Bitcoin Association CoinGeek Live 2020 sponsor spotlight

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Bitcoin Association is dedicated to advancing business with the Bitcoin SV blockchain. CoinGeek had a chance to talk to Alexander Speirs, head of communications at the Bitcoin Association, who told us about the organization’s initiatives, the work that they are currently doing, and the presentations that he is looking forward to the most at the upcoming CoinGeek Live Conference.

For those who are unfamiliar with your work, what does the Bitcoin Association do?

Bitcoin Association is a non-profit organisation based out of Switzerland’s ‘Crypto Valley’, working to advance business with the Bitcoin SV blockchain. The Association brings together all of the essential components of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem and works alongside them, as well as in a representative capacity, to drive further use of the Bitcoin SV blockchain and uptake of the BSV digital currency. The Association supports Bitcoin SV because it is the only blockchain capable of functioning as both a peer-to-peer system of electronic cash and a global data ledger for enterprise.

With such a wide remit, our work takes on many forms—some of the key elements of which include:

Developer education – to capitalise on the power and potential of the Bitcoin SV blockchain, we need to always be building the pool of development talent available. We support developers in a number of ways, including running the Bitcoin SV Hackathon and Bitcoin SV DevCon events, building out developer resources such as the Bitcoin Wiki and the BSV Zone we host in partnership with CSDN, as well as running webinars and hosting workshops. Bitcoin Association also actively works with several premier academic institutions, supporting their blockchain activities and education.

Public education and advocacy – as well as educating developers, an important part of Bitcoin Association’s work is educating the public about the range of different use cases for the Bitcoin SV blockchain. This includes initiatives ranging from grassroots efforts with our Bitcoin Ambassador Programme, to high-level government advocacy and public policy work. Our extensive events programme also falls under this category, including the upcoming CoinGeek Live!

Ecosystem development – with Bitcoin Association bringing together so many different components of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem, we work with several different stakeholders and businesses to support their activities. This takes on many different forms and can include everything from working with businesses and transactions processors to help promote new economic models one day, to doing media training and PR outreach with a start-up business the next.

How do you envision your service being used?

We work with—and are always open to working with—members of the blockchain and digital asset communities, regardless of which blockchain platform they use. Our Affiliate class for example is intended for anyone interested in learning about Bitcoin SV or who wishes to attend our events—and is presently free to join.

For those businesses who are conducting significant business with the Bitcoin SV blockchain, we offer Voting and Non-Voting membership classes with additional benefits. Find out more at bitcoinassociation.net

What are you and your team currently working on?

The past few months for us have been largely focused on a substantial events programme, with the 3rd Bitcoin SV Hackathon, a pair of Bitcoin SV DevCons, the second DotCamp for BSV 2020, and now CoinGeek Live all occurring in quick succession.

Looking ahead, we have some major news to announce on the education front very soon, as well as some exciting new developer and business resources set to come online in the near future. We will also be working with WeAreDevelopers on their upcoming Live Week, where Bitcoin Association will be sponsoring the blockchain stream on the fourth day of the event.

What is your favorite thing about CoinGeek conferences?

What I enjoy most about CoinGeek conferences is charting the incredible progress being made across all aspects of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem. It’s one thing to be able to see each of the developments being made in isolation, but to bring them all together to collectively demonstrate everything that’s happened since the last conference always stands out as a highlight for me.

What are your must-see presentations at the three-day conference?

The 3rd Bitcoin SV Hackathon Finalist Presentations – Having been a part of the planning, running and execution of the 3rd Bitcoin SV Hackathon, I can’t wait to see how the three finalists will pitch their projects and find out who will take home first prize!

Better Payments: Improving the Consumer Experience with Bitcoin – I’ve seen first-hand the progress being made by Anypay and Centi, I’m excited to hear about how they envision scaling their services up and overhauling the consumer payments experience.

EHR Data: The First Healthcare Data Platform Using the Bitcoin SV Blockchain – EHR Data’s ambition to build the world’s first global electronic health record and the potential that represents—both from a technological and a healthcare perspective—is, I think, one of the most interesting projects currently being worked on in the space.

Make sure you tune into CG Live, the upcoming CoinGeek conference that takes place from September 30th-October 2nd! If you have not already registered for CG Live or are looking for the full agenda, you can find more information here.