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

Kraken’s anarchist ideology drove its opposition to Bitcoin
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6 May, 2022

Kraken’s anarchist ideology drove its opposition to Bitcoin

Kraken was founded in 2011 by Jesse Powell while visiting his friend Roger Ver in Tokyo to deal with the...
Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy takes a wild swing at BTC gains—and misses
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5 May, 2022

Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy takes a wild swing at BTC gains—and misses

On an earnings call this week, CFO Phong Le revealed that MicroStrategy had missed its earnings predictions by almost 800%...
SPV LiteClient Toolbox release makes scalable Bitcoin easy, cheap, useful for everyone
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5 May, 2022

SPV LiteClient Toolbox release makes scalable Bitcoin easy, cheap, useful for everyone

Bitcoin has always had the ability to handle Simplified Payment Verification functions, but until now there hasn't been a full...
Certihash and IBM to reduce costs and impact of cyberattacks with new BSV blockchain tools
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28 April, 2022

Certihash and IBM to reduce costs and impact of cyberattacks with new BSV blockchain tools

"Sentinel Node" is the first of five enterprise utility tools Certihash plans to launch. It is based on cybersecurity frameworks...
Free speech fans flock back to Twitter after Elon Musk takeover
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26 April, 2022

Free speech fans flock back to Twitter after Elon Musk takeover

Following his recent takeover of the popular social media platform, billionaire Elon Musk promises to restore open discussion on Twitter...
BSV tops 20 million transactions in a day, aims for much more
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22 April, 2022

BSV tops 20 million transactions in a day, aims for much more

Although gaming dominates current BSV transaction volumes, the inclusion of social media and financial apps in the mix means BSV's...