Three takeaways from the latest in a seemingly endless line of crypto events

First it was Consensus from Coindesk, then Crypto Connection from Tabb Forum and now it’s time for SaLoDAM 2021 from the Association for Digital Asset Markets (ADAM) and Eventus. Here are my three takeaways from 4+ hours of presentations today.

1. The first panel of the day, Digital Asset Market Structure: The Evolution from Traditional to Digital, was typical in that it featured a recent addition to the cryptosphere. In this case it was Trey Griggs of GSR Services. Much was made of his time at Goldman Sachs…

Three takeaways — and final thoughts — from the final day of #cryptoconnection2021 from Tabb Forum and Global DCA

Sponsors in the spotlight, a search for the “white whale” of crypto markets and a look at some of the bizarro world that can be crypto. Plus some key names to be aware of and a tortured analogy between crypto and natural gas, all in this recap from day 2 of #cryptoconnection2021.

1. Three sponsors took turns in the spotlight and it was a bit of a Goldilocks scenario: one too little, one too much and one just right. In the first…

Three takeaways from Tabb Forum’s crypto conference

I couldn’t afford a ticket to Miami for the hot-hot-hot Bitcoin conference last weekend so I settled for the next best thing: #cryptoconnection2021 from Tabb Forum and the Global Digital Asset & Cryptocurrency Association this week. It was a bit like a music festival in reverse: the bigger acts came first rather than serving as the grand finale.

Here are my three takeaways from the first day of this two day conference:

1. I went into the event thinking that it had a “celebrity problem” but I was quickly disabused of that notion. Specifically…

The fully virtual — and thoroughly consuming — Consensus crypto conference concluded on Thursday and left a chain of burnt-out attendees in it’s wake. With content streams that started at 7 AM CDT and stretched to 10 PM on most nights, the sheer volume of information was overwhelming. When you add to that the fact that many of the topics exist somewhere near the furthest reaches of human imagination and understanding, the whole affair was a tad bit overwhelming. Exhilarating, yes, but also overwhelming. Here are three takeaways from the final day:

1. The first keynote of the day featured Michael…

The third of four days at Consensus got around to looking at the “big boy” topics of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and payments but a good deal of cypherpunk edge and angst was still on display, at least in the Chat function anyway. Here are my three takeaways from the sessions:

1. The CBDC track left me with a treasure trove of trivial nuggets: the knowledge of Henri Arslanian of PwC is directly proportional to his considerable enthusiasm; Project Helvetia, as presented by Tim Grant from Six Digital Exchange, is a good example of where the outer reaches of CBDC…

In my experience, the second day of a conference is usually the biggest, most star-packed session but I’m not sure that applies to an online conference. I’m doubly not sure in this case because I’m very not sure that I really understand the crypto world. There: I said it. I’m trying to figure things out and most definitely do not hold myself out as a crypto expert. That being said, here are three takeaways from the second day of Consensus from Coindesk.

1. The Story: Michael Saylor of MicroStrategy became a poster child for corporate adoption of cryptocurrency over the past…

I last consumed Consensus in 2018 — and missed a trip to Morocco with my family in the process. I also failed to purchase bitcoin (BTC) at that time, which looked like a good idea when it dropped from ~$8k to ~$3.5k at the start of 2019 but obviously looks a little less prescient in 2021. Oh well: two strikes there. Now, I’m “back” at the biggest crypto conference in the U.S., determined to avoid a third strike.

Consensus is completely virtual this year and the event organizers have taken full advantage, scattering panels, presentations, interviews and keynotes throughout the…

Day three of a conference is usually “get-away” day at an in-person event but that changes in the new normal of on-line connection. In this case, the final day of the conference offered less promise to me as we turned from the excitement of day two’s focus on innovation to sustainability taking center stage on day three. Let’s face it, sustainability is a bit like broccoli: we all know that it’s good for us but it doesn’t usually inspire enthusiasm when we see it on our dinner plate. Fortunately, the appearances from acting CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam, exchange leaders, and…