Hello! Ben Weiss here.

This week, crypto’s attention has shifted down south to Nashville, Tennessee.

Thousands have flocked to “Music City” for Bitcoin 2024, one of the industry’s largest conferences of the year.

The headliners are heavyweights. There’s Cathie Wood of Ark Invest, laser-eyed Michael Saylor, and, weirdly, Russell Brand, the comedian-turned-conspiracist.

But the real draws are the politicians. 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are both speakers.

And, on Saturday, none other than former President Donald Trump will take the stage.

Crypto will, again, be in the national spotlight — and so will the industry’s struggles with gender representation.

Nine men to women

Of the seven headliners, Wood is the only woman. 

And, beyond the main draws, there are almost nine men to every female speaker, according to an analysis DL News conducted.

In other words, women represent only 13% of the conference’s speakers — and that’s worse than five years ago, when 17% of the Bitcoin conference’s speakers were identifiably female.

For many women in crypto, gender disparity on the conference stage isn’t news.

That’s why some, like Amanda Wick, founder of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, are pushing for industry-wide inclusion.

There are 56 women speakers at Bitcoin 2024, and 11 male speakers named Matt.

Not everyone wants to go to, what one X user aptly called, a “Matt Gala.”

Ethereum ETF trading kicks off as BlackRock, Fidelity, and others jockey for dominance

Thomas Carreras and Eric Johansson dive into the launch of the long-anticipated spot Ethereum ETFs and their effect on Ether’s price.

A Trump-driven financial crisis would be Bitcoin’s true test

Will Trump truly be good for Bitcoin? Wolfgang Münchau explores how Trump’s potential reelection will help or harm the world’s largest cryptocurrency.

Crypto struggles with sexism just as the industry becomes an election issue

The “crypto bro” is an industry stereotype. Ben Weiss and Joanna Wright talk to women who are trying to barge into the boys club.

Post of the week

Move over Met Gala. Here come the Matts!