LONGITUDE | Crypto

Industry leaders are convinced that Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency ecosystem are set to take over financial infrastructure and swallow trillions of dollars of assets. Bitcoin all-time highs. Digital asset treasuries. Billions of dollars of institutional inflows. 2025 has been a breakout year for the cryptocurrency space, and this momentum may continue into 2026. The industry’s brightest minds painted an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year at Cointelegraph’s exclusive LONGITUDE event during Token2049 in Singapore. Maelstrom chief investment officer Arthur Hayes, Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, acclaimed author Neal Stephenson and Aave Labs founder Stani Kulechov headlined a program that delved into the major narratives dominating 2025. Read more

Bitcoin has emerged as the only 'true hedge' against geopolitical risk, Animoca Brands' co-founder said at Cointelegraph's LONGITUDE event in Dubai. Retail investors are running out of time to accumulate Bitcoin as institutional adoption accelerates, according to Sergej Kunz, co-founder of exchange aggregator 1inch. Bitcoin (BTC) is evolving into an alternative reserve currency, propelling institutional demand and potentially pricing out retail investors, Kunz said during Cointelegraph's LONGITUDE event in Dubai.  "Every retail user should be thinking about getting at least one Bitcoin — very soon they won’t be able to afford it,” Kunz said.  Read more

Cointelegraph’s LONGITUDE Dubai edition brought together executives from Polygon and Near Protocol to explore the intersection of AI and blockchain. Cryptocurrency can accelerate artificial intelligence adoption by helping AI startups onboard users, according to Polygon's co-founder Sandeep Nailwal. “You can use crypto incentives and disincentives to onboard users to onboard the ecosystem players,” Nailwal said during a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event. He added that projects with effective onchain incentive structures might even “build a better AI because you have this incentive engine that brings in developers,” Nailwal said on May 1. Read more