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

Class action alleges Coinbase acted unlawfully and fraudulently in listing XRP
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3 January, 2021

Class action alleges Coinbase acted unlawfully and fraudulently in listing XRP

A Coinbase user has initiated a class action suit against the cryptocurrency exchange, seeking recovery for customers who paid commissions...
Delist XRP? Big exchanges make moves to suspend Ripple’s troubled asset
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30 December, 2020

Delist XRP? Big exchanges make moves to suspend Ripple’s troubled asset

Citing the U.S. securities regulator's impending lawsuit against Ripple (the company), both Coinbase and OKCoin announced they will suspend XRP...
2020 in big data and IoT: keep a close eye on Bitcoin SV
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30 December, 2020

2020 in big data and IoT: keep a close eye on Bitcoin SV

Bitcoin BSV is the blockchain for big data and enterprise, and people in the know say we'll be hearing a...
2020 year in review: Bitcoin in the Asia-Pacific region
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29 December, 2020

2020 year in review: Bitcoin in the Asia-Pacific region

Jon Southurst takes a look at some of the developments around the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, and where they might...
Institutional investment broker OSL receives digital asset trading license from HK regulator
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24 December, 2020

Institutional investment broker OSL receives digital asset trading license from HK regulator

OSL does not provide services to retail investors, with its clientele restricted to institutions, high net worth individuals (over US$1...
Ripple XRP is ‘unregistered security’ and here’s our suit: SEC
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23 December, 2020

Ripple XRP is ‘unregistered security’ and here’s our suit: SEC

The U.S. securities regulator has reportedly revealed plans to file a suit against Ripple (the company), its CEO Brad Garlinghouse...