The Story of Bitcoin Beach: Building Financial Resilience in Zimbabwe

In this episode, we invited Alexandra from the Bitcoin Reach community to share insights on the development, challenges, and adoption strategies of the Bitcoin community in Zimbabwe.

YakiHonne: Before we begin, let me briefly introduce YakiHonne. YakiHonne is a decentralized media client built on Nostr—a protocol designed to empower freedom of speech through technology. It enables creators to own their voices and assets while offering innovative tools like smart widgets, verified notes, and support for long-form content. Today we'll be exploring more about community building and management with our honorable guest Alexandra. Could you please introduce yourself and your community?

Alexandra：I'm Alexandra, and I founded a community called Bitcoin Beach, which is a suburban community. One thing that really astonished me was that there were already many Bitcoin communities worldwide before us. Before getting into Bitcoin, I worked for a podcast called Global Bitcoin Fest, where I interviewed community leaders from different countries, innovators driving change, and those advocating for Bitcoin regulations. Through these conversations, I discovered that Bitcoin communities existed all over the world—yet, surprisingly, there wasn’t one in Zimbabwe. Alexandra：This was particularly shocking because Zimbabwe has experienced some of the highest inflation rates in history—the second-highest inflation rate of all time. Many people associate Zimbabwe with its 100 trillion-dollar banknotes, which symbolize our extreme hyperinflation. In fact, we have gone through six currency failures, yet many still don’t fully understand inflation or how it affects us. Alexandra：Our community was created to educate people about Bitcoin and financial sovereignty, helping them navigate economic instability and regain control over their finances through Bitcoin.

YakiHonne: It seems like you have a lot of people who genuinely want to learn about Bitcoin. They are not only focused on improving Zimbabwe’s economy but also actively engaging with the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Alexandra：I think one of the biggest challenges is that people don't truly understand how devastating a failed monetary system can be. If you look at it this way—money is involved in 50% of all transactions, meaning it plays a fundamental role in every economic activity. When money fails, one of the first consequences is the inability to calculate capital effectively, leading to high time preference decision-making. Alexandra：Why is this a problem? Well, in a stable monetary system, when people have strong purchasing power, they receive fair value for their economic output. This allows them to buy goods and services, invest in their future, pursue higher education, start businesses, and invest in assets like real estate and stocks. Essentially, good money gives people the time and ability to build a better future. Alexandra：However, when money does not store economic value, people only receive a fraction of what they produce. Instead of earning a full dollar for their work, they might get only two to three cents on the dollar. This means their income is barely enough for basic sustenance—just buying food, bread, and milk, and often, that isn’t even sufficient. Alexandra：As a result, people shift from long-term financial planning to immediate survival, making economic calculations purely about what they need right now rather than investing in the future. This is why so many places remain impoverished. Without stable money, real estate investments disappear, housing becomes inaccessible, and infrastructure like malls and gyms is nearly nonexistent. The only way to secure housing is outright purchase, which very few people can afford. This highlights the severe economic limitations caused by a broken monetary system. YakiHonne: It seems like you've already answered our first question. I was going to ask what sparked your interest in Bitcoin, but I can see that many factors actually led you toward the Bitcoin ecosystem. So, I think you've already covered that. Now, one more thing—I’d love to know what motivated you to build a community around Bitcoin?

Alexandra：Absolutely. Like I said, we observed communities all across Zimbabwe, but we noticed that nothing was really happening in terms of Bitcoin adoption. In fact, Zimbabwe's adoption rate is significantly lower than in most countries. While sub-Saharan Africa has the highest Bitcoin adoption rate, Zimbabwe itself has one of the lowest adoption rates. Alexandra：I realized that if no one else was willing to pave the way to make Bitcoin adoption more resilient and accessible, then I should step up and do the necessary work to facilitate the process. My goal was to connect the people who needed to be connected—whether it's miners, individuals looking to buy Bitcoin, or those who need help installing and using it.

YakiHonne: How did Bitcoin Reach begin? How was your community formed, and how did you initially attract new members?

Alexandra：it all started with just a few people. I was highly motivated and kept asking myself, how can we create an impact in Zimbabwe? Strangely enough, it began with me simply chasing leads. Alexandra：The turning point came when Anita Posch visited Zimbabwe. Through her visit, I connected with other like-minded individuals in the Bitcoin space. From there, we decided to create a WhatsApp group, which became the foundation of our community. With this small collective, I started reaching out to more people. Having even a modest level of influence allowed me to leverage connections and secure sponsorships. Alexandra：Our first sponsor was Booking for Fairness, followed by Money on Chain, Rootstock, and Global Bitcoin Fest. With this support, we started hosting regular meetups, organizing at least two meetups per month in different cities and countries. So far, we've held meetups in over eight cities across four different countries. At these events, attendance ranged from 25 to over 50 people, and at times, we even filled an entire restaurant with Bitcoin enthusiasts. YakiHonne: That's really impressive! You started with just three people, and now you're hosting events with over 50 attendees—sometimes even filling an entire restaurant. That’s truly amazing. Alexandra, you and your team are doing incredible work in Zimbabwe—it's a massive achievement! What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?

Alexandra： I think one of the major challenges that we do face is what we call an implicit ban, and some functions. Firstly, when we have what we call the negative order assumptions, a policy similar to what South Africa recently faced. Essentially, any country with bilateral relations with the United States must enforce the same sanctions imposed by the U.S. As a result, Zimbabwe is restricted from receiving goods and services from many companies. If you’re a Bitcoin business, you cannot provide Bitcoin services to Zimbabwe, cannot send hardware wallets, cannot hire people from Zimbabwe, and cannot offer sponsorships to Zimbabwean projects. This significantly limits the number of Bitcoin companies we could have collaborated with, which would have helped people earn Bitcoin and drive adoption. Alexandra：The second major challenge is implicit ban. If a Bitcoin company sets up in Zimbabwe, they cannot access on-ramps and off-ramps for funds. This means converting Bitcoin to physical cash is very expensive—normally, the cost should be around 2%, but due to the lack of formal channels, we have to buy Bitcoin at a 10% margin, making transactions extremely costly. As a result, it becomes difficult to establish a circular Bitcoin economy, and since we don’t have one, we struggle to secure funding.

YakiHonne: What advice would you give to someone looking to start or expand a Bitcoin-focused community in today’s landscape?

Alexandra：My advice would be to focus on the core issues, and the two most important ones are structure and education. Often, we get distracted by other elements when building a larger economy—such as organizing meetups, managing day-to-day operations, or maintaining WhatsApp groups for communication. However, for a community to truly grow and thrive, it needs a strong structural system and a functional circular economy. Alexandra：First, structure is key. If someone wants to learn about Bitcoin, where can they go? What courses or resources are available? Having clear educational pathways is essential for adoption. Alexandra：Second, building a circular economy is crucial. The first step is identifying people who are earning Bitcoin—whether through remittances, jobs, or services. Once there are enough Bitcoin earners, the next step becomes easier: figuring out where they can spend it. This is a far more practical approach than simply convincing businesses to accept Bitcoin without an existing customer base.For example, if you’re a vendor, shop owner, photographer, baker, or farmer, there are many potential Bitcoin customers who don’t want to cash out due to high fees. By accepting Bitcoin, businesses expand their clientele, which is a critical factor in establishing a sustainable Bitcoin economy.

YakiHonne: Does your community engage in the technical or non-technical aspects of Bitcoin? Or perhaps do you guys do both?

Alexandra：I think one of the biggest challenges is that we have people conducting thousands of dollars in Bitcoin transactions, yet they don’t understand what Lightning or Layer 2 is. Some even believe that Bitcoin has no real utility, despite using it regularly. There are people who are interested in the technical aspects, and we are gradually finding them. However, our community initially consisted mostly of people who used Bitcoin primarily for remittances. This is a common challenge in Africa—Bitcoin adoption grew rapidly because people saw it as a useful tool, not because they fully understood it. Unfortunately, we are currently more focused on the non-technical aspects, but we are actively working to change that.

YakiHonne：Alexandra, how do you see the role of Bitcoin communities evolving as technology advances, particularly in areas like scalability, privacy, and adaptability? How do you think these communities will develop as these technologies mature?

Alexandra：Yeah, I think Bitcoin communities play a crucial role in adoption and education. One of the most common things I hear when teaching people about Bitcoin is, “I wish I had learned about this from you first.” Many people's first encounter with Bitcoin was through scams, which led them to give up on it. Communities are essential because people are more likely to trust and engage with products when they come from a trusted source. Alexandra：When you build a community, every new member you bring in has the potential to influence five to ten others. These people are more likely to trust a friend’s recommendation when they say, “Bitcoin is good,” or when they explain how on-chain transactions might be slower or more expensive, but tools exist to enable faster, cheaper, and more private transactions. Alexandra：People buy into products they trust—or from people they trust. This is why communities are so important, even in a system built on "Don't trust, verify." Ironically, trust is still the first step for many newcomers. I think this is where Bitcoin might have missed the mark—there are so many incredible Bitcoin advocates, but if no one knows them personally, their messages, no matter how well-articulated, may not resonate. However, when the information comes from a trusted individual, people are much more receptive. Alexandra：Bitcoin communities serve as a solid foundation for introducing new solutions, including scalability, privacy, and other innovations. The key is communicating these ideas in a way that people trust and understand. Unlike expensive marketing campaigns, a passionate community can spread Bitcoin education almost for free—all they need are the right tools and resources to drive the movement forward.

YakiHonne：As long as there is trust, expansion will happen more effectively. Every user, every community member is a stakeholder, as they have the ability to bring others into the community. I’m confident that Bitcoin Reach will continue to grow and make an impact. Now, moving on to my final question, is the government in your region supportive or opposed to Bitcoin? And how has that stance impacted your community so far? Alexandra：our government is against Bitcoin. As I mentioned earlier, they were the ones who imposed the implicit ban, making it very expensive for individuals to buy Bitcoin. Zimbabwe used to be one of the fastest adopters in sub-Saharan Africa, but as soon as the government banned Bitcoin, adoption plummeted from 100 to zero. This has made it much more challenging for people like me to build a community around Bitcoin. Alexandra：Now, people hold their own keys because they are all using hardware wallets, which is a major benefit. Since they don’t trust institutions, they have taken full control of their Bitcoin, which is a great step toward financial sovereignty. However, this also slows down adoption in some ways. For example, in South Africa, our neighboring country, Pick n Pay has over 1,500 stores where people can pay with Bitcoin. In Zimbabwe, however, there are almost no places to spend Bitcoin, making real-world usage extremely limited.

YakiHonne：Thank you, Alexander.We've now reached the conclusion of today's interview, and I must say, I've learned so much from you. First, I truly admire how you were motivated by the low Bitcoin adoption rate in your country and took action to change that. I also appreciate your efforts to integrate economic growth with Bitcoin adoption, showing a deep understanding of both financial and technological progress. Your approach to community building is inspiring—you recognize that every community member matters, and the trust they bring is essential to the community’s success. It’s unfortunate that your government does not support Bitcoin, but with time, I believe that as Bitcoin’s influence continues to grow, they will eventually yield to its impact. I’m confident that there will be a stronger Bitcoin movement in Zimbabwe in the future.