Some of the world's leading bitcoiners will be gathering in California later this month to discuss their favorite currency.

"Bitcoin 2013: the Future of Payments"

is set for May 17 - 19 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose. (CoinDesk is a supporting sponsor and media partner for the event.)

Expected to draw more than 500 bitcoin experts and entrepreneurs from across the globe, Bitcoin 2013 will feature talks and panel presentations from some of the top names in cryptocurrency and alternative economies, including Gavin Andresen, bitcoin's lead developer and chief scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation; Brian Armstrong, founder and CEO of Coinbase; Roger Ver, "Bitcoin Jesus" and CEO/founder of MemoryDealers.com; and Chris Larsen, CEO and co-founder of OpenCoin.

"Bitcoin is a fundamental protocol for money over the internet, and we are only beginning to glimpse its importance," said Peter Vessenes, chairman and executive director of the Bitcoin Foundation. "Bitcoin 2013 brings together a wide

assortment of incredible people, and we’re excited to see what they have to say."

Vessenes added, "A new Bitcoin company will get funded at the

Hackathon, and we will even have a bitcoin-themed cocktail at our kickoff night."

Among the scheduled talks:

"Bitcoin 101 for Business" -- Roger Ver;

"State of the Union" -- Gavin Andresen;

"YouTube is Broken: Rethinking Content Monetization with Bitcoin" -- Adam B. Levine (https://twitter.com/GamerAndy), a writer who covers bitcoin, 3D printers and other "complicated world events";

"Nuts and Bolts of Bitcoin Taxation" -- Greg Broiles, a San Francisco-based attorney who specializes in small-business and high-tech issues.

Panel discussions will also cover such topics as:

"Fraud Prevention";

"Issues of Regulatory Compliance";

"Economics of Bitcoin";

"Bitcoin in the Future";

"Bitcoin for Nonprofits"

The Bitcoin Opportunity: How to Profit in an Uncertain Market."

The conference will also feature a two-day hackathon, "Lightning Session" presentations, time for mentoring and VC pitches, and exhibits by Antiwar.com, the Bitcoin Foundation, Coinbase, Free State Project, Gliph, OpenCoin Inc., Tradehill and other organizations.