In particular, Vice President JD Vance making the keynote address on day one of the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas. It will be the first time a sitting US vice president has spoken at a digital asset conference! That announcement, which was released earlier on May 9 by the event’s organizing team, has already caused a tremendous stir in the crypto world. The conference is scheduled for May 28.

Specifically, Vance currently owns between $250,000 and $500,001 in Bitcoin according to his August 2024 personal financial disclosure. Though Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen has made headlines, since taking office in January, he has largely avoided the public eye on crypto policy. His engagement with the sector, however, has largely been confined to ASIC’s involvement in the broader conversations around AI regulation.

Vance's Stance on Crypto

Even while managing to keep out of the spotlight on crypto issues, Vance’s future testimony suggests a growing willingness to engage. In a resurfaced clip, Vance hammered Gensler for his aggressive stance on crypto regulation, foreshadowing his views on digital asset regulation.

While President Trump has signed executive orders concerning the establishment of a crypto reserve and the regulation of stablecoins, Vance's direct involvement in a Bitcoin conference suggests a deeper interest in understanding and potentially shaping the future of cryptocurrency. This new outreach puts him distinctly at odds with his previous tepid, public-facing engagement with the crypto industry.

A Conference of Political Voices

Yet the Bitcoin 2025 conference is quickly becoming a very effective platform to elevate these political voices. As evidence, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville on the campaign trail.

Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, both of whom work with the crypto platform World Liberty Financial, will be headlining the May event. That brings a really exciting political dimension to the lineup! These recent appearances come amid a growing relationship between politics and the cryptocurrency industry, especially with the start of the 2024 election cycle heating up.

Implications and Expectations

Here’s why we think Vance made the right decision to speak at Bitcoin 2025. His selection signals the increasing bipartisan concern over potential harms from the crypto industry. This has prompted Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate to protest Donald Trump’s coziness with the crypto industry. They have spoken out in force against these links.

His presence at the conference offers an opportunity to clarify the administration's stance on digital assets and potentially outline future policy directions. Attendees and industry observers alike will be keenly watching Vance's address, eager to glean insights into the administration's evolving perspective on Bitcoin and the broader crypto landscape.