Hi Crypto Network,

With the high adoption of blockchain, and cryptocurrency in general, there is a high demand for related events, and conferences. 2020 in particular, looks a very promising year for blockchain. There has been so much happening such as price volatility and a growing number of blockchain startups.

TOP BLOCKCHAIN CONFERENCES AND EVENTS FOR 2020

There are many kinds of events happening in the blockchain space, whether you have a startup, you are an investor, or you just want to network with like-minded individuals.

RECAP: EVENTS THAT DROVE THE BITCOIN ECONOMY IN 2019

2019 has been a very volatile year for the Bitcoin economy. In the first half of the year, the value of the currency increased by more than 200%. The remaining half of the year was, however, not a smooth sail. Bitcoin increased in value from below $4000 to over $12000 in June then dropped to $7000 in December. Some of the contributing factors to Bitcoin volatility include:

Increased Institutional Interest

More institutions expressed interest in the currency, making it have a higher demand and, therefore, a high price. There has also been an increase in the number of institutional investors who are looking into cryptocurrencies as an investment alternative.

Facebook Libra

After the much-anticipated launch of Facebook currency Libra, it started facing regulatory issues, and that made many companies exit. The exit made investors turn to alternatives such as Bitcoin.

Tron’s partnership with Samsung

When Tron entered into a partnership with Samsung, everything changed. Samsung partnered with Tron so that it can use Blockchain for decentralized applications and messaging. Tron will use TRX tokens for the platform.

Litecoin Halving

As much as the much-anticipated Bitcoin halving is expected to bring drastic changes, Litecoin halving in August already brought so many changes. Even though it brought a lot of volatility, there was still a 38% gain of the currency at the end of the year.

Premier League team gets crypto sponsors

StormGain, which is a crypto trading platform, decided to sponsor Newcastle United, and that was a big game-changer. Wolves also got sponsorship from the crypto platform CoinDeal. This attracted many newbies to crypto, and when they start, they mainly deal with popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Esports adoption of cryptocurrency

Esports was also not left behind when it comes to embracing blockchain. Kronoverse, a blockchain startup, is making sure esports games are on the platform so that there is a proper and real-time roll out of results.

Blockchain loans and crypto lending

Currently, many blockchain startups are venturing into the field of crypto credit. Their gain of popularity was anchored on the decentralization property of the network making the loans cheap, transparent, and unregulated. Decentralized finance (DeFi) has seen so much growth, and in 2019 alone there was a growth of over 300%. This has increased the adoption of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general.

There are some companies such as Cred, which is a lending company, that have partnered with Bitcoin.com so that their customers can earn interest on their deposits

WHO USES CRYPTO-CURRENCIES? WHY?

Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that work as an alternative to fiat currencies. A digital currency works in the same way as fiat money, only that it has strong cryptography to make sure that transactions are secure and safe.

Cryptocurrencies are based on the blockchain network, which is an open ledger at the same time a decentralized platform. That makes sure that there is transparency, there are no intermediaries, and there is more privacy.

As much as the main role of cryptocurrencies is being a medium of exchange, they have mainly been used as assets for investment. As an investment vehicle, they are primarily used for trading or as a storage of value. Some cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, are used as a speculative currency.

With more and more stores currently accepting cryptocurrencies especially Bitcoin, they have made it gain popularity as a medium of exchange. Some stores directly accept crypto coins, they will give you their wallet address where you deposit the cash. There is an increasing number of crypto-vouchers where you can swap the voucher for something you love. There are also Bitcoin ATMs where one can withdraw and use their money whenever they want. When it comes to using cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange, however, it is Bitcoin that is mostly used. This is because it was the first cryptocurrency, and hence the most popular.

Many blockchain projects normally have their cryptocurrencies which they call tokens. They are most of the time used during crowdfunding to raise money for the project. The token can also be traded for the product or service that the company provides.

Most of the time, people buy a certain cryptocurrency because they believe in the concept behind it, or believe it will increase in value with time.

As much as most of those who use cryptocurrencies use it with good intentions, some criminals use the currency with wrong intentions, so that they can hide their identity, especially in the Dark web. They use it for money laundering, purchasing drugs, and many other illegal activities as it will be hard to track them. The situation is, however, changing as most places have regulations and KYC structures in place to cut down on money laundering, and cybercrimes. Crypto criminals are also judged harshly in most places, and it has helped in reducing crypto-related crimes.

There have also been cases of pump and dump schemes where people invest in a token then the developers dump the token. This will be hard to alleviate, and it’s the responsibility of the investor to research more on crypto-related projects before investing, not to be a victim.

IS IT TOO LATE TO INVEST IN CRYPTOCURRENCIES?

There is no right or wrong time to invest in cryptocurrencies. It all depends on the kind of cryptocurrency that you want to invest in. You have to do your research right so that you invest in the right cryptocurrency.

To get a profit, you have to buy when the price is low and sell when the price is high. You can predict the price trends from checking the history of the performance of the currency. Many case studies have been done on different cryptocurrencies, and it is worth checking them out to get more knowledge on your cryptocurrency of interest.

An easy way of knowing what cryptocurrencies to invest in is using bots and signals. The long way is researching to know the concept behind it, the current developments, the developers behind the work, and everything else that is involved. The internet has different crypto communities and blockchain forums, where you can also learn a lot regarding cryptocurrencies to know which ones to invest in.

IS BIG MONEY SECRETLY ACQUIRING CRYPTOCURRENCY?

As much as big money may not be directly acquiring cryptocurrency, they have a big influence on the value as they can control the demand and supply.

Most of the big investors may either be institutional investors or tycoons. To acquire cryptocurrency from exchanges, they do not go to the regular exchanges as they may demand more than the exchange has. They normally go to a special kind of exchange known as over the counter exchange such as Circle. With OTC exchange, they can trade big volumes, and that can influence demand and supply as it can create scarcity.

TOP 5 BLOCKCHAIN CONFERENCES AND EVENTS FOR 2020

There are many blockchain conferences and events lined up for 2020. The events are happening in different places such as Hong Kong, London, Las Vegas, and many other destinations. Each year, the events become more than the previous years due to the rise in demand and increased adoption of blockchain technology. The main agenda of most events is to talk about the latest developments in the crypto space, current opportunities, and networking. Some of the main events to look out for this year include:

Blockchain Africa Conference

This will be one of the main and big events in Africa. It will be for sharing insights on developments and opportunities as far as cryptocurrencies and blockchain innovation is concerned. Africa, just like other continents, is experiencing the revolution brought about by blockchain technology.

Delegates are expected from different industries such as finance, energy, manufacturing, health, real estate, and telecommunications among many other industries. From the conference, attendees will be inspired and equipped with knowledge on applying blockchain to different industries for shaping the future.

The event will take place from March 11-12, 2020, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

InstanBlock 2020

This is expected to be the largest blockchain and cryptocurrencies gathering in Turkey, the Istanbul Blockchain Week. There is much that is expected at the event. Up to 3000 delegates from different backgrounds, 100 speakers, and the media are expected to attend. There is a wide variety of attendees that are expected such as blockchain experts, innovators, investors, and government leaders. The event will take place at the fancy Hilton Bomonti Hotel.

The agenda of the event is to cover the main areas in the crypto space such as regulations, derivatives, DeFi, gaming, and institutional adoption. It will be a great place for building strategic partnerships, getting exposure, and networking.

The event will take place from April 6-10, 2020.

Paris Blockchain summit

This is one of the biggest events in France and Europe in general. The Paris Blockchain Summit 2019 exceeded expectations, and this year much more is expected. Up to 5000 delegates are expected, with more than 100 speakers.

It will be a two-day event whereby the main issues in the blockchain world will be addressed. Some of the issues that will be tackled include scalability issues, EU regulation, decentralized exchanges, stable coins, security tokens, and recent advancements in the crypto sector.

The event will be a mix of workshops, hackathons, keynotes, dinners, and parties.

Renowned blockchain industry leaders, innovators, and investors will be in attendance. It will be a great learning and networking platform.

The event will take place on March 31-April 1, 2020 at Station F which is the largest incubator in the world.

CoinGeek Conference London

This will be hosted by the founders of Bitcoin SV, which is the Bitcoin blockchain that is scalable. It is a great event for those who are curious to know more about the BSV blockchain. It is also a great opportunity to network and connect with other like-minded people such as entrepreneurs, investors, and miners.

CoinGeek is well prepared for offering a great platform for sharing knowledge through discussions with top industry leaders, blockchain startups, and professionals from leading cryptocurrency projects. The featured speakers include Craig S. Wright, Jimmy Nguyen, and Steve Shadders.

The event will take place from February 20-21, 2020 at Old Billingsgate, London.

Blockchain in Oil and Gas Canada

The fact that blockchain adoption in Canada is amongst the fastest, it is a good sign that the event will be a success. The oil and gas sector is very important in most countries, hence there are many opportunities especially with the integration with blockchain technology.

This event will be the 2nd annual event, and it aims to bring together main stakeholders, and decision-makers in the Oil and gas value chain to discuss how blockchain can impact the sector, and potential opportunities. The expected delegates are top companies such as Cenovous and Nal Resources. The same event last year was a success, and this year there is so much expected.

Some of the main topics to be covered include disruption, decentralization, smart contracts, Oil and gas, regulation, and energy.

The event will take place on February 11-12, 2020 at BMO Centre, Calgary, Canada.

EDCON

EDCON (Community Ethereum Development Conference) is an annual nonprofit global Ethereum conference that happens in different countries. The conference aims to boost the communication and interaction of Ethereum communities worldwide, to make sure that there is a solid development of the Ethereum ecosystem.

The event is organized by LinkTime but is supported by the Ethereum Foundation and the community as a whole. The first EDCON event happened in 2017 in Paris. This was followed by EDCON2018 in Toronto and EDCON2019 in Sydney. All the previous events have been a success, and thus there are high chances that the one happening in 3-7, April 2020 in Vienna Austria, will also be a success.

With the wide adoption of the Ethereum blockchain and the increasing number of people interested in crypto-economics, this is a must-attend event. Not only will you get to connect and network with the Ethereum community, but you will also increase your knowledge base.

The best part about the conference is that you are not only limited to be a delegate, but you can also be a sub-conference organizer if you feel like being part of that.

The theme of the 2020 conference will be, “The Renaissance of Crypto-economics”. Several topics about crypto-economics will be explored including ETH2.0, DAO, DeFi, DApp Investment, and governance. Key Ethereum leaders, developers, and researchers will be speakers.

Unlike the conferences in the other years, this year will be a different one. There will be a mix of debates, panels, workshops, demos, and events. The attendees are expected to be more than 20,000.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed today’s article. Thanks for reading!

Have a fantastic day!

Live from the Platinum Crypto Trading Floor.

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