Consensus 2024: industry leaders voice their opinions
Consensus 2024 was a major cryptocurrency conference held in Austin, Texas from May 29-31, 2024. It was the 10th annual Consensus event, attracting thousands of attendees from around the world, including industry leaders, investors, developers, policymakers, and enthusiasts. We’ve compiled highlights from the conference.
– Cathy Wood (ARK Invest) thinks bitcoin is irreplaceable, and Charles Hoskinson (Cardano) thinks there could be another digital gold.
– Congressman Tom Emmer criticizes SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s approach to regulation, calling for bipartisan support for cryptocurrencies.
– Chris Dixon (a16z Crypto) announces a $25 million contribution to a pro-cryptocurrency PAC called Fairshake.
– Industry veterans discuss the rise of cryptocurrencies, bitcoin/Ethereum ETFs and the need for clearer regulation.
– Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse notes the growing political influence of cryptocurrencies and predicts the growth of the stablecoin market.
– Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. calls for clear regulation of cryptocurrencies.
– New York Stock Exchange President Lynn Martin praises bitcoin-ETFs for increasing liquidity, and Anthony Pompliano sees greater public acceptance of bitcoin.
– Solana co-founder Raj Gokal acknowledges the role of meme coins in spurring adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Prison sentences: Who’s behind bars
– Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s former CEO, began his four-month prison sentence in California.
– Ryan Salameh, a former FTX executive, is sentenced to 7.5 years in prison after pleading guilty.
Growing political influence of cryptocurrencies
GOP candidate Donald Trump is voicing support for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and has reportedly seen his cryptocurrency portfolio grow, including a MAGA meme coin. The House of Representatives passes the FIT21 bill, which is considered pro-cryptocurrency, and calls on the Senate to approve it. The Biden administration is vetoing a bill limiting SEC oversight by repealing SAB 121.
Venture capital activity is on the rise
– Tether invests $150 million in mining company Bitdeer.
– Paradigm leads a $70 million funding round for bitcoin mining platform Babylon.
– Latin American money transfer company Félix Pago raises $15.5 million.
– Fortunafi (RWA tokenization), Switchboard (oracle platform) and GaiaNet (decentralized artificial intelligence) received funding.
