Jon Southurst is Associate Editor, Asia-Pacific at CoinGeek, the BSV blockchain news publication. Based in Tokyo, Japan, he covers Bitcoin and blockchain technology, artificial intelligence and agentic AI, and the digital economy — including stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and asset tokenization — with particular attention to developments across Asia.

Jon has worked as a technology writer since 1994, beginning with geographic information systems (GIS), digital mapping, and statistical data for Australian telecommunications company Telstra, and technology articles for print newspapers in Australia and Canada.

He turned to Bitcoin full-time in 2013 as a reporter for CoinDesk, remaining there until 2015. Based in Tokyo during the collapse of the Mt. Gox exchange in 2014, he covered the story at close quarters and produced several now-iconic images from that period of Bitcoin’s history. He went on to report for Bitcoin.com and Bitcoinist (2015–16), then co-founded Bitsonline, serving as Senior Editor from 2016 to 2019. He joined CoinGeek in 2019.

Alongside his writing, Jon has presented and hosted video interview programs including BitcoinSVtrain and MetaNetTV on YouTube, and CoinGeek’s “The Bitcoin Bridge.” His interview subjects over more than a decade of reporting include venture capitalist Tim Draper, economist Steve Keen, entrepreneurs Halsey Minor and Michael Terpin, Lyn Ulbricht, Roger Ver, Craig Wright, and musician Perry Farrell.

His CoinGeek article marking the anniversary of Bitcoin’s Genesis Block from January 2020 was cited in “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” a digital assets report published by the White House in 2025.

Jon has reported from blockchain and finance conferences around the world, including Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Tbilisi, Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver. He has appeared as a presenter and panelist at conferences in Seoul (2014) and Changsha (2016), and served as a panel moderator at the London Blockchain Conference in 2023 and 2024.

His areas of expertise include Bitcoin and blockchain systems, digital currencies, central banking and financial regulation, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with blockchain and digital payments. His current reporting focuses on BSV software and application development, agentic AI, and the emerging digital economy.

Article by Jon Southurst

Bitcoin’s scaling test network is processing more data than ever
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19 February, 2021

Bitcoin’s scaling test network is processing more data than ever

Over the past week, the Bitcoin SV Scaling Test Network regularly handled blocks of over 380MB, with close to 2...
Bitcoin: Creating tokens, but not tokenmania
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18 February, 2021

Bitcoin: Creating tokens, but not tokenmania

Given the endless possibilities Bitcoin technology offers, it's easy to see why many got excited at the thought of creating...
George Siosi Samuels: Bitcoin is more than just a currency for Tuvalu
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15 February, 2021

George Siosi Samuels: Bitcoin is more than just a currency for Tuvalu

This week, CoinGeek's weekly Asia/Pacific-focused show The Bitcoin Bridge looks at the Tuvalu National Digital Register—a project that's getting a...
Theory of Bitcoin looks at how Bitcoin handles long-term document retention
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15 February, 2021

Theory of Bitcoin looks at how Bitcoin handles long-term document retention

The latest "Theory of Bitcoin" episode is all about keeping secure records—in business, you may need to retain documents for...
Binance drops defamation suit against Forbes over regulation-avoidance claims
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10 February, 2021

Binance drops defamation suit against Forbes over regulation-avoidance claims

The November 2020 complaint sought damages over an article that alleged Binance had intentionally created structures to evade U.S. regulators.
Image-sharing app Relica pays in BSV, and is now open to the public
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10 February, 2021

Image-sharing app Relica pays in BSV, and is now open to the public

With its private beta testing phase now complete, existing Relica users can use referral links to invite others to join...