Gallery: Italian Lawmakers Meet with Bitcoin Believers in Fact-Finding Session

Italian bitcoin enthusiasts gathered at the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian parliament, in Rome on Wednesday with the aim of informing Italian lawmakers about the economic benefits of bitcoin.

The 11th June event, organised by bitcoin consultancy Coin Capital, featured participation from parliament member Stefano Quintarelli and Senate Vice President of the Treasury and Finance Committee Francesco Molinari, as well as representatives from Italy’s academic and banking sectors.

Coin Capital told CoinDesk that the first two hours saw its partners Sebastiano Scròfina and Guido Baroncini, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ telecommunications professor Francesco Vatalaro and investment bank Banca IMI’s Ferdinando Ametrano introducing block chain technology and its monetary applications.

At the event, Bit-Wallet also unveiled the country’s first domestically produced bitcoin ATM.

Turricchia characterized the remainder of the day’s events, stating:

“Risk and opportunity were clearly disclosed in a neutral way. In the second part, [a representative moderated a] discussion between politicians, institutions and business, and [many questions were asked by these participants].”

The events come in the wake of the Central Bank of Italy’s May warning that domestic investors should avoid buying, investing in or using bitcoin as a currency due to price volatility and the lack of consumer protection laws to protect consumers.

Proliferating bitcoin

A second, non-affiliated event, organized by digital payment advocacy group CashlessWay, is set to take place on 26th June. Speakers will include bitcoin banking provider Robocoin CEO Jordan Kelly and parliament member Sergio Boccadutri, who presented a proposal for regulating bitcoin under existing Italian law in January.

Robocoin indicated it is looking forward to the event as a way to help educate an influential government about the nascent technology, stating:

“Italy is full of cultural tastemakers and has a rich history in banking and finance. These all support Robocoin’s goal of helping proliferate bitcoin.”

For more information on the 11th June event, visit Coin Capital’s website.

Photos by G. Baroncini Turricchia