I just got back from Bitcoin Asia 2025 in Hong Kong and honestly, this was one of the most eye-opening crypto conferences I’ve attended in a while. Held on August 28-29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event drew over 15,000 attendees and featured some of the biggest names in the industry. Here’s my raw take on what went down and what it means for the crypto market.
The Vibe on the Ground in Hong Kong
Walking into the HKCEC, you could immediately feel the energy. Hong Kong is positioning itself as a global digital asset hub, and this conference was proof that the city means business. The crowd was a mix of institutional players, retail investors, builders, and media from across Asia and beyond. Compared to last year’s debut edition, Bitcoin Asia 2025 felt significantly bigger and more polished — a sign that the region’s appetite for crypto is only growing.
What struck me most was the diversity of conversations happening. It wasn’t just about Bitcoin price action. People were talking regulation, tokenization of real-world assets, mining infrastructure, AI integration, and the geopolitical dynamics shaping crypto adoption across Asia. The conference really captured the full spectrum of where this industry is headed.
Eric Trump’s Bold $1 Million Bitcoin Prediction
The headline moment of the conference was undoubtedly Eric Trump’s keynote. The son of U.S. President Donald Trump and co-founder of Bitcoin mining firm American Bitcoin (ABTC) took the stage and didn’t hold back. He declared with absolute confidence that Bitcoin will hit $1 million within the next several years, saying there’s “no question” about it.
His reasoning? Nation states are buying Bitcoin. Fortune 500 companies are accumulating. The biggest families and institutions on Earth believe in this digital store of value. “Everybody wants Bitcoin. Everybody is buying Bitcoin,” he told the crowd. He also pointed out that despite all this institutional demand, current Bitcoin holders are still “early” because the vast majority of market participants haven’t caught on to digital money yet.
Eric also praised Simon Gerovich, CEO of Japanese Bitcoin treasury company Metaplanet, which he recently joined as a board advisor. The Trump family’s crypto push into Asia is clearly accelerating — after Hong Kong, Eric headed to Japan for Metaplanet’s shareholder meeting, with Korea Blockchain Week and Token 2049 in Singapore also on the calendar.
CZ on Bitcoin as Global Reserve Currency
Another massive moment came from Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who made the case that Bitcoin will become the world’s reserve currency. Speaking to the packed venue, CZ explained this isn’t just speculation — governments, companies, and institutions are already moving in this direction.
He highlighted how Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan are opening the doors for trillions of dollars to flow into crypto. Big companies are adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets following MicroStrategy’s playbook. And tokenized assets like treasury bills, real estate, and commodities are pulling billions into the crypto ecosystem, creating a bridge between traditional finance and digital assets.
CZ’s point about Asia was particularly compelling: the region now accounts for 43% of global crypto ownership, with Hong Kong leading the charge after approving spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and rolling out supportive regulatory frameworks. Countries like Japan, Korea, India, and Singapore are seeing rapid growth too.
The Geopolitical Undercurrents
What made this conference especially interesting was the geopolitical backdrop. The event took place amid ongoing global trade tensions, and the intersection of politics and crypto was impossible to ignore. Notably, a Hong Kong government official and a lawmaker reportedly withdrew from the conference following advice not to engage directly with Eric Trump — a reminder that crypto diplomacy is still navigating complex political waters.
Despite that, the broader message was clear: Hong Kong is committed to being a crypto-friendly jurisdiction. The city’s regulatory framework is evolving to balance innovation with compliance, and the sheer scale of Bitcoin Asia 2025 showed that the market is responding positively.
Government Bitcoin Holdings Are Growing
One of the most fascinating data points discussed at the conference: governments worldwide now hold more than 460,000 BTC, roughly 2.3% of the total supply. The U.S. leads with nearly 198,000 BTC (mostly from criminal seizures), while China surprisingly holds around 190,000 BTC despite years of crypto restrictions. El Salvador has built a treasury worth over $1.3 billion since making Bitcoin legal tender in 2021. The UAE, Bhutan, India, and Japan are quietly adding to their reserves as well.
This shift from viewing Bitcoin as a “digital experiment” to treating it as a national strategic asset is one of the most significant trends in crypto right now. When sovereign nations are stacking sats, you know the game has changed.
AI Meets Crypto: The Emerging Narrative
Beyond the Bitcoin-specific discussions, there was a strong undercurrent of AI and crypto convergence at the conference. AI agents managing crypto portfolios, AI-powered trading models, and the intersection of machine learning with blockchain infrastructure were hot topics in side conversations and panels. The idea that AI models could eventually interact autonomously with decentralized finance protocols is gaining serious traction, and it was clear that builders in Asia are at the forefront of this trend.
Hong Kong’s dual push into both AI and digital assets makes it a natural hub for this convergence. Several projects showcased at the conference were exploring how AI agents could optimize DeFi strategies, automate compliance, and even participate in governance — a space worth watching closely.
My Key Takeaways
Bitcoin Asia 2025 reinforced a few things for me. First, Asia is no longer just “catching up” to the West on crypto — in many ways, it’s leading. The regulatory clarity in Hong Kong, the institutional adoption in Japan, and the sheer volume of retail participation across the region make Asia the most dynamic crypto market in the world right now.
Second, the institutional narrative is real. Between Eric Trump’s $1 million prediction, CZ’s reserve currency thesis, and the growing list of governments holding Bitcoin, we’re watching the asset class mature in real time. Bitcoin at around $108,000 during the conference felt like a waypoint, not a destination.
Third, the convergence of AI and crypto is the next major narrative to watch. The builders I met in Hong Kong are already working on this, and I expect we’ll see some breakout projects emerge from Asia in the coming months.
If you want the full unfiltered experience, check out the vlog above. It was an incredible few days in Hong Kong, and I can’t wait to see how these trends play out through the rest of 2025 and beyond.
Michael Gu
Michael Gu, Creator of Boxmining, stared in the Blockchain space as a Bitcoin miner in 2012. Something he immediately noticed was that accurate information is hard to come by in this space. He started Boxmining in 2017 mainly as a passion project, to educate people on digital assets and share his experiences. Being based in Asia, Michael also found a huge discrepancy between digital asset trends and knowledge gap in the West and China.