Your guide to the attendees of the 2026 Bitcoin Conference
On Monday, the crypto world will descend upon the Las Vegas strip, piling into the hyperloop (Elon Musk’s farce of futuristic transportation) to attend the 2026 Bitcoin conference. Headlined by some of the largest names in the Silicon Valley scam industry, Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers, the event looks set to be 2026’s largest celebration of graft and greed.
Taking place from April 27 to 29, the event seems to be designed around providing the Trump administration and its allies on Capitol Hill with an opportunity to show deference to the industry, while presumably holding out their hands expectantly, looking for yet another payoff from the industry leading the way in innovative… bribery?
Despite this clearly political bent, the event’s headliners aren’t limited to crypto CEOs and politicians. In fact, many of the less well-known but nevertheless important policymakers are listed near the bottom of the event’s speaker page, below luminaries like the self-described “Bitcoin astrologer” and NFT artists. In case anyone might have mistaken the event for one of a serious industry that actually produces value, the headshots on the speaker’s page seemed designed to dispel this notion, with many cartoon avatars standing in place of professional headshots. No fewer than 12 speakers have laser eyes photoshopped onto their speakers headshot, 15 if you include those with laser eyes superimposed onto already illustrated pictures.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration has seen fit to make this menagerie of the most annoying posters on Elon Musk’s X.com the venue for actual policy discussions. As always, the crypto industry seeks to link our nation’s financial system ever closer to their online money laundering tokens. For the low price of $599 (plus $39.80 in processing fees) attendees will get to watch riveting speeches from the likes of West Virginia Senator Jim Justice and Eric Trump, while hopefully brushing shoulders with some of the event’s elite Whale Pass holders (whose passes come in at a cool $12,999 plus $646.01 in fees.)
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most prominent government officials, executives, and absurd invitees of this year’s bitcoin conference, listed in the order they appear in on the conference website:
Event organizers are adding more speakers at the last minute, we’ll endeavor to keep this site as up to date as possible.
Big Headliners:
The event’s website highlights a select few speakers as the event’s largest attractions, sure to pack the main auditorium with raucous applause from the assembled cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors. Here are some of the few the event chose to highlight:
Jack Dorsey, Founder of Twitter, CEO of Block
While best known for founding Twitter, Dorsey also cofounded and runs fintech company Block. The firm, which was formerly known as “Square,” was renamed in 2021 to highlight its connection to the blockchain. The company, which operates a prominent payment service, Cash App, and has close ties to the crypto industry.
Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General of the United States
What better way to signal to the crypto industry that they are above reproach than to send the top law enforcement official in the country to speak at their industry hype event? Blanche got his job by defending Donald Trump from criminal charges, now he seems to plan to keep it by using the power of the federal government to protect Donald Trump’s political allies—and the crypto firms enabling their corruption— from the law.
Kash Patel, Director of the FBI
It’s difficult to say if Kash really wanted to speak at the convention, or if he just wants an excuse to fly the FBI jet back home to Vegas so he can hang out at The Poodle Room over the weekend. The comically inept FBI director just might be the one few government officials to truly find the crypto artists and DJs cool, but that doesn’t make his presence at an industry event any less corrupt. With crypto being used by so many criminal organizations, one would hope the FBI would at least have a skeptical view of the industry.
Paul Atkins, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Trump’s Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins is technically tasked with regulating the country’s securities markets, but he has little interest in doing so. A former advisor to disgraced crypto firm FTX and vocal opponent to the Dodd-Frank Act of 2008, Atkins took to the SEC with a desire to slash regulation. As soon as he took the reins, Atkins demonstrated his continuing fealty to the cryptocurrency industry by ending longstanding lawsuits against cryptocurrency firms and declaring most crypto to be beyond the regulation of his agency. Why then appear at a crypto event? Why to pledge to continue to do nothing, of course!
Mike Selig, Chair of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission
Paul Atkins’ counterpart at the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the other major regulator of financial products in the country, Selig is a close friend of the crypto industry. Selig was appointed to the CFTC after President Trump’s original pick, Brian Quintez, did not appear to be sufficiently differential to major Trump donors and crypto bros, the Winklevoss twins, in a series of texts he exchanged with them (yes, those twins, from The Social Network). The CFTC, which is supposed to be governed by a bipartisan commission of five members currently just has one, Selig, who single-handedly controls the commission’s approach to regulation of crypto and prediction markets. He is attending the conference to pledge to continue to work on behalf of both industries.
Eric Trump
The president’s slightly less prominent adult son is a massive investor in cryptocurrencies, holding roles with bitcoin mining firm American Bitcoin and World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture. His presence seems to indicate that the Trump family is committed to pursuing more corruption through the use of cryptocurrencies.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-WY
The cryptocurrency industry’s number one ally in Congress, the Senator from Wyoming has pushed bills on everything from deregulation of crypto to forcing the US government to pump the price of bitcoin through a deceptively-named “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.” It’s little surprise she’s been chosen to be one of the select few headliners of the event.
Afroman
The early 2000’s rapper surged back into the public consciousness in March for winning a defamation lawsuit filed by police officers in his hometown. Nothing says cryptocurrency quite like centering stale internet jokes.
Sub headliners:
These speakers didn’t make the cut to be listed amongst the most prominent speakers, but they also weren’t relegated to the alphabetically-sorted others list at the bottom of the page.
Tarek Mansour, CEO of Kalshi
So-called prediction markets are not cryptocurrency themselves, but the products have a lot of overlap in both investors and regulatory goals. Mansour, who has said “the long-term vision is to financialize everything and create a tradable asset out of any difference in opinion,” is certainly welcome at the cryptocurrency table, where financialization and hostility towards consumer protection go hand in hand.
Patrick Witt, Executive Director, President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets
Witt is leading the White House’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, where he’s thrown his weight behind the crypto industry even when that means fighting Congressional Republicans and law enforcement groups. His presence at the event signals the Trump administration’s continued subservience to the industry’s whims.
Kenny Florian, UFC fighter
If there’s two things MMA fighters are good at, it’s public speaking and financial advice. Who could be a better fit to speak at this conference?
Curtis Yarvin, Silicon Valley Philosopher
The philosopher who writes under the nom de plume “Mencius Moldbug” has voiced his support for eugenics, monarchy, and slavery. His ideas have taken root in right wing Silicon Valley circles, including with some of the tech world’s most prominent figures, such as Peter Thiel.
Faryar Shirzad, Chief Policy Officer at Coinbase
A former senior George W. Bush White House staffer and head of government affairs at Goldman Sachs, Shrizad has led Coinbase’s political efforts since 2021.
Senator Bernie Moreno, R-OH
The largest single beneficiary of crypto campaign expenditures to date, Moreno very well might owe his current Senate seat to the crypto industry that propped him up.
Everyone Else:
Not everyone made the cut to be headliners or even picked out as notable names. The rest of the speakers are listed on the bottom of the website in alphabetical order, leaving some extremely important policymakers listed further down than some of the event’s more colorful speakers. The lack of deference shown to these members of Congress and Senator might be an indication of just how sure the crypto industry is that they’ve solidified their hold over these lawmakers, or it could just be a result of the organizers’ incapacity to accommodate so much of the House and Senate Republican caucuses.
James Poulos, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation
Author of a book he claims is “the only novel set in the Epsteinverse,” Poulos is a senior fellow at the right wing, tech-funded Foundation for American Innovation, a prominent organization in the abundance movement.
Jayson Browder, SVP Government Affairs & Social Responsibility for MARA
A former senior policy advisor and a fellow at Third Way, Browder is now helping MARA, a bitcoin mining firm, sell its political agenda in Washington.
Chris Lane, Former CTO, Silvergate Bank
Lane is the former Chief Technology Officer of Silvergate Bank, which specialized in cryptocurrency deposits. Lane’s job title is listed as “former” because the bank collapsed in March 2023. Notably, the bank failure is widely attributed to its reliance on the cryptocurrency industry. This is akin to having a Lehman banker speak on the greatness of aggressive subprime mortgage lending.
Colin Crossman, Deputy Wyoming Secretary of State
A bitcoin evangelist with a day job in state government, Crossman is one of the figures pushing Wyoming to adopt ever more crypto-friendly positions, including pushing the state to invest in crypto.
Dennis Koch, Director, Bitcoin Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG)
The Bitcoin Museum and Art Gallery “preserves and exhibits Bitcoin culture through art, artifacts, and exhibitions.” They are currently listing an oil painting depicting the meme of Pepe the Frog performing a medical procedure in a renaissance setting for $40,000.
Erin Redwing, Bitcoin Astrologer
Seems self-explanatory, but then again, we aren’t experts in astrological terms. She seems to be an astrologer who does readings for the purpose of bitcoin investment, among other things.
Jeffrey Thomas, SVP of AI Data Centers at CleanSpark
CleanSpark is a data center company that offers data center services both for bitcoin mining and AI uses. Given Thomas’ position, it seems clear that the firm sees at least some crossover appeal between AI firms and attendees at the conference.
Senator Jim Justice, R-WV
The Senator from West Virginia was sadly relegated to the bottom part of the page behind notables like the bitcoin astrologer, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t committed to the industry. If anything, it seems to indicate the opposite–his support can be taken for granted. (Justice was previously listed on the speakers page. As of Friday April 24th, his headshot has been removed)
Kara Calvert, VP for US Policy at Coinbase
Calvert is currently helping lead Coinbase’s lobbying efforts in Washington. She was formerly a legislative assistant to Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi.
Kyle Schneps, Director of Policy at DCG
Schneps works for Digital Currency Group, a firm that has been sued by the state of New York for fraud for helping cover up over $1 billion in losses.
Lisa Hough
Previously known as an energy expert, Hough worked for both Enron and utility giant PG&E before shifting to AI and crypto mining data centers. Her presence reinforces the overlap between the AI and crypto industries.
Lyn Ulbricht, Founder and CEO of Mothers Against Cruel Sentencing
The cruel sentence Lyn Ulbricht founded her group to fight was the double life sentences of her son Ross, who founded an online marketplace on the dark web known as Silk Road. The website, which allowed the sale of narcotics, hacking services and other crimes (possibly including up to six murder for hire plots) was reliant upon cryptocurrency for payments. Ross was pardoned by President Trump in January 2025.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-IA
The Congresswoman from Iowa is a strong proponent of crypto .
Matt Prusak, President of American Bitcoin
The president of Eric Trump’s bitcoin mining firm, Prusak is relying on the President’s son to give his firm top billing at the event.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY
A big crypto supporter, Lawler’s campaign coffers have benefitted from the industry’s largesse.
Miles Jennings, Head of Policy & General Counsel at A16z Crypto
Jennings holds the position once held by Brian Quintez, the one-time Trump nominee to be CFTC Chair. Given the prominence of Marc Andreessen (the “a” in a16z) in the Trump administration, the sky is the limit to his career under a Trump administration.
Rep. Nick Begich, R-AK
The House sponsor of Lummis’ bitcoin reserve bill, Begich is one of the crypto industry’s strongest allies in Congress.
Rare Scrilla, Artist at Dank Fake Rare
As a “multidisciplinary artist, DJ, and producer” with great songs like “Turn My Memes Up” it’s little wonder that Mr. Scrilla got higher billing than a sitting US Congressman.
Rep. Zach Nunn, R-IA
A close ally of crypto, Nunn received 7 figure support from the industry in his 2024 reelection bid.