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An inside look at the informative panels and innovative vision of Bitcoin Asia 2024

An inside look at the informative panels and innovative vision of Bitcoin Asia 2024

Estimated: 5 mins  reading

Bitcoin Asia 2024 landed in Hong Kong's Kai Tak Cruise Terminal last month, and Bandwagon was there to experience the massive conference firsthand.

This milestone event marked Bitcoin's first-ever conference in Asia and drew an impressive turnout of over 10,000 participants from all over the world. Aiming to advance the global development of Bitcoin and Web3 technologies, the summit brought together a phenomenal lineup of experts, developers, investors and exhibitors for eye-opening panel discussions, workshops and showcases of the latest applications and ecosystems.

With roughly half the attendees stemming from mainland China, and the launch of several Bitcoin ETF products alongside exhibitions of various Bitcoin layer two solutions developed by Chinese founders and firms, it's safe to say that the increasing enthusiasm for Bitcoin in the region heralds a bright future for the cryptocurrency giant.

While many of the talks and attractions highlighted leading thinkers and innovators, there were a few that stood out due their insights and forecasts on the development trajectory of the industry.

Panels

The Energy Behind Ordinals

Moderated by Namcios from UTXO Management, this panel's speakers featured Udi Wertheimer from Taproot Wizards, Dan Held from Asymmetric and Trevor Owens from Bitcoin Frontier Fund. Each noted the healthy fervour they observed within the community to learn more about Ordinals, despite the speculative nature of these assets.

Wertheimer specifically expressed that he has witnessed individuals gaining exposure by experimenting with Ordinals and BRC-20, while most importantly, having fun. This, according to Wertheimer, is a significant achievement because it ultimately encourages people "to care" about Bitcoin.

Zhou Zhuo Jie

In the following video, Zhou discusses his analysis of NFT communities, observing how they navigate from chain to chain to trade digital assets. This sparked his interest in making multiple chains, including Bitcoin, accessible on Magic Eden.

Ethereum Was A Testnet

Moderated by Joe Nakamoto, an independent Bitcoin journalist - this panel showcased Casey Rodarmor, the creator of the Ordinals and Runes protocols, Peter Todd, the founder of OpenTimestamps, and Jeremy Rubin, the CEO of Stealth.

Their enlightening conversation covered the history of the previous cycle on Ethereum, and how they've leveraged that experience to adapt similar strategies for Bitcoin. In doing so, they are attempting to scale Bitcoin in the direction of provenance, drawing on lessons learned to enhance its functionality and reliability.

From Ordinal To Market

As a shining example of the dedication and passion required to generate support for Ordinals, here is Ken Liao, the founder of Xverse, thanking his wife for letting him stay in his hotel room and code while on a holiday. 

As he explains, Liao first discovered the demand when he realized the large number of people building their own nodes to inscribe items, despite the high barrier to entry. Already familiar with the functionalities of holding NFTs in a digital wallet, Liao knew that he could apply the same approach to Ordinals within Xverse.

Bitcoin Native Assets

Foregrounded by speakers such as Domo Data from Layer 1 Foundation, Lorenzo G. from UniSat, the creator of Ordinals and Runes Casey Rodarmor, and Namcios from UTXO Management - this panel focused on the particpants' background in developing their respective items and strategies for conceptualizing and raising awareness about these assets.

Acknowledging that while digital assets might require some level of speculation to increase usage, especially in the current market, the speakers emphasized the importance of continuously working towards bringing more use cases to ensure long-term sustainability. 

Attractions

Ordz Games

We tested out the BitBoy One by Ordz Games! This new handheld console features crypto games, classic emulated games, hardware wallets, and mining tokens.

With their respective inscriptions, these on-chain games allow users to earn points which can be converted to tokens in future.

AMBBi

Besides their large mascot stealing the show at Bitcoin Asia, AMMBBi is a project built within the Bitcoin ecosystem that aims to provide more value to their community through intellectual property (IP).

FAR

Designed by the artist FAR, attendees were captivated by an extraordinary digital presentation entitled 'PARALLAX.'

The immersive visuals in this four-sided LED tunnel invited conference-goers to delve into the spatial intricacies of code and the boundless possibilities of virtual realms. The topography of FAR’s 'Flares' (2024) collection transformed into unique, island-like landscapes, creating a bridge between the digital and physical worlds.

As this summit exemplifies, Bitcoin's potential remains vast, with new technologies continuously being introduced to enhance and expand its capabilities. This ongoing innovation underscores the dynamic and evolving nature of the blockchain, making it clear that it's not too late to start learning and engaging with the Bitcoin system. Whether you're interested in its financial, technological, or societal implications, it sure seems like a great time to dive in and explore.

Capitalising on the immense success of this event, The Bitcoin Conference has already announced that it is coming back to Asia! Tickets for Bitcoin Asia 2025 are now available at a special early bird rate here. 

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