Bitcoin 2026 Opens to a Cold Reception: Empty Seats, Protests, and Awkward Moments

BroadChain, April 28 - According to Protos, the Bitcoin 2026 conference opened this week at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, but the atmosphere was subdued. Bitcoin's price has dropped from $110,000 a year ago to below $79,000, and the organizer Nakamoto (NAKA) stock has fallen over 99% compared to last year's conference period, closing below $0.20.

The main stage was nearly empty on the first day of the conference, with two senior officials attending remotely. A forum titled "Code is Free Speech," originally scheduled to feature FBI Director Kash Patel and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, turned into an awkward display as both were absent. Lauren, the wife of Samourai wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez, was escorted away by security for holding a "#FreeSamourai" sign, but the issue was later resolved through coordination with the organizers. Her complaint garnered 140,000 views on X platform.

In his speech, Acting Attorney General Blanche did not commit to stopping prosecutions of Bitcoin developers, only stating that developers would generally not be prosecuted if they "did not know and did not assist third parties in using their code for criminal activities," while emphasizing that money laundering and sanctions violations still require accountability. Iowa Republican Representative Zach Nunn claimed he "started mining 20 years ago," but the Bitcoin whitepaper was only released in 2008, making this statement untenable.