number of disparate sectors that are redefining commerce and, as a result, how consumers and businesses manage, spend and borrow money. We cover all the major macro trends driving these shifts, such as mobile, data, marketing
services and technology. We believe that distributed payment protocols and crypto-currencies represent a major driver of technology innovation, and so are right for inclusion at Money2020.
At our 2013 event, we saw tremendous interest in distributed payment protocols and crypto-currencies, and we believe that that will evolve in 2014 into broader and more meaningful interactions with traditional stakeholders. We’ve introduced “(Bit)coinWorld at Money2020” to capture the full experience we’ll have around distributed payment protocols and crypto-currencies at this year’s Money2020. (Bit)coinWorld at Money2020 is a platform where leaders in distributed payment protocols and cryptocurrencies and leaders responsible for driving commerce innovation can interact, learn and forge critical partnerships.
To help accomplish this objective, we’re:
- Creating a dedicated agenda track to include extensive coverage of distributed payment protocols and crypto-currencies, featuring the pioneers and leaders in the industry
- Increasing exhibitor and sponsor presence, showcasing the latest organizations and innovations
- Introducing targeted networking events designed to connect critical stakeholders and industry participants
More details will be announced in the coming weeks and months as we continue to confirm speakers,
finalize the agenda, etc. Here’s what some of the leaders in the distributed payment protocol and crypto-currency space are saying about (Bit)coinWorld at Money2020:
“To realize its full and transformational potential, Bitcoin–and the companies that are making it a reality–must work effectively with merchants, regulators and other established institutions,” said Tony Gallippi, chief executive officer of BitPay. “As the premier payments event, Money2020 is well positioned to make that happen and we’re excited to help by bringing our expertise and leadership to (Bit)coin World.”
“We believe that bitcoin is nearing a tipping point for broad consumer adoption and recognition worldwide,” said Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase. “As the largest and fastest growing bitcoin wallet service in the U.S., we’re thrilled to be a part of (Bit)coinWorld at Money2020 as these discussions are vital to the acceptance and evolution of crypto-currencies.”
“Bitcoin represents a disruptive, distributed and global paradigm shift, with substantial human and financial capital now moving into Bitcoin,” said Nicolas Cary, chief executive officer of Blockchain.info. “It will require responsible stewardship, thought-leadership and partnership to move Bitcoin into the mainstream and Blockchain.info is proud to partner with Money2020 for (Bit)coinWorld to help accomplish that.”
“Over time, I believe Bitcoin will become widely regarded as one of the most important inventions ever, and (Bit)coinWorld at Money2020 will be a great place for everyone to learn more about it and its broad, global implications,” said Roger Ver, a highly regarded nearly Bitcoin angel investor and evangelist.
“As the fastest and lowest-cost settlement networks in the world, distributed payment protocols, like Ripple and Bitcoin, represent an expansive business opportunity for established banks and payments companies, and the opportunity for the world of value to be woven together just like our information web,” said Chris Larsen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ripple Labs, creators of the Ripple protocol. “Amidst this economic paradigm shift, Money2020 is a fantastic venue for a meeting of the minds between the worlds of cryptocurrency and financial institutions to advance the movement. I’m looking forward to (Bit)coinWorld.”
Join us for (Bit)coinWorld at Money2020 to be held November 2-6, at the Aria in Las Vegas
