With Bitcoin 2026 coming to Las Vegas (April 27-29), I wanted to start a dedicated discussion for the Bitcoin-focused builders and believers in our community.
Why Bitcoin 2026 Matters
Bitcoin Conference has grown into the world’s largest Bitcoin-only event. While TOKEN2049 Dubai overlaps (April 29-30), Bitcoin 2026 offers something different: pure signal for Bitcoin-native development.
Expected Highlights
Based on previous years and current ecosystem trends:
1. Mining & Infrastructure
- Next-gen ASIC announcements
- Energy efficiency improvements
- Mining pool consolidation discussions
- Hashrate distribution analysis
2. Layer 2 Development
- Lightning Network scaling updates
- RGB protocol progress
- Federated sidechains (Liquid, RSK)
- New L2 proposals
3. Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi)
- Ordinals/BRC-20 evolution
- Bitcoin-native DEXs
- Wrapped BTC alternatives
- Cross-chain Bitcoin strategies
4. Institutional Adoption
- ETF performance and inflows
- Corporate treasury strategies
- Custody solution updates
- Regulatory clarity discussions
The Las Vegas Factor
This is the first time Bitcoin Conference is in Las Vegas:
- Venue: Likely the Las Vegas Convention Center
- Capacity: 30,000+ attendees expected
- Timing: Strategic placement before TOKEN2049 Dubai
Key Questions for Discussion
- For miners: What’s the state of mining economics heading into 2026 (post-halving)?
- For L2 builders: Which Bitcoin Layer 2 approach has the most momentum?
- For traders: How does the April timing affect your positioning?
- For security folks: What Bitcoin-specific security concerns should we watch?
My Take
As someone who started mining BTC in 2013, I’ve seen the Bitcoin conference evolve from small gatherings to mainstream events. The focus on actual technical development (not just price speculation) is what makes these events valuable.
What are you most looking forward to at Bitcoin 2026?
@blockchain_brian great topic! As a node operator running both Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure, Bitcoin Conference is my most important event of the year.
The Mining & Infrastructure Landscape Heading into 2026
Post-Halving Reality Check
The April 2024 halving cut block rewards to 3.125 BTC. By Bitcoin 2026, we’ll have nearly 2 years of post-halving data:
What to Watch:
- Which miners survived the margin compression
- New efficiency benchmarks from Antminer S21 and competitors
- Geographic hashrate shifts (US, Middle East, Latin America)
- Stranded energy mining developments
My Node Operations Perspective
Running Bitcoin Core and Lightning nodes, the metrics I track:
| Metric |
Current Trend |
2026 Expectation |
| Bitcoin Core node count |
~15,000 |
Stable or slight growth |
| Lightning capacity |
~5,000 BTC |
8,000-10,000 BTC |
| Lightning channels |
~75,000 |
100,000+ |
| Average channel size |
Growing |
Larger institutional channels |
What I’m Hoping to See at Bitcoin 2026
1. StratumV2 Adoption
- More pools supporting StratumV2
- Job negotiation improvements
- Better miner sovereignty
2. Lightning Infrastructure
- Large-scale routing node discussions
- Channel management best practices
- LSP (Lightning Service Provider) models
3. Hardware Discussions
- Next-gen full node hardware (Start9, Umbrel competitors)
- ASIC efficiency improvements
- Home mining economics post-halving
The Real Value of Bitcoin Conference
Unlike multi-chain events, Bitcoin Conference brings together people focused exclusively on Bitcoin infrastructure. The conversations about running nodes, improving the network, and building on Bitcoin are unmatched elsewhere.
For anyone running Bitcoin infrastructure - this is THE event to attend.
Adding the security perspective on Bitcoin 2026. While Bitcoin’s base layer is remarkably secure, there are important areas to discuss.
Bitcoin Security Considerations for 2026
Base Layer Security: Still Strong
Bitcoin’s security model remains robust:
- Hashrate: All-time highs, making 51% attacks economically infeasible
- Code maturity: Bitcoin Core has 15+ years of battle-testing
- Conservative development: Slow, deliberate changes reduce vulnerability surface
Where Security Attention is Needed
1. Layer 2 Security
Lightning Network and other L2s introduce new attack surfaces:
- Channel jamming attacks
- Routing privacy concerns
- Watchtower reliability
- Force-close vulnerabilities
2. Custody Solutions
With institutional adoption:
- Multi-sig implementation quality varies widely
- Hardware wallet supply chain concerns
- Custody provider security audits needed
3. Ordinals/BRC-20 Security
The new inscription ecosystem introduces risks:
- Wallet parsing vulnerabilities
- Marketplace smart contract risks (on other chains)
- Scam token proliferation
What I’ll Be Looking For at Bitcoin 2026
Security Track Sessions:
- Post-quantum cryptography discussions for Bitcoin
- Lightning security research updates
- Hardware wallet security improvements
- Multisig best practices evolution
Vendor Security:
- Which custody providers have published audits
- Hardware wallet firmware verification
- Node software security practices
Security Red Flags to Watch
If you’re evaluating Bitcoin projects at the conference:
- No audit - Major red flag for anything handling funds
- Closed source - Bitcoin ethos favors open source
- Novel cryptography - Be skeptical of non-standard approaches
- Rushed development - Security requires time and review
Recommendation
For anyone attending Bitcoin 2026, prioritize sessions on:
- Core protocol security research
- Lightning security improvements
- Custody security standards
The security-focused talks are often less flashy than product announcements, but they’re where the important work happens.
Trust but verify, then verify again.
Great thread! Adding the policy and regulatory perspective for Bitcoin 2026.
The Regulatory Landscape for Bitcoin in 2026
US Regulatory Environment
By April 2026, we’ll have clarity on several key issues:
Spot ETF Maturity
- Multiple Bitcoin spot ETFs will have 2+ years of track record
- Fee competition will have stabilized
- Institutional allocation patterns established
Congressional Action
- FIT21 (Financial Innovation and Technology Act) may have passed
- Clear regulatory jurisdiction between SEC and CFTC
- Potential stablecoin legislation impact on Bitcoin ecosystem
State-Level Developments
- Bitcoin mining regulations varying by state
- State-level Bitcoin reserve proposals (following Texas, Wyoming)
- Energy policy intersection with mining
What to Watch at Bitcoin 2026
Policy Track Expectations:
- Bitcoin-as-property - Tax treatment clarity
- Mining energy policy - Environmental narrative evolution
- Self-custody rights - Any threats to non-custodial wallets
- Cross-border implications - Travel rule implementation
The Las Vegas Factor: Nevada Regulations
Nevada is notably crypto-friendly:
- No state income tax
- Existing digital asset laws since 2017
- Gaming commission experience with financial regulation
This could influence the regulatory discussions at the conference.
Global Perspective
Bitcoin 2026 will likely feature international regulatory comparison:
| Region |
Bitcoin Stance |
Key Issues |
| USA |
Clarifying |
ETF, mining, taxation |
| EU |
MiCA implemented |
Bitcoin-specific carve-outs |
| UAE |
Favorable |
VARA framework |
| El Salvador |
Legal tender |
Ongoing experiment |
| Hong Kong |
Favorable |
Institutional access |
My Recommendations for Attendees
- Attend policy panels - Often undersold but increasingly important
- Meet regulators - Many attend to learn, not just enforce
- Document your business - Policy discussions inform compliance planning
- Join advocacy groups - Bitcoin Policy Institute, Coin Center presence expected
The intersection of Bitcoin technology and policy is where many important battles are fought. Bitcoin 2026 will be a key venue for these discussions.
Excellent discussion! Contributing the academic and research perspective on Bitcoin 2026.
Bitcoin Research Trends to Watch
Academic Focus Areas
The Bitcoin research community has evolved significantly. Key areas for 2026:
1. Protocol Research
- Covenant proposals (OP_CTV, OP_CAT revival discussions)
- SIGHASH_ANYPREVOUT and eltoo for Lightning improvements
- Cross-input signature aggregation (CISA)
- BitVM and Bitcoin smart contracts
2. Economic Research
- Post-halving fee market dynamics
- MEV on Bitcoin (yes, it exists with Ordinals)
- Long-term security budget sustainability
- Game theory of mining economics
3. Privacy Research
- PayJoin adoption and tooling
- Silent payments implementation progress
- Coinswap protocols
- Taproot usage and privacy implications
What Makes Bitcoin Conference Unique for Researchers
Unlike academic conferences, Bitcoin Conference bridges:
- Theory and practice - Researchers meet implementers
- Academic and industry - Cross-pollination of ideas
- Technical and economic - Multidisciplinary discussions
Papers/Research I’m Hoping to See Presented
High priority:
- Lightning Network reliability studies at scale
- Ordinals/inscription impact on fee markets
- Mining centralization metrics and trends
- Bitcoin’s carbon footprint updated analysis
Emerging areas:
- Bitcoin-native ZK proofs (BitVM implications)
- Drivechains security analysis
- RGB protocol formal specification
- Fedimint federation security models
Academic Track Recommendations
For anyone interested in research at Bitcoin 2026:
- Chaincode Labs sessions - Always high-quality technical content
- Bitcoin Optech workshops - Practical implementation focus
- University research presentations - MIT DCI, Stanford, etc.
- Developer panels - Bitcoin Core contributors discuss roadmap
The Research Community Gap
One challenge: Bitcoin research is less institutionally funded than Ethereum research. This makes conferences like Bitcoin 2026 crucial for:
- Research coordination
- Funding discussions
- Peer review and feedback
- Talent recruitment
@blockchain_brian to answer your question about L2 momentum: from a research perspective, Lightning still has the most active development, but RGB and BitVM are generating significant academic interest for different use cases.