Tony Yazbeck, co-founder of The Bitcoin Way, highlighted that Bitcoin changes the rules of global money by removing the ability to police transactions.
"Bitcoin was created for one purpose and one purpose only, the separation of money and state," Yazbeck added.
Rahim Taghizadegan, founder of the Scholarium, noted Bitcoin has survived previous reputational risks, including Silk Road, speculative crypto markets and usage by rogue states.
He added that Bitcoin is increasingly relevant as the world shifts from a unipolar financial order toward a multipolar one.
Institutional $BTC Products Are Not Bitcoin
The panelists drew a sharp distinction between owning Bitcoin directly and gaining exposure through institutional products such as spot ETFs or Bitcoin treasury companies.
Brunell said institutional adoption was inevitable and can serve as an on ramp for pension funds and traditional investors but added that it is not the same as holding Bitcoin directly.
Yazbeck was more critical, arguing that institutional $BTC products are "not Bitcoin" because investors do not control the asset.
"All of these products and services are created to keep 8.3 billion people dependent on a system," he said. "The only product that’s out there as a ticket for freedom is Bitcoin in your control."
The speakers argued that Bitcoin’s strongest use case remains self-custody, especially for individuals facing inflation, capital controls or political instability.
Yazbeck, who said he lost access to funds during Lebanon’s banking crisis, warned that people should not wait for extreme financial pain before learning about Bitcoin.
"Bitcoin is money that has been an option since 2009," he concluded.
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