Pubkey, a bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, became the gathering spot for Bitcoin enthusiasts to celebrate the regulatory approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US.
A sign outside the bar invited people to an “ETF PARTY” and rumors of the approval intensified throughout the day.
However, some Bitcoiners were not particularly impressed by the ETF approval, viewing it as a substitute for actually holding Bitcoin and emphasising the importance of self-custody.
Despite Bitcoin’s price barely moving after the approval, people at Pubkey raised their glasses to mark the milestone.
CEO and co-founder of Hashdex, a Bitcoin ETF applicant, saw the approval as a step towards Bitcoin’s maturity and the potential for future crypto regulation from Congress.
Yes, apparently the real actor and comedian https://twitter.com/nottjmiller is a bitcoiner himself. I’m not surprised, to be honest.
As the night went on, more people joined the celebration, including Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart, and actor T.J. Miller known from the hit series Silicon Valley, who decided to photobomb an interview.
Pubkey owner Thomas Pacchia created the environment to encourage conversations about Bitcoin and believes in-person interactions are a better way to engage with the community than social media platforms.
While some Bitcoiners acknowledge the irony of celebrating the addition of centralization through ETFs, they see it as an opportunity to increase adoption and educate people about self-custody.
The Bar is @PubKey_NYC
Read the story at https://www.coinage.media/season-3/bitcoiners-celebrate-etf-approvals-at-nycs-bitcoin-bar