Bitcoin, an alternative financial system?

Looking at Bitcoin from the perspective of Austrian economics. Is Bitcoin the hardest money ever invented and how is it different from gold?

WHEN:

March 5, 2020

1 pm – 8 pm

WHERE:

Vienna

Austria

Our Mission

Bitcoin - A Controversial Subject

Never before in the history of mankind could we observe the monetarization of an asset in real time. Some are certain that this new digital commodity will change money forever, while others are convinced that Bitcoin is just a bubble which will burst eventually.

Nobody knows how this socio-economic experiment will pan out but there are many who have strong and differing opinions about it. VoB provides a platform to discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of Bitcoin.

The goal is to provide comprehensive understanding and enable all attendees to make well-informed decisions about Bitcoin.

Everything important at a glance

Fast facts

DATE

March 5, 2020

SPEAKERS

15 Proven International Experts

ATTENDEES

100 Innovator and Thought Leader 

LOCATION

Palais Esterházy
Wallnerstraße 4
1010 Vienna, Austria

FORMAT

Open discussions with trusted experts and lectures on recent research about the risks and opportunities of Bitcoin.

AUDIENCE

Business leaders and profound thinkers from all industries looking for innovation in value storage and transfer.

Speakers and Panelists

Highly respected experts, researchers and academics

Participating Experts

Manuel Andersch

Senior FX Analyst, BayernLB

Dr. Beat Weber

Oesterreichische Nationalbank

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Polleit

Chief Economist, Degussa Gold

Rahim Taghizadegan

Rektor, scholarium

Aleksandar Svetski

Founder, Amber App

Aurel Schubert

Economist, WU Vienna

Dr. Arthur Stadler

Partner, Stadler Völkel

Mark Justin Valek

Partner, Incrementum AG

Anita Posch

Bitcoin & Co. Podcast, Author

Ben Kaufman

Open Source Developer

Keyvan Davani

Total Bitcoin Podcast Host

Sven Schnieders

Writer, Limitless Curiosity

Thank you to our

Sponsoring partners

Become a partner and enjoy exclusive benefits

Network and media partners

Selected highlights from past events

Top-Level Speaker

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Polleit

Good Money, bad money – and how Bitcoin fits in

Manuel Andersch

Bitconometrics and what‘s driving the Bitcoin price

Prof. Dr. Saifedean Ammous

Bitcoin as the working free market alternative to national central banks

One afternoon full of in-depth knowledge and discussions

Schedule

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13:00

Doors Open 

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13:45

Welcome

Welcome from your hosts

Johannes Grill – Bitcoin Austria e.V.
Axel Schuster – Capital Bank Vienna
Daniel Wingen – Value of Bitcoin Conference

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14:00

Presentation

Bitcoin as decentralised digital money and its monstrous monetary hunger!

Manuel Andersch, BayernLB

 

Bitcoin is the first form of money that is both: digital and decentralised. In his talk, Manuel will explain why this is kind of big deal and how the three general problems of digital money are solved in Bitcoin. Then, he will clarify why the peer to peer-network of full nodes is the real backbone of Bitcoin and its monetary policy. Of course, Manuel won’t give a talk without referring to the Stock to Flow approach, starting off with a short recap of his last talk about the empirical robustness of the model. He will then lay out which assets could possibly satisfy Bitcoin’s enormous monetary hunger implied by the S2F valuations.

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14:30

Presentation

Truths About Money – Past, Present, and Future

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Polleit, Ludwig von Mises Institut

 

In his talk, Thorsten Polleit will address two timeless issues, which are particularly relevant for all those who wish to improve the current monetary system – be they crypto fans or precious metals advocates –: (1) Money has just one function; and (2) The size of the quantity of money doesn’t matter, that is no specific total supply of money is better than any other. The talk will conclude with making a case against government monopolisation of money production, arguing for a truly free market in money.

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15:00

Panel Discussion

Digital scarcity – will central banks be obsolete within this century?

Beat Weber, Aurel Schubert, Rahim Taghizadegan and Arthur Stadler
moderated by Anita Posch

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16:00

Coffee and Drinks

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16:30

Presentation

The values behind Bitcoin – an ethical assessment

Rahim Taghizadegan, scholarium

 

Many people in traditional finance regard Bitcoin as something dodgy, maybe even a scam. The morality of investing in and using Bitcoin is doubted. Yet, for many adopters, Bitcoin is much more than a digital asset – it is considered a moral stance, an expression of values, not only a medium of value. It is time to critically assess the ethics of Bitcoin and analyze the values behind Bitcoin.

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17:00

Presentation

Austrian Economics is impossible without Bitcoin

Aleksandar Svetski, Amber

 

Austrian economics, and its predecessors, the natural economists, scholastics, et al, have clearly drawn the short straw in the rise of modern-economics.

Until now, their theories have remained just that. Theories, which unfortunately will never have seen application in the real world without the advent of a truly fixed supply, free-market money like Bitcoin.

But thanks to the advent of Bitcoin and the belief, conviction & integrity of those who throughout the years have continued to support and discuss the Austrian school of thought, we now have the opportunity to live in a world where we are free to be who we want to be, are incentivised to be the best we can be, and are rewarded accordingly.

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17:30

Presentation

Bitcoin and The Business Cycle

Ben Kaufman

 

The business cycle has been repeatedly characterized as a flaw inherent in the market economy, one which only the government could remedy. While still widely believed, the utter failure of governments and their central banks to counter these cycles suggests that a different approach might be required. In this talk, we will look at the business cycle theory as formulated by the Austrian School, how it explains the business cycle, and how Bitcoin could offer an opportunity for economic reform, preventing these cycles and putting the economy on the right track.

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18:00

Dinner and Drinks

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19:15

Presentation

Bitconometrics – Econometrics in Bitcoin

Manuel Andersch, BayernLB

 

Since we are only two months from the halving away, Manuel will present the latest Bitconometrics findings on whether the Bitcoin market is forward or backward looking.

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19:45

Presentation

Digital vs Physical Gold: a Prudent Investment Strategy for this Decade

Mark Justin Valek, Incrementum

 

Evidently the trajectory of global debt is highly unsustainable and will be encountered by increasing fiat money debasement this decade. As non-inflatable assets Gold and Bitcoin both provide great investment opportunities during such an environment, although each of them exhibits fundamentally different risk/return characteristics. Whereas bitcoin can be viewed as call option on a developing digital financial system, for the time being it will stay a highly volatile. In contrary to Bitcoin Gold also has non-monetary demand which structurally dampens its volatility and makes it a more stable store of value. A crucial question for investors may be: is it possible to combine both assets to a robust portfolio and even profit from volatility through a disciplined investment strategy?

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20:15

Panel Discussion

Does Bitcoin outperform gold?

Mark Justin Valek, Thorsten Polleit, Manuel Andersch and Sven Schnieders
moderated by Keyvan Davani

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21:00

Snacks, Wine and Beer

The venue

Capital Bank Vienna

Palais Esterházy 
Wallnerstraße 4
1010 Vienna
Austria

Be part of a globally unique experience in 2020

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