SBF opens Aussie Blockchain Week as govt says we’re “open for business”
FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried gave the opening keynote at this year's Blockchain Week, with the events of day one held at the headquarters of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
Addressing the event remotely from the Bahamas, Bankman-Fried used his keynote to announce the launch of FTX Australia, localizing one of the world's largest crypto exchanges by volume. FTX is the naming rights sponsor for the event.
Really excited to launch FTX: Australia!https://t.co/ZcBNEuyiG9https://t.co/jGumMSXMW3 https://t.co/rABSI5Y81O
According to Bankman-Fried, the launch in Australia is part of a larger move for the exchange to be licensed and regulated in as many countries as possible.
He said that the world is “very much” looking for a regional hub in APAC for crypto, stating that other locations in the region “haven’t played out as expected”.
“I think that has really left an opening for someplace to kind of grab that and service that region,” he added.
Australia is looking to market itself as a crypto hub, with comments from the Federal Minister for Financial Services and the Digital Economy, Senator Jane Hume, stating that the country is “open for business” when it comes to cryptocurrencies.
Giving her address at the conference, Hume said that the crypto ecosystem is the new frontier, adding:
The comments echoed those of her colleague, Senator Andrew Bragg, who provided the opening address to the conference. Bragg used his speech to announce the proposal of legislation to reform regulations for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), de-banking, taxes, and licensing for crypto firms in Australia.
Related: Australia’s plan to create a crypto competitive edge in 12 steps
Comparing crypto to the internet boom in the late 1990s, Hume
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