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

Binance suspends BNB Chain after hacker creates millions of dollars in new coins
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7 October, 2022

Binance suspends BNB Chain after hacker creates millions of dollars in new coins

BNB's price dropped from $293 to $282 after the hacking news broke, though it had recovered slightly at press time.
EU seeks to simplify digital asset tax rules and streamline collection
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6 October, 2022

EU seeks to simplify digital asset tax rules and streamline collection

The European resolution calls for a "clear and broadly accepted definition of crypto assets and for a coherent definition of...
Interested in Zero-Knowledge Proofs on BSV? Join the BSV sCrypt Zero-Knowledge Proof Hackathon!
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5 October, 2022

Interested in Zero-Knowledge Proofs on BSV? Join the BSV sCrypt Zero-Knowledge Proof Hackathon!

The hackathon is open to all developers interested in ZKPs and cryptography, whether they're active in the BSV or blockchain...
Mastercard launches Crypto Secure to identify digital asset risks for card issuers
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5 October, 2022

Mastercard launches Crypto Secure to identify digital asset risks for card issuers

Mastercard said it had combined CipherTrace's insights with its own "sophisticated AI" based systems for combating fraud in the fiat...
Japanese exchanges must provide customer information with transfers, new law says
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29 September, 2022

Japanese exchanges must provide customer information with transfers, new law says

With the new law, criminal penalties may be applied to exchange operators who fail to provide customer information such as...
Reserve Bank of Australia seeks input on use cases for CBDC pilot program
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28 September, 2022

Reserve Bank of Australia seeks input on use cases for CBDC pilot program

Preparations are up for Australia's CBDC pilot initiative, with the release of a white paper rallying the industry to explore...