Speaking on the Nakamoto Stage, Tim Draper told attendees that bitcoin has entered the financial mainstream and that governments now roll out “the red carpet” for the industry. He said the community is “starting to feel like something is happening” as adoption grows, and he cast that shift as the early phase of a larger transition in the money system.

In his view, people will move in stages: first from dollars to stablecoins, then from stablecoins to bitcoin as the final store of value and unit of account.

Draper praised Satoshi Nakamoto’s design of BTC as a system with no government control, no middleman banks, and no traditional account records. He described his own…

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Three members of Congress positioned digital asset regulation as a matter of national security and economic competition during a panel discussion at The Bitcoin 2026 Conference in Las Vegas on Monday.

Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) spoke on “The Bitcoin Bloc: A New Force in American Politics,” moderated by Faryar Shirzad, Chief Policy Officer at Coinbase.

Miller-Meeks described Bitcoin as “financial democracy” and linked cryptocurrency adoption to America’s 250th anniversary, framing support for digital assets as patriotic. She cited the Chinese Communist Party as a threat and characterized crypto policy as a…

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U.S. lawmakers and White House officials used a Nakamoto Stage panel to argue that clear crypto rules will decide whether the United States leads or cedes ground in the next phase of financial innovation.

The discussion, titled “Are We Getting More Clarity?”, focused on the Clarity Act, enforcement under past administrations, and the risk that political swings could undo progress on crypto regulation.

Senator Cynthia Lummis warned that another hostile administration would mean “game over for sensible regulation,” framing the 2026 election cycle as a direct test of whether Congress can lock in a durable framework for digital assets. 

She argued that predictable rules…

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Kalshi’s head of crypto, John Wang, used a Bitcoin 2026 fireside chat to argue that regulated prediction markets offer a more accessible way to trade Bitcoin than traditional spot venues. He opened by describing his path at Kalshi and pushed back on the idea that the exchange is a pure crypto platform, saying Bitcoin and other digital assets serve as key payment rails rather than its core product. 

According to Wang, Bitcoin is now the largest source of user payments into Kalshi’s apps, underscoring how deeply the asset’s audience overlaps with the platform’s trader base.

Bitcoin predictions and insider trading on Kalshi

Moderator Conner Brown asked Wang on why a…

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Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) disclosed on April 20, 2026, that it acquired 101,627 ETH in the prior week—the largest weekly purchase since mid-December 2025. This brought its total holdings to 4,976,485 ETH (about 4.98 million), or roughly 4.12% of Ethereum’s total supply of around 120.7 million ETH.

Bitmine, chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, continues its aggressive Ethereum accumulation strategy and has staked a significant portion of its holdings through its MAVAN platform. The company also reported broader crypto and cash holdings exceeding $12 billion.

This update aligns with the firm’s long-term “Alchemy of 5%” target for Ethereum supply ownership. Multiple sources, including the company’s press release and major crypto outlets, confirm the figures.

Aven has introduced a bitcoin-backed credit card that allows users to borrow against digital assets without selling holdings, marking a shift in crypto-linked consumer finance, according to statements shared with Bitcoin Magazine. 

The Aven Bitcoin Visa Card, unveiled today at the Bitcoin Conference 2026 in Las Vegas, provides a credit line of up to $1 million secured by bitcoin collateral. The product targets long-term holders seeking liquidity without triggering taxable events tied to asset sales.

The card combines a revolving credit line with fixed-term loan options, offering repayment periods of up to 10 years. Interest rates for both structures start at 7.99% APR, which…

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SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig used back‑to‑back fireside chats on the Nakamoto Stage at The Bitcoin 2026 Conference to signal a reset in Washington’s approach to digital assets, tokenization, and market structure. 

Atkins described it as “a new day at the SEC,” while Selig said regulators are “turning over a new page” and need to harmonize their efforts.

Atkins said the SEC is taking a new approach to digital assets and wants that activity onshore rather than pushed to foreign jurisdictions. He said the SEC and CFTC are now working together on digital assets and aim to set a new benchmark for inter‑agency collaboration.

That cooperation…

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Paystand announced the launch of USDb, a stablecoin designed specifically for commercial-scale business finance, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and treasury operations, on the Bitcoin network.

Paystand is a Bitcoin-powered B2B payments network that processes accounts receivable and accounts payable for more than one million businesses across North America and Latin America. The company has handled over $20 billion in payment volume and built a full-stack CFO platform through acquisitions of Yaydoo, Teampay, and Bitwage, covering AR automation, spend management, LATAM compliance, and cross-border payroll. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Santa Cruz,…

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel used a Bitcoin 2026 Conference panel to signal a shift in how the U.S. government approaches digital assets, stressing support for developers and a focus on crime rather than code.

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, moderating the virtual discussion, opened by asking Blanche and Patel for their Bitcoin origin stories. 

Blanche said his son pushed him toward Bitcoin and called him a “clown and idiot” for not investing, while also noting that his government role bars him from owning assets. Patel framed Bitcoin and other virtual assets as economic infrastructure, saying they are assets “just like…

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