Thousands gathered in the convention center of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas to hear industry leaders, lawmakers, and charismatic figures from around the world discuss their views on Bitcoin, and, to a lesser extent, other cryptocurrencies.
By far the biggest draw of the event was US Vice President JD Vance, who traveled to Nevada to attend a reported $1 million-per-head fundraiser ahead of his appearance at the Bitcoin (BTC) conference. Vance, who has largely taken second chair to President Donald Trump in terms of crypto policies, called on Bitcoiners to get more involved in politics, suggesting they could potentially influence the 2026 midterm elections in the United States.
The vice president was not the only speaker at the event to include “freedom” in his messaging. Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor mentioned the word no fewer than three times during his “21 Ways to Wealth” speech, and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was released from prison roughly four months ago after receiving a pardon from Trump, focused on the subject when addressing supporters.
“So long as we can agree that we deserve freedom and that decentralization is how we secure it, then we can be united, we can have each other’s backs, just like you had mine,” said Ulbricht, referring to Bitcoiners, whom he credited for helping with his release.
Emphasis on Bitcoin and crypto policy
As with many US-based crypto events since Trump spoke at the Bitcoin 2024 conference during his presidential campaign, many speakers focused on regulation, policies, and laws as they could impact investors’ bottom lines.
Hester Peirce, one of the leading crypto advocates at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, spoke on the future of the agency under the leadership of Chair Paul Atkins. Lawmakers from the US Congress, including Senator Cynthia Lummis and Representatives Bryan Steil, Byron Donalds, and Tom Emmer, spoke on panels about the efforts to pass legislation for a digital asset market structure and payment stablecoins.
“As we get closer and closer to two key pieces of legislation, both market structure and stablecoins, I wanted to come out and make sure the people understand how transformative these pieces of legislation will be,” Steil told Cointelegraph on why he spoke at the event.
Bo Hines and David Sacks, presidential advisers on crypto, represented the current administration and discussed Trump’s views on Bitcoin at the event. Amid the government looking at ways to establish a national BTC stockpile, Sacks suggested there was a “budget-neutral” way for the US to acquire more of the cryptocurrency.
Representatives from other countries, including the mayor of Panama City, Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage, and the head of Pakistan’s crypto council each made announcements related to adoption. Pakistan’s government is moving toward establishing its own BTC reserve; Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi proposed a Bitcoin-friendlier approach for ships passing through the country’s canal; and Farage said his party would begin accepting crypto donations in preparation for the next UK general election.
“No wonder so many people are going for Bitcoin and going for crypto — because they can’t close you down, and that is the ultimate freedom,” Farage said.
Since the start of the conference on May 27, the price of Bitcoin has fallen roughly 5% to $104,745 at the time of publication from more than $110,000.
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