Fourth Annual Plan ₿ Forum Concludes in Lugano with Record Attendance and New Milestones for Bitcoin Adoption

30 October, 2025 – Plan ₿, an initiative founded in collaboration with Tether and the City of Lugano to promote the use of Bitcoin and blockchain technology, proudly concluded the fourth annual Plan ₿ Forum this weekend. The two-day event, held on October 24-25, drew more than 4,000 participants from across 64 countries, a 140% increase from its inaugural year in 2022 and a 38% rise from 2024’s turnout, further establishing Lugano as a global hub for digital asset innovation.

Additionally, the forum attracted more than 800,000 viewers across keynote and panel livestreams on Rumble. This year’s forum extended beyond finance, highlighting how the principles of decentralization are shaping new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, media, and neuroscience.

One of the most symbolic moments of the forum was the reinstallation of the Satoshi Nakamoto statue at Parco Ciani. The restored work by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi was unveiled by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, FundStrat co-founder Tom Lee, and the Mayor of Lugano, Michele Foletti, after the original was recovered and restored earlier this year. The unveiling marked the expansion of the project to new locations, with replicas now installed in El Salvador and Japan as part of an effort to bring the symbol of Bitcoin to 21 cities worldwide, reflecting the cryptocurrency’s capped supply.

At the event, Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski announced that the publicly traded video platform will integrate Bitcoin tipping for its 51 million active users, in partnership with Tether. The feature, now in testing, will roll out globally by early to mid-December and enable creators to receive Bitcoin tips directly through a digital wallet built into the Rumble app. The first on-chain tip was sent live during the event to Canadian content creator David Freiheit. The announcement builds on Tether’s $775 million investment in Rumble last year and reinforces the convergence between decentralized finance and digital media.

Tether Data, the company’s AI research division, unveiled QVAC Genesis I, the world’s largest synthetic AI dataset, comprising 41 billion tokens designed to train advanced models in STEM fields such as mathematics, physics, biology, and medicine. Alongside it, the company launched QVAC Workbench, a local AI application that enables users to train and run models directly on their devices, preserving privacy and independence from centralized cloud systems. Ardoino described the launch as a major step toward returning intelligence to individuals and continuing Tether’s mission to decentralize computation, following last year’s release of the open-source Wallet Development Kit (WDK).

The forum featured a joint presentation by Ardoino and Marcus Gerhardt, CEO of Blackrock Neurotech, a pioneering neurotechnology company restoring movement and speech to paralyzed patients through brain–computer interfaces. The discussion connected Bitcoin’s principles of financial autonomy with the emerging field of cognitive freedom.

Other speakers at this year’s forum included former White House consultant and incoming USA₮ CEO, Bo Hines; members of the Assange family; Brandon Lutnick, Chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald; and Jack Mallers, founder and CEO of Twenty One Capital. We were pleased to see government officials in attendance, including Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, underscoring the growing engagement and openness of global policymakers toward the crypto industry. Together, these conversations highlighted how Bitcoin and open infrastructure continue to advance both economic inclusion and civil liberty around the world.

“This year’s Plan ₿ Forum reaffirmed Lugano’s place at the heart of blockchain innovation,” said Michele Foletti, Mayor of Lugano. “Our goal from the beginning has been to make Bitcoin part of everyday life, turning it into a tool that people can use in shops, restaurants, and city services. Each year, we see more local businesses accepting Bitcoin, USDT, and LVGA, more citizens using digital wallets, and more visitors coming here to experience a truly open economy. Lugano is proving that a city can lead a financial transformation while keeping people at the center of it.”

“Lugano is evolving into a working model of Bitcoin adoption and open technology,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “What we are seeing here is progress made visible. People are using Bitcoin for payments, AI is operating on personal devices, and cutting-edge technologies such as brain-computer interfaces are extending the boundaries of freedom. Plan ₿ brings together the builders and thinkers turning decentralization into something real, and that momentum continues to grow every year.”

Complementing the main program, Plan ₿ also hosted Spazio 21, a free, Italian-language event designed to engage the local community. More than 600 people attended on the first day alone, reflecting the strong local interest in Bitcoin and blockchain education.

Following the success of this year’s forum, the Plan ₿ Initiative will host two upcoming events to continue the discussion in 2026:

• Plan ₿ Forum El Salvador: Scheduled for January 30-31, 2026, the second annual forum in San Salvador will focus on the transformative power of Bitcoin in emerging markets and bring together international thought leaders to explore cryptocurrency’s impact on economic empowerment. Tickets can be purchased here.

• The Fifth Annual Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano: Set for October 23-24, 2026, next year’s forum will continue fostering dialogue on financial freedom, innovation, and blockchain’s role in shaping the future. Early bird passes are available here.

For more details on the Plan ₿ Initiative, including the 2026 forums in El Salvador and Lugano, visit planb.lugano.ch/planb-forum.

About Plan ₿

Lugano’s Plan ₿ is a joint initiative between the City of Lugano and Tether to accelerate the use of and leverage bitcoin technology as the foundation to transform the city’s financial infrastructure.

The plan will scale blockchain and Bitcoin throughout the city to positively impact all facets of daily life for the residents of Lugano. From small transactions with local merchants to larger efforts – such as paying annual taxes – blockchain will serve as the foundation for the city’s financial exchanges.