Bitcoin billionaire twins to address St Moritz crypto event

The Winkelvoss twins are among the biggest cryptocurrency investors in the world. AFP

Cameron and Tyler Winkelvoss, who made a fortune out of bitcoin, are to deliver a keynote speech at next year’s Crypto Finance Conference in St Moritz. The annual gathering of cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and investors has become a fixture event, running just before the World Economic Forum’s flagship Davos summit.

The twin brothers famously fell out with Mark Zuckerberg, suing the Facebook founder for allegedly stealing their idea for the social media site. Since then they have built the Gemini crypto exchange and Winkelvoss Capital Management. They have also tried to break new ground in financial services with a so-far unsuccessful attempt to launch a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF).

The Crypto Finance ConferenceExternal link (CfC St Moritz) was itself formed by two brothers, the Swiss siblings Nicolo and Andrea-Franco Stöhr. Gearing up for its third edition in St Moritz from January 15-17, it now runs similar events in the United States and Japan.

The exclusive event has built a reputation for deal-making by marrying up the latest blockchain innovations with deep-pocketed private equity investors. Switzerland has also built up a name for itself as one of the most prominent global hubs for cryptocurrency and blockchain enterprises.

Other speakers at the 2020 CfC St Moritz will include Bob McElrath, Blockchain Architect at Fidelity Digital Assets – the expanding cryptocurrency arm of heavyweight financial services firm Fidelity International.

Charles Chang, a professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, will also address the event on crypto asset developments in China, a country that for years has been a prominent blockchain player. European parliament member Eva Kaili is also on the speaker list for an event that takes place as governments and regulators debate how to deal with the implications of digital finance.