30,000 participants, 300 exhibitors, and many personalities from the crypto ecosystem such as Michael Saylor, Adam Back, Paolo Ardoino, Arthur Hayes, and the Winklevoss twins: this is the outcome of the latest edition of the unmissable Bitcoin Conference.
The event, which took place in Las Vegas from May 27 to 29, took on a special dimension this year with the highly anticipated speech by Ross Ulbricht, founder of the online market Silk Road, who was pardoned by Donald Trump last January. He delivered a speech focused on freedom, amidst cheers:
"As long as we agree that we deserve freedom and that decentralization is the way to preserve it, then we can be united, supporting each other, just as you have supported me."
Ross Ulbricht.
Trends and innovations in Bitcoin: What lies ahead?
At the conference, predictions about the price of Bitcoin were more optimistic than ever. Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and CEO of Maelstrom, elaborated his theory that Bitcoin would reach one million dollars by 2028 through a fifteen-minute speech.
Michael Saylor, known for his colossal BTC purchases through his company Strategy, stated that the queen of cryptocurrencies is heading towards a $100 trillion market cap. With the number of Bitcoins currently in circulation, that would mean a price of about $5 million per BTC... and a market cap as high as the global GDP.
Regarding the evolution of the Bitcoin protocol, Jack Dorsey's company Block stated that the Lightning Network saw its usage volume multiply by 7 last year and that it continues to work to democratize Bitcoin as a means of payment, particularly among merchants.
The Ordinals have also been part of the event. These 'inscriptions' launched in early 2023 had their own gallery, the 'Ordinal's Dome', and several themed celebrations took place, particularly on the Taproot Wizards.
Many technical developments of Bitcoin were also discussed, particularly regarding the Taproot Assets Protocol, echoing the recent arrival of Tether's USDT on the Lightning Network.