Bitcoin 2026 Conference Announces First Wave of World-Class Speakers, Redesigned Programming, and...
Nashville, TN, USA — February 3, 2026 — The Bitcoin 2026 Conference, the world’s premier annual gathering dedicated exclusively to Bitcoin, recently announced the first confirmed speakers for its 2026 edition, marking the beginning of a multi-month rollout of additional speaker announcements leading up to the event. Taking place April 27–29, 2026, at The Venetian Convention and Expo Center in Las Vegas, the conference has already surpassed 30,000 registered attendees and is on track to welcome more than 40,000 participants this April. As the event continues to scale, its programming is expanding accordingly — introducing new stages, tailored content tracks, and dedicated experiences designed to serve the full spectrum of attendees, from first-time participants to industry leaders, builders, and policymakers.
Headline Speakers Set to Lead Dialogues Shaping Bitcoin’s Future
The first wave of confirmed speakers highlights a mix of visionary industry leaders and historic new voices engaging with Bitcoin’s global evolution:
Michael Saylor — Founder & Executive Chairman, Strategy. One of Bitcoin’s most prominent evangelists and advocates, Saylor has shaped institutional adoption narratives worldwide.
Paul S. Atkins — Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the first serving SEC Chair to speak at a Bitcoin Conference, representing a historic moment at the intersection of regulation and digital asset policy.
Mike Selig — Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and longtime contributor to digital asset regulatory frameworks, bringing insight into futures, markets, and policy.
These three form the early core of a roster that already includes 100+ confirmed speakers spanning technical, financial, governance, and cultural domains.
“Bitcoin 2026 reflects how far this conference — and the Bitcoin ecosystem itself — has evolved. With tens of thousands of attendees already registered, expanded stages, and a redesigned experience, we’re building an event that meets people wherever they are in their Bitcoin journey while continuing to push the conversation forward globally.” – Justin Doochin, Head of Events at BTC Inc.
Fully Redesigned Programming — Tailored to Every Type of Bitcoiner
Bitcoin 2026 features a fully redesigned programming structure with multiple stages aligned to different interests and experience levels. Whether you’re a builder, educator, investor, policymaker, or curious newcomer, there’s a purposeful path into the conversations that matter most.
To help attendees tailor their experience, the Conference is promoting a playful and insightful quiz — “What Type of Bitcoiner Are You?” — created in partnership with Bitcoin Magazine.
The 15 Types Of Bitcoiners You’ll Definitely See At Bitcoin 2026
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Six Stages, 100+ Hours of Programming
Over the course of three days and across six dynamically curated stages, Bitcoin 2026 will deliver an expanded slate of sessions:
Nakamoto Stage
Genesis Stage
Energy Stage
Open Source Stage
Enterprise Stage
Deep Stage
This expanded footprint enables deeper dives into specialized tracks — from technical Bitcoin development and energy innovation to enterprise adoption and cultural discourse.
Beyond Stages — Side Events, Culture, and Community Experiences
Bitcoin 2026 isn’t just a conference — it’s a full cultural moment. Alongside the main programming will be an array of side events, meetups, cultural activations, and social experiences that bring the broader Bitcoin ecosystem to life. Highlights include:
Compute Village — New to the Bitcoin Conference, this hub connects builders, miners, developers, and infrastructure leaders to collaborate on power-dense compute and energy.
Women of Bitcoin Bash — An evening celebration spotlighting women driving the Bitcoin movement.
Bitcoin for Corporations Symposium — A focused forum for enterprise, finance, and institutional dialogue.
Bitcoin Art Gallery — curated by BMAG — A showcase of artistic expression inspired by Bitcoin, hosted in partnership with Bitcoin Magazine’s museum initiative. Visit: https://museum.b.tc/
Explore all cultural and experiential programming on the official experience page: https://2026.b.tc/experience
About The Bitcoin Conference The Bitcoin Conference, organised by BTC Media, the parent company of Bitcoin Magazine, is a global event series, featuring notable industry speakers, workshops, exhibitions, and entertainment. These events serve as vital platforms for Bitcoin industry leaders, developers, investors, and enthusiasts to gather, network, and exchange ideas. Bitcoin 2026 is being held in Las Vegas in April 2026. Its international events include Bitcoin Hong Kong (August 27-28, 2026), Bitcoin Amsterdam (November 5-6, 2026) and Bitcoin MENA (Abu Dhabi, December 2026).
Meta smart glasses get closer to controversial facial recognition rollout amid political turmoil
Meta is weighing a major new feature for its Meta smart glasses, testing how far consumers and regulators will accept embedded facial analysis in public spaces.
Meta’s ‘Name Tag’ facial recognition feature
According to a report from The New York Times, Meta is preparing to add facial recognition to its Ray-Ban smart glasses as soon as this year. Internally, the feature is known as Name Tag and would let wearers identify people around them and access information about those individuals.
Moreover, the data would surface through Meta’s AI assistant, expanding the current range of meta ai smart glasses capabilities beyond translation, photography and search. The system is designed to work hands-free, which makes it more powerful but also more sensitive from a civil liberties perspective.
However, Meta’s plans are not final. The company could still delay or substantially alter Name Tag, the report notes, as internal teams continue to debate how to deploy a tool that carries acknowledged smart glasses privacy risks.
Safety, privacy and ethical debates inside Meta
Meta has been deliberating since early last year on whether and how to release Name Tag. Internal documents reportedly describe clear facial recognition ethical concerns, centering on the risk of harassment, stalking, misidentification and the loss of anonymity in public spaces.
That said, the company did sketch an initial cautious rollout. An internal memo shows Meta first planned to release Name Tag to attendees at a conference for the visually impaired before making the tool broadly available. The company ultimately did not follow through on that limited launch, illustrating how sensitive facial recognition meta glasses remain even for assistive uses.
Furthermore, privacy advocates have long warned that facial recognition glasses could normalize constant surveillance. Real-time identification in public, combined with detailed social and behavioral data in Meta’s systems, could create profiles far more intrusive than traditional smartphone-based tracking.
Political timing and strategic considerations
The New York Times reports that Meta also factored the political climate in the United States into its decision-making. The company reportedly viewed the current period of political tumult as a relatively favorable moment to push out the feature.
In one striking line, an internal document notes: “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.” However, this candid assessment highlights Meta’s awareness that the rollout will almost certainly be controversial.
Moreover, the NYT reports that Meta has revived these plans as the Trump administration has grown closer to big tech, potentially lowering regulatory pressure. The analysis suggests that meta release political timing could be as important as technical readiness in determining when Name Tag appears on consumer devices.
From earlier hesitation to renewed ambition
Meta previously considered adding facial recognition technology to the first version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses back in 2021. At that time, it dropped the idea over technical challenges and ethical questions, according to the report. The decision reflected strong backlash against earlier deployments of similar tools in social media and law enforcement.
However, the landscape for meta ray ban smart glasses has changed since 2021. The unexpected commercial success of Meta’s current smart glasses, combined with the rapid mainstreaming of AI assistants, has apparently strengthened internal arguments for reintroducing identity-based features.
In practice, that would mean meta smart glasses for facial recognition could shift from a shelved experiment to a flagship capability. Yet the company still faces the same fundamental concerns that led it to pull back three years ago, including transparency, consent and data retention.
What Name Tag could mean for AI wearables
If Meta proceeds, Name Tag would mark one of the most aggressive uses of on-device computer vision in a mainstream consumer product. It would also sharply differentiate Meta’s hardware from rivals that have so far avoided live, person-identifying features in public settings.
Moreover, the integration of Name Tag into Meta’s AI assistant would extend the list of meta ai assistant features from general search and content generation into persistent recognition of individuals. This creates powerful accessibility possibilities but also raises questions about bias in recognition models and how errors will be handled in real time.
That said, Meta has not disclosed any meta smart glasses price changes tied to Name Tag, and the company has not publicly committed to a release date beyond the indication that it could arrive as soon as this year. Any such launch in 2024 or 2025 would likely attract intense regulatory interest in the United States and Europe.
Outlook
In summary, Meta’s revived push to add facial recognition to its ray ban smart glasses places the company back at the center of a long-running debate over surveillance and anonymity. Whether Name Tag actually ships in its current form will depend on internal risk calculations, political scrutiny and how far users are willing to trade privacy for convenience.
Attempted binance france home invasion sparks new concerns over security for crypto executives
A failed home invasion targeting a senior exchange executive in France has intensified debate around binance france and the growing physical risks tied to digital assets.
Armed intruders target Binance executive in Val-de-Marne
Local police said that three masked men, reportedly armed, forced their way into a residential building in Val-de-Marne in the early hours of Feb. 12. According to initial reports, the suspects were searching for the local head of Binance France but failed to locate him inside the property.
However, before leaving the scene, the intruders allegedly stole two mobile phones. The incident came amid rising concerns over violent attacks linked to crypto wealth in France, particularly around high-profile executives and entrepreneurs.
Second botched break-in in Vaucresson the same morning
Roughly two hours later, and still before midday, the same group is believed to have attempted a second home invasion in Vaucresson. Moreover, investigators said the attackers were again looking for the same crypto entrepreneur, although they reportedly targeted the wrong address this time.
The double attempt underscored the level of planning involved, yet also highlighted critical mistakes by the assailants, including flawed intelligence on the victim’s exact residence. That said, no physical harm to the targeted executive has been reported so far.
Lyon Perrache arrests after phone tracing and CCTV review
Police traced the stolen phones and reviewed surveillance footage from the surrounding area to follow the suspects’ movements. Using this digital trail, officers tracked the group as they boarded a train heading to Lyon, marking a key breakthrough in the rapidly evolving case.
The three men were arrested by the BRI at Lyon Perrache station later that same day and placed in custody, according to French outlet RTL. However, authorities have not yet disclosed their identities or detailed potential charges, as the investigation remains ongoing.
Binance response and investigation confidentiality
In a statement, a Binance spokesperson confirmed the incident while emphasizing the need for discretion. “We are aware of a home break-in involving one of our employees,” the spokesperson said, stressing that the company would not comment further at this stage.
Moreover, the exchange cited the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure the safety of all individuals involved. The remarks reflect heightened sensitivity around security for crypto executives, particularly in jurisdictions that have documented physical attacks tied to digital wealth.
Rising wrench attacks in France linked to crypto holdings
France has seen a sustained rise in so-called wrench attacks in France, a term used when assailants apply physical force or threats to coerce access to crypto wallets or other digital assets. These incidents often target individuals believed to hold large amounts of cryptocurrency.
The Block’s coverage throughout 2025 documented repeated kidnappings, ransom attempts and home invasions affecting crypto holders and entrepreneurs. However, authorities have struggled to fully deter such crimes, as attackers blend traditional violent methods with modern financial targets.
Kidnappings and crypto ransom attempts under scrutiny
In June 2025, France recorded its 10th crypto-related wrench attack of the year after kidnappers targeted a 23-year-old near Paris. That said, law enforcement has intensified efforts to trace and dismantle groups behind these schemes, often working across multiple jurisdictions.
Suspects accused of demanding millions in ransom from relatives of crypto entrepreneurs have been arrested in separate cases. Moreover, another group linked to a botched crypto ransom attempt involving the kidnapping of a magistrate was also taken into custody, underscoring the evolving risks surrounding digital-asset wealth.
Broader implications for crypto security in France
The attempted binance france home invasion adds to a growing dossier of incidents that highlight the real-world dangers accompanying virtual assets. While hacking and online fraud remain central concerns, physical attacks are increasingly drawing attention from both regulators and industry leaders.
However, the case also illustrates how traditional police techniques, such as phone tracing and CCTV analysis, can still prove effective against criminals targeting crypto holders. As France continues to grapple with these hybrid threats, exchanges, entrepreneurs and investors may face mounting pressure to upgrade personal and household security.
Overall, the failed attacks near Paris and the swift Lyon Perrache arrests reinforce how the expanding crypto sector can intersect with old forms of violent crime, pushing security to the forefront for high-profile market participants.