Bitcoin in the Spotlight: The First Israeli Bitcoin Conference

The first ever Bitcoin Bitcoin While some may still be wondering what is Bitcoin, who created Bitcoin, or how does Bitcoin work, one thing is certain: Bitcoin has changed the world.No one can remain indifferent to this revolutionary, decentralized, digital asset nor to its blockchain technology.In fact, we’ve gone a long way ever since a Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz made BTC’s first official commercial transaction with a real company by trading 10,000 Bitcoins for 2 pizzas at his local Papa John’s.One could now argue that While some may still be wondering what is Bitcoin, who created Bitcoin, or how does Bitcoin work, one thing is certain: Bitcoin has changed the world.No one can remain indifferent to this revolutionary, decentralized, digital asset nor to its blockchain technology.In fact, we’ve gone a long way ever since a Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz made BTC’s first official commercial transaction with a real company by trading 10,000 Bitcoins for 2 pizzas at his local Papa John’s.One could now argue that Read this Term conference in Israel was a resounding success, attracting over 300 participants. Attendees came from all walks of life, from the most crypto-savvy to beginners looking to learn about Bitcoin. The most active players in the Israeli Bitcoin community were present, along with business leaders and professionals in the fields of finance, mining, trading and others. There were representatives from several Israeli Banks including Bank Hapoalim and Bank of Israel.

Among the pavilions were: eToro, a social trading CFD provider who also caters toward Bitcoin; Bits of Gold, one of only two bitcoin exchanges providing trading against the Israeli Shekel; The Bitcoin Embassy in Tel Aviv; Bitgo, a high-security Bitcoin wallet solution; and Advanced Semiconductor Technology (AST), an ASIC distributor who has partnered with leading bitcoin chip designer KnCMiner, that its equipment mines 70% of all newly mined bitcoins.

For all guests, topics of discussion included: What is a bitcoin?; Economics of Bitcoin; Bitcoin and Money Laundering- Is There a Reason to Worry?; and Aaron's Little Bitfilm Show.

Thereafter, presentations were divided into two tracks: basic and advanced, although it was not uncommon for the discussion in each to take on the character of the other.

In the basic track, topics of note included: The Future of Finance- Digital Social Economics; Bitcoin for Businesses- Is There What to Worry About; Trading in Bitcoin- The Grey Market/Free Market.

For the advanced track, topics included: How Much Can Bitcoin Grow?; Deterministic Wallets; Mining; Next Generation Systems; Bitcoin as a Payment; Bitcoin vs Credit Card; and Security in the World of Bitcoin.

There was brief mention of MtGox in the context of online security and risks to Bitcoin, but overall, it didn't dominate any major areas of discussion.

There were also several panel discussions with experts in the field. Topics included: Business Opportunities in Bitcoin; Topics in Law; Academic Research; and Q&A with Community Leaders as the finale.

Also discussed was how Israel can be the leading global player in developing Bitcoin related industries and eventually introduce workable Regulation Regulation Like any other industry with a high net worth, the financial services industry is tightly regulated to help curb illicit behavior and manipulation. Each asset class has its own set of protocols put in place to combat their respective forms of abuse.In the foreign exchange space, regulation is assumed by authorities in multiple jurisdictions, though ultimately lacking a binding international order. Who are the Industry’s Leading Regulators?Regulators such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority ( Like any other industry with a high net worth, the financial services industry is tightly regulated to help curb illicit behavior and manipulation. Each asset class has its own set of protocols put in place to combat their respective forms of abuse.In the foreign exchange space, regulation is assumed by authorities in multiple jurisdictions, though ultimately lacking a binding international order. Who are the Industry’s Leading Regulators?Regulators such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority ( Read this Term. Israel is at the forefront in pioneering many of the technologies seen as crucial for the bitcoin of tomorrow.

The conference was organized by Israeli Bitcoin Association at the Sheraton in Tel Aviv. Those paying with bitcoins received a discount.