Crypto publication CoinDesk has revealed the lineup of speakers for the first Toronto edition of its blockchain- and web3-oriented Consensus conference, which runs May 14-16, 2025.
CoinDesk touts Consensus as the longest-running crypto event in the world.
Some speakers are from Canada’s larger crypto firms or key leaders from global firms’ Canadian divisions. WonderFi CEO Dean Skurka is slated to present, as his Toronto-based company plans to expand beyond cryptocurrency. Lucas Matheson, the Canadian CEO of crypto giant Coinbase, is also due to speak.
Further major names include PayPal digital currencies Senior VP Jose Fernandez da Ponte, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, BitGo CEO Mike Belshe, and Kaiko chief Ambre Soubiran. VC speakers include Pantera Capital founder Dan Morehead, Delta Blockchain Fund founder Kavita Gupta, and Asymmetric General Partner and prolific X poster Dan Held.
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CoinDesk founded the Consensus conference in 2015 and touts it as the longest-running crypto event in the world, with over 15,000 attendees and 550 speakers at the 2024 event. Conference chair Michael Casey announced the move to Toronto for 2025 due to major renovations planned for its previous home at an Austin, Texas convention centre.
Speaking at the 2024 gathering, Casey said Toronto had one of the “fastest-growing” tech ecosystems in North America, including established heavyweights, startups, and rich talent. Canada sent a large contingent to last year’s show, including leaders from Air Canada, RBCx, Kraken, Coinsquare, DMZ, and the MaRS Discovery District.
The Canadian stopover comes at a turning point for crypto. US President Donald Trump has pushed for greater cryptocurrency adoption. Securities and Exchange Commission chair nominee Paul Atkins is a cryptocurrency proponent who co-chaired the advocacy group Chamber of Digital Commerce. Trump has also championed the idea of a strategic reserve for cryptocurrencies, which he describes as a Fort Knox for virtual assets, but economists and other researchers characterize as “absurd” and “[serving] no purpose.”
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