Bitcoin Melbourne

Where Melbourne comes to get its Bitcoin news.

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Bitcoin Melbourne February Meetup - Startup Spotlight: Brighton Peak

We kicked off the year with our first startup spotlight for 2016.

This month we heard from Brighton Peak Founder, Surya Wongtomo, about how they launched their bitcoin exchange right here in Melbourne. 

It was another great meetup with some really interesting questions and some great insights from Surya on how hard it is to launch a bitcoin exchange here in Australia.

See you all next month!

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Upcoming Event: Bitcoin Melbourne - The Bitcoin Group IPO Journey & A Regulatory Update

Bitcoin Group - The IPO Journey

Local Melbourne Bitcoin miner, Bitcoin Group, is set to become Australia’s first Bitcoin mining operator to publicly list on the ASX through an IPO. They currently produce approximately 1.45% of the global mining output and operate 5.3 peta-hashes of mining hardware in seven mining sites across China, Iceland and Australia.

Bitcoin Group aims to raise $20 million from the listing early in September and plan on using the transparency and security that comes with being a publicly listed company to bring a greater amount of attention to the Bitcoin Industry.

We invite you to join us as we learn more about the motivations that have driven the Bitcoin Group towards an IPO and to hear about the trials and tribulations that come with embarking on such a monumental journey.

More specifically, we will hear about:

•  the reasons why cornerstone investors decided to place their confidence in them;

• the process of dealing with ASIC; and

• some of the other challenges faced when listing a company on the ASX ticker.

Reuben Bramanathan - An Australian Bitcoin Regulatory Update

As most who are involved in the Bitcoin startup community know, the way in which the law interacts with Bitcoin is complex and often times perplexing.

This month we're also joined by Reuben Bramanathan to give us an overview of the current regulatory landscape here in Australia for Bitcoin.

Reuben is a Senior Lawyer at Adroit Lawyers.  He is a lawyer and chartered tax adviser.  Reuben focuses on tax and legal issues for startups and small businesses.  His expertise includes dealing with regulatory and tax issues for Bitcoin and Digital Currencies startups.  

Reuben was involved in consultation with the ATO leading up to the release of the ATO's guidance on the taxation of Bitcoin.  He is also the host of Sydney Bitcoin Professionals meetup group.

Schedule For The Night

6.30pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

7.00pm: Bitcoin Group IPO Journey

7.30pm: Reuben Bramanathan - Bitcoin Regulation Update

8.00pm: Conclusion Of Proceedings

8.00pm - 9.00pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

See you at the event!

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

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Event Review: Bitcoin Melbourne July Meetup: Voting On The Blockchain - A Viable Alternative?

For our July meetup we were joined by Max from the Neutral Voting Bloc (NVB). 

Max is the founder of NVB, “a political experiment which attempts to introduce liquid democracy (or delegative democracy) into Australian politics, and operates as a party....”

It was a fascinating conversation about a diverse range of topics. In particular, it was really interesting to hear Max speak about how the blockchain could be used to vote on specific policies in a efficient and representative way. 

See you next month.

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

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Upcomming Event: Bitcoin Melbourne July Meetup: Voting On The Blockchain - A Viable Alternative?

Voting On The Blockchain - A Viable Alternative?

This month we'll be joined by Max Kaye from the Neutral Voting Bloc (NVB) to discuss voting on the blockchain and whether it's a viable option for the Australian democratic system.

What is NVB?

According to their meetup page:

"The Neutral Voting Bloc (NVB) is a new political party that tries something never done before. The NVB challenges the existing status quo with reactive, open, and transparent democracy and an exciting adoption mechanic. The NVB has a (rough) 25 year roadmap to completely integrate this system with the existing infrastructure, all without requiring constitutional reform or any legislation changes at all. We don't need to ask for permission, this can be done right now. The NVB's adoption mechanic means that it only requires 1% of the primary vote to win a senate seat."

This is sure to be a fascinating meetup that will challenge your preconceptions about how blockchain technology can be applied to 'real world' issues.

Schedule For The Night

6.30pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

7.00pm: Presentation by Max regarding NVB and voting on the blockchain

7.40pm: Questions from the audience

8.00pm - 9.00pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

We look forward to seeing everyone at our monthly Bitcoin Melbourne meetup.

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

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Event Review: Bitcoin Melbourne June Meetup - Telling The Story Of Bitcoin

At the June Bitcoin Melbourne June meetup we were joined by Dickins (The Bitcoin Doco); and Torsten Hoffmann (Bitcoin: The End Of Money As We Know It) to talk about the challenges faced when building a documentary about Bitcoin. 

It was another great event that and change of pace from previous meetups. 

Here are some pics from the night. 

Thanks again to our sponsor for the night - The Bitcoin Group.

– Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team.

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Bitcoin Melbourne June Meetup - Telling The Story Of Bitcoin

Telling The Story Of Bitcoin

To engage, entertain and educate people on the topic of 'Bitcoin' is particularly challenging given the broad base of disciplines it draws inspiration from. Beyond this, there are deeply personal stories of how the technology has impacted people's lives - these stories present another interesting perspective on how Bitcoin has inspired so many.  

This month we have two people who have taken this challenge on and produced amazing documentaries that traverse a broad range of topics in Bitcoin.

Both have successfully crowdfunded documentaries that tell the story of Bitcoin's rise and how it's impacting so many around the world.

At the June Bitcoin meet up we'll be joined by:

Dale Dickins (The Bitcoin Doco); and

Torsten Hoffmann (Bitcoin: The End Of Money As We Know It)

On the night we'll have a panel discussion about:

• what led them to create a documentary about Bitcoin;  

• the process and challenges of telling the story of Bitcoin;

• why they decided to crowdfund their respective projects; and

• some of their learnings on filming a documentary about such a complex topic.

Also, on the night we plan to screen some scenes from their documentaries!

Schedule For The Night

6.30pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

7.00pm: Panel discussion with Dale and Torsten

7.40pm: Closing remarks

8.00pm - 9.00pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

We look forward to seeing everyone for what is sure to be another fascinating Bitcoin Melbourne meet up.

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

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Event Review: The Great Bitcoin Debate

The Great Bitcoin Debate was an event organised by the Bitcoin Melbourne and FinTech Melbourne meetup groups. 

The event pitted MoneyPlace CEO Stuart Stoyan and Bitcoin Group CEO Sam Lee against each other on very current topic in the FinTech space - Bitcoin is the biggest opportunity in FinTech.

The night was a great success with many commenting that it was an entertaining and enjoyable event. 

Here are some pics from the night. 

Thanks again to our sponsors for the night - EY, The Bitcoin Group and CoinJar. 

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team.

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Event: The Great Bitcoin Debate: CEO vs CEO

When: Thursday, May 21, 20156:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Where: Lab-14, 700 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Bitcoin Melbourne is partnering up with FinTech Melbourne to announce our next exciting event; a CEO vs CEO debate! The topic of the debate is:

"Bitcoin is the biggest opportunity in Fintech"

On the Bitcoin side we have Sam Lee, the CEO of the Bitcoin Group which is listing on the ASX.  Speaking for FinTech, we have Stuart Stoyan, the CEO of MoneyPlace an up-and-coming p2p lender recently featured on the front page of the AFR.

This is going to be an amazing event with much of Melbourne's startup community in attendance.

Places to this event are limited so make sure you RSVP ASAP!

Details:

Date: 21st of May @ 6:30pm   Location:  700 Swanston Street, Carlton, Melbourne (Formerly the Women's Hospital at the corner of Swanston and Grattan St)

Schedule: 6:30pm Drinks and networking   7:00pm Bitcoin debate presentations & Q&A from expert panel   8:15pm Counting of votes   8:30pm Drinks and networking   9:00pm End of night

Sponsors

Events like this don't happen without the generous support of amazing sponsors. Our amazing sponsors for this event are:

The Bitcoin Group  - Australia's premier bitcoin mining company.

Melbourne Bitcoin Technology Centre - Australia's first dedicated Bitcoin co-working space.

CoinJar - CoinJar provides the simplest way to buy, sell and spend bitcoin.

The Week In Bitcoin Newsletter - The best place to get your weekly dose of Bitcoin news. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at www.theweekinbitcoin.com

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Event Review: Bitcoin Melbourne April Meetup - Bitcoin Security 101

For the April meetup we had Sam “Frenchie” Stewart join us to talk bitcoin security. We were also joined by Rob Wilson from Bitscan who spoke about bitcoin pricing and Bitscan’s exciting new project. 

Sam kicked the night off with a meme packed presentation on some of the simple things we can all do to keep our bitcoin safe. Unsurprisingly,when it comes to security, it’s the simple things that yield the biggest returns (e.g. strong passwords, enabling 2FA etc). 

Rob followed Sam up with a fascinating analysis of the current bitcoin price. Many were enthralled by the technical analysis he provided. 

Rob also spoke about Bitscan’s latest project - a marketplace for those selling goods for bitcoin. It looks like a fantastic platform. Check it out www.bitscan.com

Next month we’ve got a BIG meetup planned - watch this space! 

--- Alan and the Melbourne Meetup Team

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Bitcoin Melbourne April Meetup - Bitcoin Security 101

At this month's Bitcoin Melbourne meetup we'll be talking Bitcoin security with bitcoin security expert and all-round infosec Sam Stewart.

We'll also be joined by Rob Wilson of Bitscan to chat nurturing the Bitcoin economy.

Bitcoin Security 101

Bitcoin (the currency) is unlike any other asset. It can easily be transacted locally and abroad with low levels of friction. This ease of use is partly facilitated by the fact that the person who holds the private keys to a wallet is the owner. In 'bitcoin world' possession is 100% ownership.

This is obviously a double edged sword. One only need look at popular media to see stories of hackings, loss of private keys and even accidental 'gifting' of bitcoin by revealing private keys on TV.

This month we've invited bitcoin security expert and all-round infosec Sam Stewart to come in and talk bitcoin security.

Specifically, Sam will be speaking about:

• Bitcoin security 'best practices';

• Common mistakes people make when storing their bitcoin;

• How to avoid these common mistakes; and

• The direction of bitcoin security.

If you want to learn about the bitcoin security landscape and pick up some great tips on how to lock down your bitcoin this is a not to be missed session.

Nurturing The Bitcoin Economy

We'll also be joined by Rob Wilson of Bitscan who'll be chatting about how we can nurture the Bitcoin economy.

This is sure to be an interesting conversation.

Schedule For The Night

6.30pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

7.00pm: Bitcoin Security (Sam Stewart)

7.30pm: Nurturing The Bitcoin Economy - a conversation (Rob Wilson)

8.00pm: Closing remarks

8.00pm - 9.00pm: Drinks and networking on the deck of MBTC

We look forward to seeing everyone for what is sure to be another facinating Bitcoin Melbourne meetup.

-- Alan & The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

[bitcoinmelbourne-blog]

Event Review: Bitcoin Melbourne March Meetup - CoinJar: The Story So Far.

For the March Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup we were joined by CoinJar to hear about their latest product updates.

To kick the meetup off Sam from The Bitcoin Group spoke briefly about bitcoin mining and what the future holds for the industry.

Sam from CoinJar then held stage to tell us about the latest CoinJar product updates. 

It was great to hear about the latest upgrades to the CoinJar platform and their vision for the future of finance. Many mentioned how impressed they were with the changes to the CoinJar UX & UI and the ease of transacting on the platform.

It’s clear the way we experience finance will change dramatically over the coming years and getting a glimpse of one version of this future was fascinating. 

Thanks as always to MBTC for hosting us and CoinJar for sponsoring the event. 

--- Alan & the Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

[bitcoinmelbourne-blog]

Bitcoin Accepted Here: LegalVision

We love promoting businesses that accept bitcoin and if they work with the startup community then it's double kudos. 

Earlier this week, LegalVision reached out to let me know that they accept bitcoin - and they work with startups too!

If you haven't heard of LegalVision, they're a "one-stop-shop legal services provider." Checkout their website for further details about what they can do for you - https://legalvision.com.au/ 

As a special offer for the the Bitcoin Melbourne Community, they are giving 15% off when the discount code "BitcoinMelb" is used. Thanks LegalVision!

If you're a business that accepts bitcoin let us know and we'll happily give you a plug ;)

-- Alan 

[bitcoinmelbourne-blog]

Community Event: Bitcoin Melbourne March Meetup - CoinJar: The Story So Far

Bitcoin Melbourne March Meetup - CoinJar: The Story So Far

When: Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 6.30 PM to 9:00 PM; Where: Melbourne Bitcoin Technology Centre, Level 1, 89 - 91 City Road, Southbank, Melbourne 

If you've been keeping an eye on recent Bitcoin news you would've seen that Melbourne Bitcoin startup, CoinJar, has launched a range of new features on their platform.

In the last few months they've redesigned their site, introduced the innovative Hedged Account product, released a new iOS app, launched Australia's first bitcoin debit card (CoinJar Swipe) and setup operations in the UK. To say they've been busy is clearly an understatement.  

That's why we're excited to be joined by the CoinJar team to hear their story so far.

More specifically, we'll hear about:

• why they started their platform;

• the challenges they faced in building out their solution;

• the lessons they've learned; and

•  how they've managed to keep innovating in the crowded consumer bitcoin space.

If you're interested in hearing from a true Melbourne Bitcoin success story, come along to the March Bitcoin Melbourne meetup.

Schedule For The Night

6.30pm: Arrival And Mingling On The MBTC Bitcoin Deck

7.00pm: A Bitcoin Melbourne Community Update

7.15pm: CoinJar: The Story So Far

8.00pm: Conclusion Of Proceedings

8.00pm - 9pm: Mingling & Bitcoin Chatter On The MBTC Bitcoin Deck

-- Alan and The Bitcoin Melbourne Meetup Team

[bitcoinmelbourne-blog]

Upcoming Event: Bitcoin Professionals Meetup - Smart Contracting

Bitcoin Professionals Melbourne Meetup - Smart Contracting 

When: Monday, March 2, 2015, 5:45 PM to 8:00; Where: PwC, 2 Southbank Blvd, Southbank VIC 3006, Melbourne

For those still coming to grips with Bitcoin. we want to open up things even further, and talk about Bitcoin 2.0

In a nutshell, Bitcoin 2.0 rests on being able to apply the public, distributed blockchain technology that lies underneath Bitcoin and apply this to create so-called "smart contracts" ... contracts that are independently, transparently verifiable and, potentially, self-executing.  Think automatic property settlements, self-regulating corporations law, and more.

Speaking at the event will be Sydney siders Amor Sexton (Adroit lawyers) and Jonathan Briasco (Vennd.io).

This is going to be a great event, to ensure you don't miss out RSVP NOW.

[bitcoinmelbourne-blog]

Community Project: The Week In Bitcoin

The Week In Bitcoin is a weekly curated newsletter that contains the most important and interesting news from the world of Bitcoin.

It’s curated by Alan Tsen (co-organiser of the Melbourne Bitcoin meetup) and read by many industry insiders as their way to keep in touch with all the latest happening in the world of Bitcoin.

If you haven’t yet signed up for your weekly dose of Bitcoin news delivered straight to your inbox every Friday - sign up now at www.theweekinbitcoin.com

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Community Event Review: Eileen Ormsby on Silk Road @ MBTC February Meetup

For our February Melbourne Bitcoin meetup we were joined by Eileen Ormsby to talk all things Silk Road.

For those who haven't heard of Eileen, she's the author of ‘Silk Road’ - a book covering the rise and fall of the now infamous drug (and all things illicit) marketplace. If you haven’t purchased a copy of it do check it out HERE.

The fall of the marketplace has been of much interest to the media. It has provided ammunition to the idea that bitcoin, the currency, is only useful as a means to purchase drugs. In fact, many in the general community have built a negative association with bitcoin because of the now defunct site. Having said this, some have argued that it has helped accelerate bitcoin, as its use on Silk Road has been a robust proving ground for its ability to move value quickly and with little friction. 

For those keeping up with the news you'll know that, as part of an FBI undercover investigation, Ross Ulbricht was arrested and recently convicted of a number of charges pertaining to his involvement in Silk Road. More specifically, he was convicted of charges relating to drug trafficking and money laundering. He’ll likely be sentenced in May.

The narrative told by the prosecution was Ulbricht was the mastermind behind Silk Road (known as Dread Pirate Roberts on the marketplace).  The prosecution painted him as a drug kingpin who left a trail of damning evidence; while the defence ran with a narrative that portrayed him as a naive kid framed by a grand puppet master. Intriguing stuff to say the least.

On the night Eileen spoke about the trial and all the salacious details that came out during testimony.  She spoke of characters that played a pivotal part in the market’s rise and those who helped bring down Ulbricbht. It was a fascinating look into the complex world of dark markets.  

To say it was an interesting meetup would be a huge understatement.

Make sure you come along to our next meetup in March - it’s sure to be a cracker too.

--- Alan & the Melbourne Bitcoin Meetup team