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

New York digital assets bill targets blockchain’s Wild West attitudes
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9 May, 2023

New York digital assets bill targets blockchain’s Wild West attitudes

The draft bill seeks to amend New York's general business law, financial services law, and tax law with new specifications...
BTC chokes as token trading rises: The ‘money of the future’ costs $10 to spend
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8 May, 2023

BTC chokes as token trading rises: The ‘money of the future’ costs $10 to spend

May 7, 2023, marked BTC history that transaction fees in a single block were higher than the miners' block reward...
How the BSV blockchain can prevent data ‘leaks’ of your private information
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5 May, 2023

How the BSV blockchain can prevent data ‘leaks’ of your private information

Amidst the evolving technology landscape, websites built with Salesforce Community software continue to face data leaks and breaches, but this...
White House wants to ‘make miners pay’ for wasteful energy usage
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4 May, 2023

White House wants to ‘make miners pay’ for wasteful energy usage

The White House proposes the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) excise tax on such operations, which would phase in to...
Popular game CryptoFights is coming back with all-new features
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2 May, 2023

Popular game CryptoFights is coming back with all-new features

Following a two-month hiatus, CryptoFights is back with major upgrades, including robust support for faster gameplay and multiple blockchain support...
‘Casino-like’ speculation, lack of regulation and environmental concerns damage blockchain’s reputation: NY Senate banking committee
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26 April, 2023

‘Casino-like’ speculation, lack of regulation and environmental concerns damage blockchain’s reputation: NY Senate banking committee

BSV Blockchain Association Global Public Policy Director Bryan Daugherty testified before the NY Senate's Standing Committee on Banks that a...