Eric Trump, the second son of US president Donald Trump, is set to speak at the upcoming Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference in Hong Kong, as the city continues its efforts to establish itself as a global centre for digital assets in competition with the US.
According to the South China Morning Post, conference organiser BTC Inc announced on July 8 that Trump will discuss bitcoin’s “long term potential” and its implications for global finance, as well as “how Asia is shaping the future of bitcoin adoption”.
Bitcoin Asia, the regional edition of the Bitcoin Conference, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency events, was held in Hong Kong for the first time in May 2024 as part of the city’s push to strengthen its digital asset sector.
Trump is a cofounder of American Bitcoin, a bitcoin mining venture, and is also involved in the Trump family backed initiative World Liberty Financial.
He is “becoming one of the industry’s strongest advocates on the international stage”, said David Bailey, chief executive of BTC Inc.
His participation comes as Hong Kong steps up its bid to become a global leader in digital assets, competing with the US, which his father’s administration has described as the aspiring “crypto capital of the planet”.
In June, Hong Kong issued its “Policy Statement 2.0 on the Development of Digital Assets in Hong Kong”, a follow up to its original policy introduced in late 2022.
The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said the city is committed to reaching “new heights of global digital asset leadership” in response to the “evolving global [digital asset] landscape”.
The race for a first mover advantage has intensified as both jurisdictions move forward with regulatory plans for stablecoins, which are cryptocurrency tokens usually pegged to fiat currencies such as the US dollar.
While once mainly traded among crypto users, stablecoins are increasingly viewed as a potential tool for faster and cheaper cross border payments.
Bitcoin Asia 2024 attracted more than 5,500 attendees at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, with around half coming from mainland China.
This year’s conference will take place on 28 and 29 August at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
Entry will be free to the public.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by Wikimedia and Bitcoin Asia
