The first-ever Canadian Bitcoin conference took place at the Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto on June 17 and June 18. Organized by Daniel and Manuela Carlin, the event showcased the resilience of Canada’s Bitcoin ecosystem despite market downturns, regulatory challenges, and opposition from political figures like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Over 300 attendees enjoyed presentations from podcast host Stephan Livera, a “build your own open-source Bitcoin miner” workshop by Quebecan mining service provider D-Central, and a sneak preview of the new mobile wallet by bitcoin exchange Bull Bitcoin.
Bull Bitcoin CEO Francis Pouliot discussed self-custody before unveiling a beta version of the new Bull Bitcoin mobile app. This non-custodial wallet is integrated with the exchange, allowing users to buy Bitcoin directly from within the app. However, there’s still work to be done before an official release.
Other recent developments in the self-custody wallet space include Jack Dorsey’s FinTech company Block (SQ) launching beta testing for its new wallet, Bitkey. This allows users to purchase Bitcoin through integrations with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN) and Block’s financial service platform Cash App.
The recent downfall of major DeFi platforms like Celsius and BlockFi, along with the SEC’s lawsuits against Coinbase and competitor Binance, has reinforced the importance of self-custody wallets like Bitkey and Bull Bitcoin.
An interesting addition to the conference was the participation of Panties for Bitcoin, a Bitcoin-based underwear manufacturing startup. Headed by father and son Pablo and Michael, the company aims to expand its product line soon.
The conference concluded with Livera’s engaging talk on self-custody, contributing to the Bitcoin ecosystem in non-technical ways, and the currency’s two primary use cases – digital payments and store of value. He also criticized speculative tokens and affiliated platforms, dubbing them “sh*tcoin casinos.”
D-Central organized a hands-on workshop for a select group of attendees who built their own open-source Bitcoin miners using BM1397 Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips.
The success of the initial Canadian Bitcoin conference demonstrates that even in the face of adversity, the ecosystem remains robust, and adoption rates continue to rise. As Daniel Carlin shared, the future holds great potential: “One day we’ll wake up, and it’ll just be a big green candle to the moon.”
Source: Coindesk
