Crypto Gloss

Alex Tapscott

Alex Tapscott is a Canadian entrepreneur, author, and digital asset investment manager who co-authored “Blockchain Revolution” (2016) with his father Don Tapscott — a globally bestselling business book on blockchain technology — co-founded the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) in 2017, founded NexTech AR Solutions (an augmented reality company) and later founded Ninepoint Digital Asset Group to offer institutional digital asset investment products in Canada, and continues to be among the most prominent Canadian advocates for Bitcoin and digital assets as investable institutional assets.

Background

Alex Tapscott earned a BA from Amherst College and worked at Canaccord Genuity (a Canadian investment dealer) before co-founding investment businesses and writing “Blockchain Revolution.” His traditional finance and investment banking background gave him a practical framework for analyzing blockchain as a financial innovation rather than purely as technology.

His father Don Tapscott is one of the most prominent technology business authors in Canada, known for “The Digital Economy” (1995) and “Wikinomics” (2006) — a background that gave them both unusual public credibility when they co-wrote “Blockchain Revolution” in 2016.

“Blockchain Revolution” (2016)

“Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World” was published in May 2016. Co-authored with Don Tapscott and published by Portfolio/Penguin Random House, the book argued that blockchain represented the next major infrastructure layer of the internet.

Alex Tapscott brought the investment banking and capital markets perspective to the analysis — particularly the sections on financial services transformation, corporate governance, and blockchain’s implications for securities, clearing, and settlement.

The book was a global bestseller translated into over 20 languages and reached millions of readers.

Blockchain Research Institute (BRI)

Alex co-founded the Blockchain Research Institute with his father in 2017. The BRI operates as a global think tank where corporate and government members fund research into specific blockchain applications. Alex has been active in the BRI’s research agenda and in representing the organization at international forums.

NexTech AR Solutions

Tapscott founded NexTech AR Solutions — an augmented reality and virtual reality company — separate from his blockchain work, demonstrating his broader technology entrepreneurship interests beyond blockchain specifically.

Ninepoint Digital Asset Group

Tapscott founded Ninepoint Digital Asset Group — a Canadian digital asset investment management firm — as a vehicle for bringing institutional digital asset investment products to the Canadian market. Products include:

  • Bitcoin funds structured for Canadian institutional and retail investors.
  • Ethereum funds.
  • Broader digital asset funds.

Canada was notably ahead of the U.S. in approving spot Bitcoin ETFs, and Ninepoint was one of the firms active in the Canadian crypto ETF space. Tapscott has been a vocal advocate for Canadian regulatory frameworks that allow mainstream investor access to digital assets.

Ongoing Advocacy

Tapscott continues to write and speak extensively:

  • Long-form articles in Forbes, Barron’s, and Financial Post on digital asset investment.
  • Conference keynotes at Consensus, Davos side events, and other international forums.
  • Advocacy for Bitcoin as an institutional portfolio asset in the same framework as gold or commodities.

Key Dates

  • 2016 — “Blockchain Revolution” published (with Don Tapscott); global bestseller.
  • 2017 — Co-founds Blockchain Research Institute.
  • 2019–2021 — NexTech AR Solutions; Canadian digital asset fund development.
  • 2021 — Canada approves world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF; Canadian landscape active.
  • 2021–present — Ninepoint Digital Asset Group cryptocurrency investment products.

Common Misconceptions

  • “Alex and Don Tapscott are primarily interested in Bitcoin specifically.” — Their focus in “Blockchain Revolution” and the BRI is on blockchain as platform technology across industries. They are advocates for the technology broadly, though Alex’s Ninepoint work involves direct digital asset investment.
  • “The Tapscotts invented the term ‘blockchain revolution.’” — The technology was developed by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008; the “blockchain revolution” framing was one narrative lens among many when they published in 2016. They popularized the concept for mainstream business audiences but did not coin the underlying technology.

Last updated: 2026-04

Social Media Sentiment

Alex Tapscott occupies a more mainstream/academic niche in crypto discourse. On X/Twitter and LinkedIn, he is associated with institutional Bitcoin and digital asset investment through Ninepoint. His “Blockchain Revolution” book (with Don Tapscott) is frequently cited as an early mainstream introduction to crypto concepts. Crypto-native Twitter views the Tapscotts’ work as important for mainstream adoption but occasionally too high-level for technical audiences. His continued participation in investment vehicles and advocacy is followed by institutional audiences rather than retail communities.

Last updated: 2026-04

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