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

Dark2Light launches online game, lets users write their own questions
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16 April, 2024

Dark2Light launches online game, lets users write their own questions

Players can now earn monies with a simple "Yes" or "No" answer on Dark2Light's online "democracy card game," which also...
European regulators say MEV mining techniques may be ‘market abuse’
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11 April, 2024

European regulators say MEV mining techniques may be ‘market abuse’

ESMA and MiCA do not propose that all maximal extractable value (MEV) techniques are considered market abuse, but if service...
sCrypt Hackathon 2024: Why so serious? On-chain economics with Josh Petty, Jack Liu
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8 April, 2024

sCrypt Hackathon 2024: Why so serious? On-chain economics with Josh Petty, Jack Liu

Billy Rose moderated a panel on "The On-Chain Economy" at the recent sCrypt Hackathon 2024, and it's a discussion that...
Conflux Network event in Shanghai examines blockchain use in international trade and exchange
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5 April, 2024

Conflux Network event in Shanghai examines blockchain use in international trade and exchange

Conflux Network representatives announced they had participated in a demonstration meeting for a "super-large-scale blockchain basic platform for the Belt...
sCrypt Hackathon 2024: Matt Welsh on the world currency for the Age of Aquarius
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5 April, 2024

sCrypt Hackathon 2024: Matt Welsh on the world currency for the Age of Aquarius

Matt Welsh wrapped up the Day 1 of the sCrypt Hackathon 2024 with a more personal and spiritual take on...
How BSV should meet enterprise world’s needs
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4 April, 2024

How BSV should meet enterprise world’s needs

BSV Association Director Thomas Giacomo opened the afternoon session of sCrypt Hackathon 2024 - Day 2, by explaining how blockchain...