As Bitcoin gains global traction, Madeira, uniquely located in the Atlantic Ocean, positions itself as a haven for Bitcoin enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and wealth. The inaugural Bitcoin Atlantis conference launches to make the island a global hub for innovation, attracting talent worldwide.
As the conference approaches, we had the opportunity to interview André Loja, founder of the initiative.
The Bitcoin Atlantis Conference — Interview with André Loja
Could you briefly introduce F.R.E.E. Madeira, its mission, and its role in the Bitcoin community?
We are a non-profit organization established in October of last year. F.R.E.E. Madeira originated from a conversation between the President of Madeira and local Bitcoiners.
How did the idea for Bitcoin Atlantis originate, and what were the key motivations behind organizing this event?
Originally the idea was to make a smaller event aimed at bringing more education about Bitcoin in the local community. Some of our advisors, like Samson Mow, pushed to make it bigger and contributed dramatically to the expansion of the original concept.
Suddenly, the conference expanded significantly, featuring 120 confirmed speakers, numerous satellite events in sports, music, and more. A week-long celebration merges family vacation vibes with Bitcoin education and fun through conferences and workshops.
What is the primary objective of Bitcoin Atlantis? How does it align with F.R.E.E. Madeira’s overall mission?
We want to educate the masses about Bitcoin. There’s a long way to go, but we onboarded a lot of great experts and enthusiastic people, and for us who live in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean this is very important.
We think that Bitcoin is here to stay and will grow more, and in order to make Madeira competitive in this global race we need to enlarge the local Bitcoin community and enhance a BTC-denominated circular economy.
Can you elaborate on the participation of Bitcoin giants such as Jack Dorsey, Michael Saylor, Jack Mallers, and Jeff Booth?
We’ve been very lucky to have all these confirmations. Our advisor did a great job in consulting us and bringing more industry leaders. Jeff Booth invited a lot of great personalities, as well as Samson Mow and a lot of others. We are very thankful to our advisors.
Who is the primary target audience for Bitcoin Atlantis? What kind of attendees can expect to gain from this event?
From an organizational perspective, we have two main targets:
The inhabitants of Madeira: Nine out of ten people here don’t know anything about Bitcoin or confuse it with “crypto”, so we want to provide the best education possible to them.
In order to reach this goal, we created special tickets exclusively for locals and invited public entities and government executives that are willing to understand more about Bitcoin.
Professional Bitcoiners: We want to attract great individuals like corporations, businesses and entrepreneurs to the island in order to enrich our economic ecosystem and foster investments and innovation in the island.
How does Bitcoin Atlantis cater to both experienced Bitcoin enthusiasts and newcomers seeking to learn more about the technology?
Madeira is a wonderful place. Bitcoiners are very supportive.
Enhancing the lineup is the stadium atmosphere, family-friendly satellite events, golf and football tournaments, parties, film festivals, hiking, and boat trips—culminating in a unique Madeira experience. Expect a perfect blend of Bitcoin education and relaxation in one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
What are the long-term goals and aspirations for Bitcoin Atlantis? How do you envision it developing in future editions?
To be honest, we are completely focused on the present. This is the first edition and managing a stadium conference is something very new to us.
There’s a lot to think about and we prefer to channel all our energies in making a great first impression and deliver the best result possible in 2024, before we even start thinking about any possible next edition.
What impact do you hope to have on the Madeiran economy and its potential as a hub for Bitcoin-related businesses and innovation?
It’s an amazing opportunity for Madeira and Portugal. We aim to create a Bitcoin business hub, and in order to achieve this, nothing is more impactful than a conference like Bitcoin Atlantis.
This will be the biggest conference ever held in Madeira.
A lot of people are curious, and mainstream names like Jack Dorsey will attract a lot of attention, both locally and internationally.
How does F.R.E.E. Madeira utilize Bitcoin in its operations and community engagement efforts?
I’m a businessman here in Madeira. Integrated Bitcoin payments are part of my everyday experience as a professional. Bitcoin adoption by merchants is working really well here.
All kinds of businesses are transitioning to Bitcoin and Lightning. F.R.E.E Madeira makes no difference. It will be a 50-50. All the payment options will be accepted, from traditional means of payment like fiat to Bitcoin payments, both on-chain and via Lightning Network.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities F.R.E.E. Madeira faces promoting Bitcoin adoption in Madeira and the broader community?
We are a semi-autonomous region. The government, the EU Central Bank and regulators in general don’t understand or don’t want to understand Bitcoin. There’s a lot of incompetence and ignorance.
In my opinion, the EU represents the worst Bitcoin scenario in the world, and this is one of the main challenges. We’ve also had a lot of negative feedback when we started organizing the conference, like “Why are you doing this? It’s not gonna work.”
I’ve always replied that the general ignorance on the subject is why we’re doing it. It will take a lot of time to educate Brussels and the EU. We’re here to accelerate the process.
Bitcoin Atlantis takes place March 1-3, 2024.
Find out more about the conference here.
