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

Brendan Lee: Bitcoin transactions offer complete flexibility, potential
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30 July, 2020

Brendan Lee: Bitcoin transactions offer complete flexibility, potential

Brendan Lee hosted a session on constructing transactions with Bitcoin Script as part of the Bitcoin SV Hackathon webinar series.
Analytics firm Blockchain Intelligence Group adds Bitcoin SV to suite of services
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29 July, 2020

Analytics firm Blockchain Intelligence Group adds Bitcoin SV to suite of services

BIG has tailored its services to serve different business models, and provides blockchain forensics training for its users and others.
Theory of Bitcoin Part 5: Bitcoin and ‘Turing Completeness’ explained
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28 July, 2020

Theory of Bitcoin Part 5: Bitcoin and ‘Turing Completeness’ explained

The video series between Dr. Craig Wright and Ryan X. Charles is becoming essential background knowledge for anyone looking to...
Bitcoin is money, says DC court—but of course it is
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27 July, 2020

Bitcoin is money, says DC court—but of course it is

A federal court in Washington, D.C., is pushing ahead with charges against an “underground" Bitcoin exchange.
BSV App Testers opens platform to all—get paid to test Bitcoin SV apps too
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24 July, 2020

BSV App Testers opens platform to all—get paid to test Bitcoin SV apps too

BSV App Testers has created a platform where any developer can post a job, and any user can sign on...
Check out WhysApp: Social network based on open idea sharing and originality
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23 July, 2020

Check out WhysApp: Social network based on open idea sharing and originality

Jon Southurst talks to Gerald Liebhardt about the motivations behind WhysApp, what he'd like to see it become, and why...