Premier Burt Attends NearCon Tech Conference
Premier David Burt attended the NearCon in San Francisco, where he discussed Bermuda’s approach to digital finance, artificial intelligence regulation, and new technology partnerships aimed at improving government services.
A Government spokesperson said, “During a recent visit to San Francisco, the Premier, the Hon. David Burt, JP, MP, attended NearCon, a global technology conference hosted by the NEAR Foundation, where leaders in digital finance and artificial intelligence discussed how these technologies are shaping the future of finance and government services.
“While at the conference, the Premier participated in a fireside conversation titled, ‘The ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Approach to Innovation and AI as the Next Regulatory Frontier.’
“The conversation covered Bermuda’s collaborative approach to innovation between government, industry, and the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The Premier explained how this approach helped Bermuda become one of the first countries in the world to regulate digital assets, and how the Island now plans to take a similar lead in artificial intelligence. He also recorded a podcast episode of The Rollup to share Bermuda’s vision with a wider international audience.
“A major announcement from the trip was a new partnership between the Government of Bermuda and the NEAR Foundation. Together, they will begin a pilot to build an AI-powered chatbot to help government employees calculate pension payments more efficiently. In simple terms, this tool will help staff get faster and more accurate answers when calculating pension amounts. If the pilot is successful, the project will expand to create an online tax portal and calculator that allows Bermudians to check information and interact with government systems more easily.
“The Premier also announced that the Government intends to explore adding legal clarity around the use of AI agents in financial services.
“A government working group has been formed to begin consultations with local stakeholders and members of the legal community. At the same time, the Bermuda Monetary Authority continues to accept AI-related projects in all forms through its Regulatory Sandboxes and Innovation Hub and has engaged in discussions with Industry on the responsible use of AI following the publication of its discussion paper in July 2025. The Authority’s objective is to support responsible innovation while ensuring that any enhancements to supervisory expectations are practical, risk-based, and avoid unnecessary duplication or unintended regulatory burden to the market.
“During the visit, the Premier also met with managing partners from leading venture capital firms to discuss trends in digital assets, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space, and other emerging technologies. He held additional meetings with digital finance companies to continue advancing Bermuda’s broader ‘on-chain economy’ initiative, an effort to modernize payments and financial services on the Island. The Premier was accompanied by two Digital Finance Advisors from the Ministry of Finance.
“The visit to NearCon reinforced Bermuda’s commitment to staying ahead of global technology trends while ensuring that innovation directly benefits Bermudians. By combining practical government pilots with clear regulation, Bermuda continues to position itself as a forward-thinking jurisdiction that responsibly embraces new technology.”
Read More About
Category: All, News, Politics, technology
