The prolonged crypto winter has seemingly led to crypto event organizers scaling back on extravagance, allowing attendees to focus on asking more “intelligent questions” about regulation and tax. Crypto conferences draw a diverse crowd from the crypto space, including founders, high-level executives, crypto influencers, and everyday users.
Tiffany Fong, a crypto vlogger who rose to fame interviewing former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried after the collapse of the exchange, has attended crypto conferences for the first time this year. Fong, who attended both Bitcoin Miami 2023 and NFT NYC 2023, told Cointelegraph that she has heard from other attendees that this year’s conferences are noticeably lighter on the entertainment side. Comparisons were drawn to previous bull markets, where elaborate parties and performances by well-known DJs were the norm.
Despite the toned-down nature of this year’s conferences, Fong believes the enthusiasm for crypto remains strong and sees it as an opportunity to network with others in the industry.
At the same time, XRP Las Vegas, a conference for XRP enthusiasts and the “XRP-army,” took place on May 6 and 7. Attendees displayed “great optimism over crypto’s future,” according to pro-XRP lawyer John Deaton. However, Deaton also sensed the frustration in the questions they asked, particularly regarding the lack of regulatory clarity in the United States. He attributes this frustration to the SEC chair Gary Gensler’s “regulation by enforcement” approach to crypto, as the SEC has taken action against several crypto firms in recent times.
In Australia, regulation appears to be a top concern for the crypto community as well. Ben Rose, general manager for Binance Australia and New Zealand, informed Cointelegraph that regulation was the most popular discussion point at Binance Australia’s recent meetup event. Crypto tax was another topic that generated substantial interest from attendees.
Rose added that despite the bear market, there is still significant interest from newcomers to the crypto space, many of whom attend conferences to ask beginner-level questions. This is encouraging for the industry, as it shows that the interest in crypto is not waning.
In fact, Australian crowds are starting to express optimism about “a potential bull run” as the price of Bitcoin has been slowly creeping up. Although this year’s conferences may have taken on a more serious tone, the enthusiasm for crypto remains strong, and the focus on regulation and tax issues showcases a maturing industry ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Source: Cointelegraph
