Today marks the beginning of the world's largest Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference spans three days and boasts an impressive lineup of ranging from politicians, financial professionals, founders and technical experts. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are expected to also make an appearance.
Bitcoin (BTC) is the first cryptocurrency to be developed, leading in terms of market capitalization. It functions as a form of digital money stored on a decentralized network called the blockchain. The so-called "digital gold", a nickname bitcoin received due to its pre-determined scarcity of 21 million coins, was introduced by an anonymous entity or individual known as Satoshi Nakamoto through a famous white paper in 2008. Bitcoin enables direct peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions without the need for traditional banking intermediaries. Transactions are processed by special hardware (miners) that add new blocks of transactions to the blockchain through the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism.
The Nashville Bitcoin Conference
Bitcoin's decentralized nature and ability to facilitate global transactions at low cost make it particularly attractive in regions with unstable financial systems. El Salvador confirms this. The country became the first to adopt BTC as legal tender in 2021, followed a year later by the Central African Republic. In early 2024, the first spot bitcoin ETFs were approved in the US. This began to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the cryptocurrency market, making bitcoin more accessible, regulated and accepted by a wider range of investors. Events such as the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville are helping to educate people about bitcoin and promote its adoption.
HUGE BREAKING: Trump to announce a USA #Bitcoin strategic reserve in Nashville 🇺🇸 - Sources
— Dennis Porter (@Dennis_Porter_) July 18, 2024
Dennis Porter, CEO of the SatoshiActFund, which has drafted bitcoin policies that have been adopted in more than 20 states and passed into law in four, said that Trump, who is a registered speaker at the event, will announce a strategic bitcoin reserve in Nashville. Like Trump, Porter's goal is to make the U.S. a leading country for bitcoin. Trump, who went from an anti-crypto stance in 2019 to absolutely pro-crypto, wants all remaining BTC to be mined in the US. This has spurred positive sentiment in the market.
Elon Musk and Winklevoss twins showing their support for Bitcoin and Trump
It is rumored that Elon Musk will make an appearance at the conference. The rumors began to spread after President Joe Biden announced his retirement from the 2024 campaign, and Elon's updated X profile picture was seen for a few days with blue laser eyes. The laser eyes meme is popular in the bitcoin community. It represents a bullish outlook for bitcoin, it's adoption, and it's price performance. Musk's laser eyes put him in line with other high-profile bitcoin supporters, such as Michael Saylor. Musk has also recently begun to openly support Donald Trump. The reason for this public support was revealed just two days ago in an interview with Jordan B. Peterson.
Laser Eyes are back in style. #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/FZBztnkVhf
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) July 21, 2024
More high-profile support for bitcoin and the Republican Party comes from the Winklevoss twins, co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini. They say the Biden administration has aggressively targeted the cryptocurrency industry in Operation Choke Point 2.0, using agencies like the OCC and FDIC to pressure banks to avoid crypto companies. This has resulted in the closure of bank accounts for individuals and companies in the crypto sector. In addition, the SEC has failed to provide clear regulations for cryptocurrencies, using outdated laws to create legal uncertainty and stifle innovation, allowing them to sue crypto companies for non-compliance. These developments threaten the free market and innovation, undermining the economic system that has made America prosperous. The twins urge support for pro-crypto candidates like Donald Trump to protect economic freedom and ensure the continued growth of the crypto sector.
I just donated $1 million in bitcoin (15.47 BTC) to @realDonaldTrump and will be voting for him in November. Here’s why:
Over the past few years, the Biden Administration has openly declared war against crypto. It has weaponized multiple government agencies to bully, harass, and… pic.twitter.com/qOQSpmanBR
— Tyler Winklevoss (@tyler) June 20, 2024