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

Blockchain developers wanted at BSV DevCon 2024 in London
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7 May, 2024

Blockchain developers wanted at BSV DevCon 2024 in London

The BSV DevCon 2024, set to take place a day before the London Blockchain Conference, calls on developers to gather...
Bubblemint’s 3 secrets to a successful token mint
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6 May, 2024

Bubblemint’s 3 secrets to a successful token mint

Bubblemint was an instant hit since it launched on April 11, allowing users to mint their share of a generated...
Tokyo to promote digital securities on blockchain and subsidize setup costs
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3 May, 2024

Tokyo to promote digital securities on blockchain and subsidize setup costs

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has updated its subsidy program for businesses issuing securities using blockchain, aiming to show how the...
Bank of Japan issues latest report on ‘digital yen’ CBDC investigation
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2 May, 2024

Bank of Japan issues latest report on ‘digital yen’ CBDC investigation

A regular update published this month by the Bank of Japan's Payment Services Department looks at what additional functions a...
Champions 4th-gen collections bring VR, blockchain perks to trading card game
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25 April, 2024

Champions 4th-gen collections bring VR, blockchain perks to trading card game

Champions of Otherworldly Magic and its motivated development team promote the release of the game's 4th generation playing card collections,...
MetaPets and Boximon: Take your NFTs for a walk in the real world
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22 April, 2024

MetaPets and Boximon: Take your NFTs for a walk in the real world

Omniscape has created MetaPets and launched the "Boximon" character series, combining location-based AR with blockchain transactions in a game that...