38th US Mint Director to Keynote Bitcoin Expo in Raleigh

Organizers of the Cryptolina Bitcoin Expo announced today that Edmund C. Moy will be the keynote speaker at a Saturday evening dinner as part of Cryptolina on August 16.

Edmund C. Moy was appointed in 2006 by President George W. Bush as the 38th Director of the United States Mint, where Moy served a five-year term until 2011.

The Mint Director heads the United States Mint and has several major functions such as advising the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, working closely with Congress and partnering with the Federal Reserve on forecasting demand, and analyzing payment systems and trends in outlays.

Thus, it is very encouraging to see such a high-ranking official with extensive background in finance and payment systems to show support for Bitcoin. Back in May, the Cointelegraph reported on Moy’s promotion of cryptocurrencies when he responded in a tweet to Credit Suisse having to pay a US$2.6 billion fine for aiding tax evasion saying “It's time banks got competition. Time for cryptocurrencies.”

Now, the honorable Mr. Moy will be a keynote speaker at the Carolina’s first Bitcoin Expo, which will be held on August 15-16, 2014. In a press release, Moy explains why he decided to be a keynote speaker at the event and reiterated his favorable stance on Bitcoin:

 “Bitcoin, and the ideas behind it, will be a disruptor to the traditional notions of currency. In the end, currency will be better for it.”

The weekend event has been dubbed as ‘Cryptolina,’ and will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center. Faruk Okcetin, an event organizer and entrepreneur stated in a press release: 

“This is a game-changer. Ed Moy is widely respected among the finance and exchange industry, and is among the highest level officials yet to recognize both the future and inevitability of cryptocurrency. The Carolinas are thrilled to be hosting Mr. Moy’s first appearance at a Bitcoin conference.”

The expo will cover current issues and events pertaining to Bitcoin technologies, startups, crowdfunding, venture capital and angel investment, regulation and more. In addition to a Bitcoin-based business exhibition, there are plans to host nearly two dozen speakers, which will also include Campbell Harvey, PhD Professor of Finance at Duke University, and Elizabeth Ploshay of the Bitcoin Foundation and BitPay.

With the backing of Ed Moy and such prominent members of the Bitcoin community along with more than 500 new faces that are expected to attend, the Cryptolina weekend Bitcoin expo in Raleigh is shaping up to be quite a gathering that will help strengthen ties, exchange ideas, and move Bitcoin forward towards mainstream adoption.