American Bitcoin Co-Founder and Calamos CEO John Koudounis told attendees at Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas that the ownership structure of bitcoin has changed in a way that makes a price retreat less likely, and both men urged skeptics to reconsider the asset before a coming wave of institutional and generational capital arrives.
At Bitcoin 2026, a Nakamoto Stage panel made a simple but striking point: Bitcoin’s institutional growth is being driven by competitors who are actually working together, building the tools, products, and infrastructure needed to bring the asset into mainstream finance.
Czech National Bank Governor Aleš Michl used a Bitcoin industry stage in Las Vegas to defend a reserve strategy that mixes strict inflation control with measured exposure to digital assets.
Billionare Tim Draper said that bitcoin has gone mainstream, with growing adoption signaling the early stages of a broader shift in the global financial system.
Speaking at The Bitcoin Conference, Senator Cynthia Lummis framed Bitcoin as “freedom money,” signaling that Senate lawmakers are preparing a May markup of the long-delayed Clarity Act.
At Bitcoin 2026, Joe Kelly, Nick Begich, and Zach Herbert argued that bitcoin self-custody should be recognized as a civil liberty, with Begich emphasizing that private property rights must extend into digital assets like bitcoin.
Bitcoin rose to around $76,000 as whales accumulated 45,000 BTC and institutional inflows surged, while U.S. officials including Kevin Warsh and Admiral Paparo signaled growing acceptance of Bitcoin in finance and national security.
Admiral Samuel Paparo of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Bitcoin is a “valuable computer science tool as power projection."
WORLD CUP
