On Tuesday, August 16, Bitcoin Exchange Berlin (BXB), Europe's first in-person Bitcoin exchange, will re-open in a new venue. If you happen to be in Berlin on that day from 7 to 9 pm, please join us at the ice cream parlour Oak & Ice in Prenzlauer Berg. The entry is free and of course you can pay for your ice cream, smoothie or cappuccino in Bitcoin!
BXB is all about making Bitcoin accessible for normal people. It is an easy opportunity for new Bitcoin users to get their first Bitcoins. We connect buyers and sellers, newbies and old Bitcoiners. We also give introductory talks and invite special guests to share their experiences. Experts like Jeremias Kangas (Local Bitcoins), Susanne Tarkowsky Tempelhof (Bitnation), Tamás Blummer (Digital Assets), Marek Palatinus (Slush Mining Pool) and many others have visited us. This time Bitcoin traveller Felix Weis will talk about his trip around the world spending nothing but Bitcoin.
Jeremias Kangas and Felix Weis at the BXB
We started BXB in June 2013 after having heard about a similar concept from New York. An early Bitcoin adopter called Joshua Rossi organised it there under the name Satoshi Square. I met Joshua at the Bitcoin Conference in San José and asked him if we could bring the Satoshi Square to Berlin. He agreed, but we decided to go for another name that non-Bitcoiners could understand, so Bitcoin Exchange Berlin - in shorthand: BXB - was born.
In order to distinguish buyers from sellers, we introduced bowler hats for Bitcoin sellers, as they were used in the old days of the City of London. We also provided blackboards and chalk for sellers to announce their prices. These old fashioned elements added a certain analogue charme. BXB became really popular during the Bitcoin hype of 2013, with up to 80 participants and several journalists at every event and TV teams from Russia, Korea and Canada covering it.
As I was extensively travelling, especially in the harsh Berlin winter, we had to take some breaks. After some months without any BXB while I was in South America, we are now happy to re-open to the public! From now on, there will be a BXB every third Tuesday of the month.
You can register either at Meetup.com or on our Facebook page.
Looking forward to seeing you at one of our future BXBs!