Vancouver

The number of Bitcoin merchants has risen, the value of Bitcoin startups has increased and most importantly, awareness of Bitcoin has increased in countries with poor banking or financial systems.

When CoinFest started in 2013 as a relatively small gathering of 100 or so Bitcoiners, celebrating the adoption of Bitcoin at a Waves Coffee House in Vancouver, it was conceived as a way to incentivize cryptocurrency acceptance while educating the public about its importance and use. Its popular success prompted the Bitcoiniacs (now CoinTrader) to place the world’s first Bitocin ATM there.

Students from the University of British Colombia (UBC) create the UBC Bitcoin Club to educate their friends and classmates about cryptocurrencies.