The second annual Blockchain and Bitcoin Africa Conference is bringing together experts and entrepreneurs in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a two days discussion of the future of distributed ledgers.
The meeting hosted by Bitcoin Events Pty Ltd will focus on the challenges and opportunities the bitcoin and blockchain technologies bring into economy, politics and social life. The event is co-hosted by Absa Bank, subsidiary of Barclays Africa Group. The bank offers services primarily in South Africa and Namibia.
Speakers include experts from African blockchain firms, such as CEO and Co-Founder of BitPesa Elizabeth Rossiello, as well as representatives of companies working both in and outside Africa, such as Factom’s CMO Tiana Laurence.
Several speakers cover the issue of bitcoin regulation and the relationships between the industry and the government. Founding Director of Dommisse Attorneys Inc. Adrian Dommisse, representing and advising fintech startups in Africa, will speak on the future of cryptocurrency regulation on the continent. Elizabeth Rossiello is focusing on a narrower subject – regulatory opportunities for companies using bitcoin in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force for the San Francisco U.S. Attorney’s Office and former federal prosecutor William Frentzen examines the problem from the opposite perspective: he will report on the challenges posed to law enforcement by digital currencies.
Some reports focus on the implications of blockchain outside the cryptocurrency industry. CEO of SatoshiCentre Pty Ltd, Botswana’s first all-bitcoin marketplace, Alakanani Itirileng is going to speak on blockchain and the problem of record keeping in Africa. Simon de la Rouviere of ConsenSys will give an introduction to Ethereum – the platform for decentralised applications, talking about its history, present and perspectives. Tina Laurence’s talk will touch upon the advantages blockchain can offer to developing economies, specifically concerning land titles and government transparency.
Other speakers are going to concentrate on the opportunities presented by bitcoin itself. CRO of Chainalysis Jonathan Levin will tell how bitcoin brings transparency to the financial system. Co-founder and CEO of Custos Media Technologies G-J van Rooyen is going to present some of the most recent trends of Bitcoin in the digital media industry.
The previous, first Blockchain and Bitcoin Africa Conference was held in April 2015 and was also hosted by Bitcoin Events.
South Africa is a place where the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry is rapidly gaining popularity. CoinFox recently wrote that the cryptocurrency exchange LocalBitcoins has 50 times increased its trading volume in the country over the past year.
Andrew Levich
