The year’s biggest ‘bitcoin-only’ conference is full of altcoins
Despite years of promises to host a bitcoin (BTC)-only conference, altcoins have overrun David Bailey’s 35,000-attendee event at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas.
Bitcoin 2025, the continent’s largest crypto event, is attracting thousands of people promoting a surprising number of alternative digital assets — including endorsements of non-BTC tokens from the main stage.
Indeed, Justin Sun took to the Nakamoto Stage to promote his tokenized version of BTC, WBTC, which has been the subject of numerous controversies.
Not only that, Sun’s affiliated HTX DAO Ventures, which is connected to Huobi-promoted stablecoins like the failed HUSD and USDD, is a conference sponsor.
During his talk, Sun referred to “raw bitcoin” as a great “way to get your bitcoin into a smart contract platform,” and echoed the possibility of using BTC as collateral to borrow stablecoins.
In the past, the controversial founder has helped issue or promote a dizzying array of altcoins, including TRX, BTT, SUN, JST, USDJ, and many others.
For years, organizers promised to exclude altcoin promotions. Bailey and Bitcoin Magazine staff repeatedly promised to deny altcoin promotions for the annual mega-conference.
In 2019, he asked attendees to “check everything else at the door and come build Bitcoin.” In 2020, he reiterated, “Bitcoin, and only Bitcoin.”
Despite this, there’s a substantial number of non-BTC digital assets sponsoring or exhibiting at Bitcoin 2025.
The altcoins sponsoring and exhibiting at Bitcoin 2025
SUI: Sui is a blockchain with its own proprietary token, SUI. Its biggest on-chain exchange, Cetus, recently suffered a multi-hundred-million-dollar hack.
Quantum Bitcoin: Quantum Bitcoin claims to be “the first quantum-safe proof-of-work roll-up.” It says its very-non-BTC asset, QBTC, could address concerns about quantum computing.
Quai Network: Quai Network (QUAI) says it’s building a blockchain (i.e. not Bitcoin’s blockchain) that uses Qi, some sort of “energy dollar,” whatever that means.
Frax: Frax is building what it describes as “the future of digital money” and says a bitcoin-backed token called frxBTC is “coming soon.” It already has a stablecoin (frxUSD), governance token (FXS), and a variety of other non-BTC assets.
Core DAO: Core advertises its proof-of-stake “layer” and proprietary CORE token via Bitcoin podcasters like Pete Rizzo and the Bitcoin 2025 conference itself.
Citrea: Backed by Jameson Lopp, Citrea is developing a roll-up for Bitcoin that will power stablecoins, incubators, and altcoin exchanges. Citrea is at the center of a civil war about Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN data storage limits.
Read more: Bitcoin nodes protesting OP_RETURN change hit all-time high
SALT Lending: SALT Lending is a bitcoin-backed loan provider that conducted its own initial coin offering (ICO). The Securities and Exchange Commission initiated an administrative proceeding against SALT Lending and won via settlement.
IQ AI: IQ is a platform with a cornucopia of digital assets and agents, including its own IQ token, of course.
Goat Network: Goat Network is a Bitcoin-branded data roll-up that somehow offers yield on BTC deposits while encouraging DOGE staking.
Zeus Network: Zeus Network claims to be a Bitcoin layer on Solana.
DOGGOTOTHEMOON: This memecoin claims that the tiny fractions of BTC containing DOGGOTOTHEMOON data are more valuable than otherwise equivalent fractions of BTC.
It also has a Solana version of its memecoin.
YALA: Yala Lending claims to be developing a method for “bridging BTC’s liquidity across blockchains.” Conveniently, it has its own stablecoin, YU.
Stacks: Stacks conducted its own ICO for STX and promoted a variety of altcoins that have declined 99% like MiamiCoin.
Psy: Psy (formerly QED Protocol) issued a Solana-based proprietary token, PSY.
SoSoValue: SoSoValue was exhibiting four altcoins on the backdrop of its booth on the main expo hall: MAG7, MEME, DEFI, and USSI.
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