The Potomac Officers Club’s Digital Currency and National Security Forum will bring together distinguished federal government and industry leaders to discuss the implications, risks, challenges and opportunities digital currencies pose for the future of the U.S. economy and national security.

Since the 2009 inception of Bitcoin, the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency, digital currencies have fundamentally transformed wealth storage and financial systems on a global scale. However, because they operate based on blockchain technology and do not require a central authority, digital currencies are raising increased concern among government officials.

Now, with over 300 million users worldwide, this unregulated global economy is posing new threats to national security. 

John C. Inglis, the first national cyber director and former deputy director of the National Security Agency, will serve as the forum’s opening keynote speaker to detail the nation’s plan for regulation as digital currencies continue to gain worldwide importance. Inglis, who holds three Presidential Rank Awards, will discuss how the federal government is working to build and maintain partnerships between the Treasury, USCYBERCOM and industry to address the safe adoption of digital currencies for government agencies and contractors.

The forum will also include an exclusive Fireside Chat featuring significant digital currency expert Michael Saylor, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy, and the Honorable Juan Zarate, former security advisor to President George W. Bush and assistant secretary for terrorist financing. 

Michael Saylor is a key figure in the conversation surrounding digital currencies. Saylor’s company, MicroStrategy, is the largest publicly traded corporate owner of Bitcoin in the world, with over 114,000 Bitcoins, currently worth approximately $7 billion. Saylor is also the author of “The Mobile Wave: How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything,” which appeared on the best seller lists for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The entrepreneur has also funded educational services to over 1 million students through his philanthropic efforts.

Zarate currently serves as senior adviser at CSIS as well as global co-managing partner and chief strategy officer for K2 Integrity. He is an expert on global finance, anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), and he authored the book, “Treasury’s War: The Unleashing of a New Era of Financial Warfare.” Zarate was also appointed twice by Pope Francis to serve for more than 5 years on the board of the Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority.

Join us on January 27th for the Potomac Officers Club’s Digital Currency and National Security Forum.