More than 500 bitcoin community members will soon be converging on Miami for a direction-setting conference aimed at driving the currency from speculation to mainstream. Building on the recent success of the European Bitcoin Convention, the North American Bitcoin Conference will hit Miami Beach on the 25th and 26th of January, 2014. 

Rich in potential and steeped in controversy, bitcoin is a radically new kind of money that operates without governments or banks. Already available and in limited use, bitcoin has recently become a hot topic thanks to intense value-fluctuations, political pressure and surging media attention. 

• Bitcoin has surpassed Western Union in transaction volume. 
• Bitcoin merchant acceptance fees far below credit card fees. 
• Bitcoin received a preliminary “Stamp of Approval” in the US Senate. 

In response to these changes in the bitcoin landscape, the North American Bitcoin Conference (NABC) intends to bring focus to the divergent bitcoin community that now includes enthusiasts, speculators, business-users and politicians. To ensure hard-hitting outcomes, speakers will include Roger Ver, Charlie Schrem, Tony Gallippi and Charlie Lee amongst others. 

As part of its mission to grow bitcoin use, the NABC will also offer workshops targeted at merchants, and act as a forum for vendors, exhibitors, and recent bitcoin startups to share their latest innovations and inform discussions. In addition, regulators, banks and government officials will be on hand to lead panel discussions that are light on fluff and heavy on content.