Susie on Nostr: This week, I attended the FT Digital Assets Summit, and while the focus was largely ...

This week, I attended the FT Digital Assets Summit, and while the focus was largely on 'crypto', Bitcoin kept finding its way back into the conversation.

Economic Secretary Emma Reynolds ruled out the idea of a UK national Bitcoin reserve during the Summit in London, stating it's "not appropriate for our market." She added, “We understand that’s what the U.S. is going for, but that’s not the plan for us.”

A disappointing (if predictable) stance, especially as more forward-thinking jurisdictions begin to explore the benefits of holding Bitcoin at a national level.

I was on the "Building Trust – Risk Management and Compliance Strategies" panel, which turned out to be far more engaging than the title suggests. Some of the panellists claimed regulators were listening to companies and doing a good job, which was jaw dropping to say the least.

Richard Byworth from Syz Capital nailed it on his panel about institutional adoption. He kept steering the conversation back to Bitcoin and summed it up perfectly when he said:

"Regulators are not doing their job".

Despite the out-of-touch comments from the Economic Secretary and some questionable optimism from industry, there were some encouraging moments. Lord Chris Holmes, who has previously leaned hard into CBDCS and digital ID, commented positively about Bitcoin. A sign that there are some in the House of Lords beginning to grasp its economic potential.

The summit may not have been Bitcoin focused, but Bitcoin had a presence, and momentum is building, even if the policymakers lag behind and companies leave in their droves.