At the heart of a bustling conference hall, steam billows from a replica volcano emblazoned with Bitcoin 2022’s logo.
For attendees, it’s a symbol of the cryptocurrency’s future ambitions – and shows how far Bitcoin has come since it launched in 2009.
Image:
A 3,000lb statue of a bull was unveiled on the first day of the conference. Pic: AP
Early conferences only attracted dozens of people, mainly cryptographers.
Bitcoin 2022 is different. Organisers say more than 25,000 people turned up each day – with thousands more watching online.
This doesn’t feel like an exaggeration. The Miami Beach Convention Centre is cavernous – it takes 20 minutes to walk from one side to another.
Ten years ago, whole Bitcoins were given away for free… and some even went unclaimed.
But this week, enthusiasts were battling it out for the chance to win crypto. Queues formed at a mechanical bull – and the competitor who stayed on the longest would be rewarded with 1 BTC.
That’s about £33,000 at the time of writing. In case you’re wondering: yes, I did go on it. And yes, I lasted two-and-a-half seconds. (The winner held on for two-and-a-half minutes.)
Bitcoin’s a teenager now
It’s estimated that 150 million people worldwide now own Bitcoin – and the cryptocurrency’s supporters argue that this digital asset is maturing fast.
An American senator was among the speakers on the main stage, which was named after Bitcoin’s pseudonymous inventor Satoshi Nakamoto.
Serena Williams also proclaimed her love for Bitcoin, with the tennis champion investing in a multitude of crypto startups.
