This week I hosted in Parliament a discussion about Bitcoin with Members of Parliament and the Bitcoin Basin Circular Economy, Lightning Pay Limited and The Bitcoin Policy New Zealand. Interesting discussion about Bitcoin as the world’s first decentralised peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, and its use both as a currency and as a store of value, as well as a demonstration of how it is “mined.” El Salvador became the first country in the world to use Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, and this year the United States Government established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve stating that “there is a strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a strategic bitcoin reserve.” There was also a discussion about how Bitcoin differs from most other cryptocurrencies and things like a central bank digital currency due to its decentralised structure, it is non-sovereign by design: not issued or controlled by any state or organization, provably scarce with a fixed cap of a maximum of 21 million coins, and that it has never been hacked despite being the oldest cryptocurrency established in 2009.

Hey Team, so we went to the New Zealand parliament yesterday to talk to approximately 20 National and Act MPs about Bitcoin.

Steady Lads @lightningpay

Saylor reloading the barrels