Bitmela Brings the Future of Money to Jaipur: India’s First Festival Exploring How Money Is Changing
India’s first holistic festival exploring the evolution of money will bring finance, AI, Bitcoin, open-source technology and Indian culture together at the InterContinental Jaipur on October 30–31, 2026.
Most people use money every day. Far fewer understand how it works- or how quickly it is changing.
Money has evolved from barter and commodities to gold, fiat currencies, digital payments and increasingly programmable financial networks. Inflation changes purchasing power. Technology is transforming how assets are owned and transferred. Artificial intelligence is beginning to interact with financial systems. And Bitcoin and decentralized networks are challenging long-held assumptions about digital assets and financial systems.
Bitmela Edition 01, taking place on October 30–31, 2026, at the InterContinental Jaipur, is designed around this transformation.
Under the theme “Most People Never Understand Money,” Bitmela brings together finance, Bitcoin, AI, security, open-source technology, entrepreneurship and culture for two days designed to make the future of money more accessible, practical and engaging.
Rather than positioning itself solely as a cryptocurrency conference, Bitmela puts education at the centre of its mission, helping people understand how money works today while exploring where it is headed next.
A Broader Conversation About Money
The festival begins with the foundations.
How does society decide what has value? Why does purchasing power change? What happens to savings during periods of inflation? How should people think about assets such as Bitcoin, gold, real estate and equities? And what does disciplined, long-term wealth building look like in a rapidly changing financial environment?
Bitmela will explore these questions through discussions around inflation, purchasing power, asset preservation, diversification, DCA and the evolution of financial systems.
But the conversation does not stop with traditional finance.
The festival moves into emerging frontiers including AI agents and programmable payments, non-custodial self-sovereignty, open-source software and cross-border micro-payments, with perspectives from ecosystems across India, Africa, Europe and other emerging markets.
The goal is to connect the financial systems people know today with the technologies that could define tomorrow.
Cake Wallet Joins Bitmela as Official Wallet & Title Partner
A major part of that future is the question of financial security and self-custody.
Bitmela has partnered with Cake Wallet as its Official Wallet & Title Partner, bringing one of the industry’s prominent security-focused wallet organizations into the festival’s central conversation.
The partnership adds a practical dimension to Bitmela’s exploration of financial sovereignty, security and non-custodial technology.
Vik Sharma, Founder of Cake Wallet, and Seth for Privacy, COO of Cake Wallet, are among the featured speakers at the festival, bringing perspectives on security, self-custody and the infrastructure required for individuals to have greater control over their digital finances.
Their participation reflects an important theme running through Bitmela: understanding money today increasingly means understanding who controls it, how it moves, what information it reveals and what technologies give individuals greater control over their assets.
For attendees, the Cake Wallet partnership reflects the growing global interest in India as an increasingly important market for digital assets, financial technology and innovation.
A Festival, Not Another Conference
Bitmela’s format is as unconventional as its subject matter.
The experience takes inspiration from the energy of modern music festivals, with Jaipur woven in through selective local touches — vibrant bazaar-style layouts, street food, block-print accents and a touch of royal hospitality.
Across the festival grounds, games and interactive experiences will subtly bring concepts like money, inflation, scarcity, trade, liquidity and Bitcoin technology to life.
Rather than simply talking about financial concepts, attendees will experience them through crowd games, networking challenges, trading-style activities and a festival economy incorporating digital payments and Bitcoin/Lightning technology.
The result is designed to feel less like a corporate conference and more like a modern festival where music, technology, money and unexpected connections come together.
Two Stages: From Big Ideas to Hands-On Innovation
The Cake Stage will host keynotes, panels and live conversations around Bitcoin, economics, AI, emerging financial infrastructure, security and entrepreneurship.
Alongside it, the FOSS Stage, hosted by Bitshala, will provide a more hands-on experience through workshops covering free and open-source software, hardware wallet setups, non-custodial tools, digital security, open-source development and mining.
For developers and technically curious attendees, the FOSS programming offers an opportunity to move beyond listening and actually explore the technology behind the financial systems being discussed.
Where Money Meets AI
One of the festival’s key initiatives is Bitmela Launchpad – Ideathon 01, built around the emerging intersection of money and artificial intelligence.
The pan-India startup competition is designed for founders and builders developing ideas around Bitcoin, decentralized finance, autonomous agents and AI-powered payments.
Selected teams will participate in a four-week virtual mentorship and incubation program, receiving product feedback, technical guidance and mentorship from experienced builders, investors and ecosystem participants.
The program culminates at Bitmela, where five finalists will pitch live on the Main Stage before investors, industry leaders and the festival audience.
With a ₹2,00,000 prize pool, Launchpad gives emerging founders an opportunity to move ideas closer to execution while putting them in front of a concentrated audience of potential collaborators, investors and ecosystem leaders.
A Global Lineup With Strong Indian Roots
Bitmela’s speaker lineup brings together voices from law, Bitcoin, security, entrepreneurship, education and global financial infrastructure, with strong representation from India’s growing technology and digital asset ecosystem.
Featured Indian speakers include Dr. Nishith Desai and Suril Desai of Nishith Desai Associates; Vik Sharma and Seth for Privacy of Cake Wallet; Harish BV, Co-founder and COO of Unocoin; Kashif Raza, Founder of Bitinning; Raj Maitra, General Head of Bitshala; Prasanna Sankar, Founder of Vorflux; Nakul Kumar, Co-founder of Cashify; and Sujal Jethwani, Founder and Host of The Sujal Show.
The international ecosystem is represented by Abubakar Nur Khalil, CEO of Btrust; Kgothatso Ngako (KG), Founder of Machankura; Freddie New, CEO of BHODL; Jodom Konuko, Co-founder of Minmo; and Sabina Waithira, Co-founder of Tando.
Together, the lineup reflects Bitmela’s ambition to create a conversation that crosses disciplines, borders and traditional definitions of the financial sector.
Explore the full Bitmela speaker lineup: https://thebitmela.com/speakers
Who Is Bitmela For?
Bitmela is built for anyone curious about how money works and where it is headed next, not just those who already hold Bitcoin.
That includes founders and builders looking for collaborators and investors, venture and family office investors exploring the next wave of financial infrastructure, developers and open-source contributors drawn to the FOSS Stage, finance and legal professionals following the convergence of regulation and technology, and students or first-time attendees simply looking to learn.
No particular background is required. A Bitcoin developer, a gold or property investor, a UPI-native founder and someone attending their first financial event can all find a place at Bitmela, connected by the same question: what comes next for money, and who is building it?
From Networking to the Royal Gala
Networking at Bitmela is designed to extend beyond formal sessions.
The Mela Grounds will provide casual spaces for attendees to meet founders, builders, investors and fellow participants, while dedicated builder and founder interactions create opportunities for deeper conversations.
For Gala Pass and Exec Pass holders, the experience extends into Cake Wallet’s Royal Gala Launch Party, featuring traditional Rajasthani cuisine, live Sufi performances and private networking with speakers and ecosystem leaders.
It is an evening designed to bring the festival’s technological and cultural themes together in one setting.
Why Bitmela, and Why Now?
The financial world is becoming increasingly difficult to separate into neat categories.
Technology is changing payments. AI is changing software. Bitcoin is changing conversations around digital assets and financial sovereignty. Security is becoming an increasingly important consideration in digital finance. Meanwhile, traditional questions around inflation, savings, wealth preservation and diversification remain as relevant as ever.
Bitmela brings these conversations together under one roof.
It is an opportunity for investors to discover emerging ideas, founders to meet collaborators, developers to explore open-source technology, Bitcoiners to engage with global ecosystem leaders, and newcomers to understand the forces reshaping money.
And it does so in a setting designed to be experienced, not simply attended.
Bitmela Edition 01
October 30–31, 2026
InterContinental Jaipur
Theme: Most People Never Understand Money
Tickets: Entry Pass, Mela Pass, Gala Pass and Exec Pass
Starting from: ₹999
Payment: INR and Bitcoin (BTC)
From the evolution of money to the rise of AI agents. From financial security to open-source technology. From Bitcoin and traditional assets to the founders building what comes next.
Bitmela is bringing the conversation to Jaipur.
Tickets and event information: thebitmela.com
About Bitmela
Bitmela is a festival exploring the future of money at the intersection of finance, Bitcoin, AI, open-source technology, entrepreneurship and Indian culture. Its inaugural edition takes place October 30–31, 2026, at the InterContinental Jaipur, featuring global speakers, practical workshops, startup pitches, networking experiences, a Royal Gala and of course, a Mela!
