[PRESS RELEASE]
The famous white beach of Boracay is set to play host to bitcoin and venture capital leaders from around the world, as the first-ever Bitcoin Island Retreat experience takes on the most bitcoin-friendly community in the Philippines.
The inaugural event from March 27 to 29, 2023 will feature a lineup of dynamic, globally-recognized speakers across multiple industries and crypto-business sectors at the Henann Regency Resort and Spa.
Pouch.ph CEO Ethan Rose, lead organizer of the Bitcoin Island Retreat, announced that the list of speakers includes HCM Capital Founder and Managing Partner Jack Lee, Mimesis Capital Founder, CEO, and CIO Louis Liu, former Sequoia Capital crypto investor Augie Ilag, and Lightning Ventures general partner Mike “Muzz” Jarmuz.
One of the esteemed keynote speakers is former Solicitor General and current Silliman University (SU) College of Law Dean Florin Hilbay, who recently launched a book that explains the evolution of money and why Bitcoin is, as described by him, the “latest and most appropriate iteration” of money.
Elijah Tan, Vice President of Operations at Coins.ph, the largest crypto exchange and digital wallet in the Philippines, will be in attendance and speaking at the must-attend event. As former Fiat Exchange Lead at Binance, Tan will discuss bringing crypto and web3 use cases to solve challenges in the global markets.
Albert Buu, Founder, and CEO of Vietnam-based bitcoin-only startup Neutronpay, will be giving his take on the growth of bitcoin and lightning in Southeast Asia.
The event will also have the participation of renowned Bitcoin educators and entrepreneurs:
- Lyman Manzanaer, founder of Lightning Coop
- Jiro Reyes, founder and CEO of Bitskwela.com
- Gillian Kok, entrepreneur, and holistic therapist
- Chris Tan, entrepreneur and creator
- Stephan Livera, podcaster and head of education at Swan Bitcoin
- Mary Imausen, bitcoin podcast host
- Joey Miyamoto, bitcoin/lightning researcher
- Hodling Carla, founder of Hodling Apparel
- Rafael Padilla, legal director of Farcove Consulting
- Roy Miclat, president of 1 Cooperative Insurance System of the Philippines (1CISP)
- Bill Hill, community lead of Bitcoin Island
Ethan Rose shared, “We’re extremely excited to be putting on the first Bitcoin Island Retreat in Boracay. Bitcoin adoption in the Philippines has been blooming by leaps and bounds, ranking second globally. We want Boracay to be the epicenter of this advancement in the country.”
Bitcoin builders and enthusiasts are expected to flock to the event running Monday through Wednesday to network, pitch ideas and share announcements. Aside from interacting with the trailblazers in the blockchain technology space, attendees get to experience living completely off of Bitcoin. Pouch.ph has enabled more than 250 locations, such as restaurants, hotels, and even sari-sari stores, to accept lightning payments and receive instant, final settlement in Philippine Pesos with no fees.
Ethan Rose added, “Bitcoin lightning payment is changing the game for tourists and even local communities of this beautiful island. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Bitcoin, and experience how the Lightning Network can improve our lives.”
The event will kick off with two days of circular introductions, tag discussions, and keynote speakers providing the latest developments on the lightning network and sharing their exciting ongoing projects and outlook on the bitcoin ecosystem.
Bitskwela, a key partner of the event, will host the parallel education track where hands-on sessions will touch on topics such as how to get businesses to sign up for bitcoin payments, how to give a technical demos, how to gain complete control of your bitcoins, etc.
Apart from the speaking conferences, Bitcoin Island Retreat will also hold official after-parties and networking events in venues that accept Bitcoin. Attendees will also stand a chance at landing a Bitcoin booty if they can find the 12-word seed phrase to a private key owned by Dread Pirate Nakamoto. The words are placed around the island and the Bitcoin bounty will go to whoever finds them first.
The Bitcoin Island Retreat is co-presented by Coins.ph and sponsored by Bitskwela and Orange Pill App.
Conference passes for locals and international participants are available for purchase on Bitcoin Island Retreat’s official website, with ticket prices increasing every Friday. The Bitcoin Island Retreat is expected to draw interest from the global crypto community, as the Bitcoin-specific space continues to grow each year in the Philippines.
To reserve a spot at this year’s premier Bitcoin event, register at https://pouch.ph/retreatrsvp.
For more information about Bitcoin Island Retreat, follow @BtcRetreat on Twitter.
About Pouch.ph
Pouch.ph is one of the most innovative startups in the Philippines – enabling faster, more affordable, and more borderless payments via Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Pouch is currently running its closed Beta for a select group of individual early adopters as well as for 250+ merchants in Boracay.
For more information about Pouch.ph, visit https://pouch.ph and follow us on Facebook.
