Vancouver's
conference makes Global News for a panel proposal of heating Kitsilano Pool with #Bitcoin miners, allowing the pool to stay open year round while also generating new revenue for the city.
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2 years into my econ degree I discovered #Bitcoin.
I pulled the thread and everything unraveled. Learning about Bitcoin teaches you to ask the right questions. And along the way, it reveals how the world really works.
This is a big inspiration behind
: to help others have that very same awakening.
https://bitcoinnews.com/interviews/canada-learning-bitcoin-zac-guignard/
A true pinch me moment: my first ever article for #Bitcoin Magazine.
Returning from Oslo too inspired to not put pen to paper. The result is a reflection on brave dissidents, harsh repression, and the tools defending freedom at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/featured/the-30000-foot-view-of-the-oslo-freedom-forum
As I stepped onto the plane leaving Oslo 🇳🇴 the weight and warmth of the last few days settled into my chest.
The Oslo Freedom Forum is not a conference. It's not a summit. It’s something harder to name. A convergence of courage, truth, and defiance that burns through the noise of the modern world and gives you no choice but to listen, feel, and act.
For the second time, I’ve walked away from OFF more convinced than ever that the tide is turning. That amid the censorship, surveillance, and state repression, something unstoppable is rising.
The Forum doesn’t trade in empty optimism. It delivers a different kind of hope: forged from lived experience, stitched together by people who have been in the dark and still chose to build the light.
The stories shared were hard. At times, devastating. But they weren’t offered for pity. They were calls to action.
You don’t leave Oslo feeling defeated. You leave reminded that truth is more powerful than propaganda, that code can protect life, and that resistance isn’t just possible, it’s already happening.
This year, there was a noticeable pulse of momentum around freedom tech. Human rights defenders from the front lines spoke not only about the oppression they face, but about the tools they’re using to push back. #Bitcoin, nostr, privacy protocols, open source AI models, and uncensorable VPNs.
These are the instruments keeping movements alive, getting money to dissidents, and protecting voices at risk. And behind every tool is a quiet builder, a pseudonymous contributor, or an open-source developer who may never take the stage but is just as much a part of the story.
Being part of the financial freedom team at HRF only deepens this sense of purpose. I couldn’t ask for a more principled, talented group of allies.
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These are people who care deeply, work quietly, and show up every day to make sure those fighting for their rights and freedoms aren’t left alone.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, but being in this team reminds me that change starts by standing with those who share a vision and mission for a more free and just world.
I’m leaving with a head full of names and projects, and a heart that feels cracked open in the best way. I’m grateful for the conversations, the hard questions, the laughter over dinners, and the moments of silence that said more than any speech could.
Above all, I’m reminded that no authoritarian regime, no matter how brutal or well-funded, has ever succeeded in stamping out the human desire to be free.
Oslo is proof of that. And if you're paying attention, it's also a glimpse into what comes next.
Onwards and upwards, my friends 🧡
The Oslo Freedom Forum 🇳🇴 is a powerful reminder that #Bitcoin remains the single best tool we have at our disposal to uplift and free the billions of people still living under authoritarian rule.
A Syrian economist is proposing the central bank removes two zeros from the Syrian pound to solve their economic crisis and remedy ongoing hyperinflation.
If the rules of your money can be changed overnight, opt out with #Bitcoin
Spent last week in Austin for SXSW where HRF’s Financial Freedom team came to raise awareness about CBDCs—through our CBDC Tracker booth and a panel featuring experts
, Charlene Fadirepo, and
I left the conference with surprising insights after hundreds of conversations🧵
The Public Remains Dangerously Unaware
This was the theme of our CBDC Tracker booth, and it couldn’t have rung truer. Over 130 jurisdictions are exploring CBDCs. 3.6 billion people live under authoritarian regimes working on their own CBDCs. Yet, most people have no idea this is happening.
Out of 100 people I conversed with, I estimate less than five were familiar with CBDCs.
People generally don’t understand what CBDCs are.
Many thought CBDCs are just another form of cryptocurrency. Memecoins, Bitcoin, CBDCs. They lump them all together as some kind of “digital money.” Once we explained that CBDCs are a direct liability of a central bank — meaning you are banking directly with your central bank and by extension your government, it clicked.
Lack of understanding of the risks CBDCs pose.
A few people had heard of CBDCs but hadn’t yet fully grasped the full extent of their capabilities—such as state surveillance, programmability, censorship, and seizure—and the implications these have for transactional freedom, financial privacy, and civil liberties around the world.
Right now, people are overwhelmingly against CBDCs once they understand them.
But that could change fast. What happens when their politician of choice starts pushing CBDCs as “progress” or for “financial inclusion”? We’re on borrowed time before they get repackaged and sold to the public, at home and abroad.
Even in countries where CBDCs already exist, people are unaware.
Met a young man from Nigeria whose family back home is living under the eNaira—Nigeria’s struggling and state-controlled CBDC. He had no idea it even existed. Again, people remain dangerously unaware of CBDCs and the threats they pose, even when they’re already living under them.
The conversation would inevitably move to Bitcoin.
At first, when people asked, “What’s the alternative?” or “What’s the solution?”— I hesitated. I didn’t want to scare them off by promptly answering Bitcoin, causing them to disregard anything I had previously said. Instead, I leaned into terms like “awareness,” “open-source alternatives,” and “decentralized money.”
But as the conversation deepened, it became clear that people were hungry for more than vague responses. They wanted solutions. And Bitcoin was the answer they sought.
What surprised me was how quickly people became receptive to Bitcoin after learning about the dangers of CBDCs. With their newly equipped understanding of the risks, Bitcoin no longer felt like an abstract concept—it became a real solution, especially for those in authoritarian regimes that constantly strip away basic human rights and financial freedom.
A small, but growing group gets it.
We met some folks who already understood Bitcoin is fundamentally different from state-controlled money like CBDCs and speculative tokens that dominate the rest of the crypto space.
In fact, we probably met more “bitcoiners” than we did people who understood and were aware of CBDCs . This suggests that CBDCs remain even less understood than Bitcoin, at least in the sample we observed.
Overall, it was a successful and eye-opening week.
The conversations were enlightening, and it’s clear that while many are unaware of CBDCs, once they understand them, they see the risks. While this may sound grim, I’ve come to accept that CBDCs are effectively inevitable under most authoritarian regimes.
That means our best defense is to educate and equip individuals with the tools and resources to circumvent the top-down economic control CBDCs offer governments.
That means #Bitcoin. That means grassroots education.
This is our zero-to-one moment and the time to act is now.
https://image.nostr.build/a2144cf47cb30ecf5d2cb1569bf5b063e84e55291b4e3f26e356e1dcb1e3176f.jpg https://image.nostr.build/cb4a916eb8ae1861c7a35412c8549d5810cb056ba23f8018e1de7ebb41e6cc49.jpg https://image.nostr.build/02b4ac11e337d97cad9a96836bc46bb256157d4b078c9ab781419dd2c712f313.jpg https://image.nostr.build/8dcf66d5b0a4a724ef88ffcced43e81bfdb41550bc986797134a33a13262676f.jpg
GM Nostr!
Here's a deep dive into the absurdity of Cuba's monetary system I did while writing HRF's financialfreedomreport.org
In 2021, the Communist Party of Cuba forced thousands of Cubans to convert their savings into "Certificates of Deposit" (CDs).
Four years later, they still can't access a cent.
Here’s what happened🧵
For decades, Cuba had two currencies:
-
The CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) – Used for buying essential goods and pegged to the USD.
-
The CUP (Cuban Peso) – What most Cubans were paid in, nearly worthless. The result? Cubans were paid in a currency with no value but forced to use a currency that was pegged to the dollar for basic purchases.
This created an economic divide, with wages falling far behind the prices of even basic necessities.
The CUC first came to be in 2004 when the Cuban government forbade the use of dollars (previously legal tender), forcing both Cubans and tourists alike to exchange them (and other foreign currencies) for Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUCs).
For years, Cubans who had foreign currency—whether through remittances, salaries, or savings—had to convert it into Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC), which was promised as pegged 1:1 with the US dollar.
In 2021, however, Cuba’s government eliminated the CUC under the “Tarea Ordenamiento” reforms in what was dubbed “Day Zero.” The government claimed this would 'unify' the monetary system and simplify the economy. In reality, it was a desperate move to cover up years of mismanagement and foreign currency shortages.
In other words, the regime printed way more CUCs than it had dollars to back them up.
So, instead of receiving their dollars back, Cubans with CUCs were forced to choose between two options:
-
Convert to Cuban Pesos (CUP) at a 24:1 rate (black market rate was much higher).
-
Lock money in CDs, with the promise of getting USD back later when "liquidity allows."
Many Cubans chose CDs, hoping to get their dollars back. But unbeknownst to Cubans, the details made them effectively worthless:
❌ No clear repayment timeline 📉 Near-zero interest (0.15%) 🚫 Non-transferable, except by inheritance
Since the monetary union of the CUC and CUP in 2021, the peso (CUP) has gone into freefall:
📉 2021: Gov’t set exchange rate: 24 CUP per USD 📉 2022 Black market rate: 50 CUP per USD 📉 2023: 300 CUP per USD 📉 2024: 400+ CUP per USD
Meanwhile, Cubans who chose to lock their savings in CDs still can’t access their increasingly devalued money.
Banks refuse requests. The regime ignores complaints. And those who dissent—online or in person—risk government censorship or frozen accounts.
Cubans are not happy:
"They took our dollars and gave us a piece of paper. In any other country, this would be a crime."
“No matter how you look at it, it’s nonsensical. What’s the point of having an account if you can’t touch even a dollar of the money deposited there?"
The Cuban regime didn’t just mismanage the economy and currency, it robbed its own people under the guise of policy.
By trapping citizens’ hard-earned savings, they made sure ordinary Cubans—not the government—paid the price of regime-induced financial devastation.
If you enjoyed these insights, consider subscribing to HRF's Financial Freedom Report for more news and learn how #Bitcoin is helping alleviate the monetary struggles of citizens under authoritarian regimes.👇
The financial freedom #Bitcoin provides is the overarching reason why once a Bitcoiner, you never go back.
It's fundamentally impossible to do so after understanding the superior alternative.
It would be like trying email and opting to write letters delivered by raven instead.
Many people approach #Bitcoin as an investment, which can lead to a fundamental misunderstanding of its nature.
You're not investing in Bitcoin, you’re using a better form of money.
-Your money isn’t someone else’s liability. -Your money has no intermediaries. -Your money doesn’t require permission to use. -Your money can’t be censored. -Your money is fully under your control. -Your money is always accessible. -Your money can be sent anywhere, anytime. -Your money is borderless. -Your money travels with you. -Your money works for any purchase, big or small. -Your money can’t be debased. -Your money appreciates over time. -Your money is harder to track or surveil. -Your money can’t be taken from you.
Bitcoin isn’t an investment. It’s financial freedom.
With world leaders launching meme coins becoming a trend, here’s what I discovered while researching the Central African Republic’s government-backed meme coin $CAR for HRF’s financialfreedomreport.org🧵
On February 10th, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announced on X the launch of a government backed meme coin called $CAR claiming it will “unite people” and “support national development.”
The reality is actually more simple: meme coins are largely speculative assets, prone to pump-and-dump cycles, and often serving as vehicles for insiders to profit at the expense of those who buy in.
CAR’s 1 billion token supply was carved up predictably: 35% to ‘country development,’ 25% to ‘creators & company,’ 20.7% for liquidity, 10% for charity, and just 9.3% for public distribution. In short, insiders controlled the vast majority.
Within a day of its launch, $CAR shot to a market cap of $900 million before crashing spectacularly, plunging 97% from its peak and leaving the vast majority of investors holding worthless tokens.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because President Toudéra pulled a similar stunt only a couple years earlier.
In 2022, they launched Sango Coin, a token that promised citizenship and land to its investors. The reality? Only 7.5% of the supply was sold, and those who did “buy in” did not receive what was promised. The official Sango Coin website is also non functional.
They even convinced people to donate their Bitcoin to “back” Sango Coin, then took all the donated funds.
Even before Sango, CAR made global headlines by adopting Bitcoin as “legal tender.” Unfortunately this was less about freedom and individual sovereignty and more about optics. In other words, a marketing ploy to propel the Sango Coin scam.
Regardless of the intentions, Bitcoin as legal tender didn't last long as CAR bowed to pressure from the regional monetary union, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, and walked back Bitcoin’s legal tender status and their paper promises.
The recurring theme in CAR is that the government continues to pedal schemes they claim will benefit the public, but instead repeatedly benefits regime insiders. This came at the opportunity cost of instead advancing decentralized, open, and censorship-resistant money that can actually benefit such an impoverished population.
The $CAR meme coin is just the latest gimmick and reports are already surfacing that regime insiders cashed out $40M.
With a second scam in just as many years, this clearly isn’t about financial innovation: it’s about power and profit for the few.
The real tragedy? CAR’s people deserve financial freedom.
#Bitcoin could provide a way to escape the CFA system that is deeply rooted in monetary colonialism, but instead, the government has chosen speculative tokens that enrich elites at the expense of the public.
Until then, its citizens remain trapped in a system where politicians experiment with money, and the people pay the price.
The fact that the entire crypto space has devolved into nothing but repeated meme coin launches is proof that it has absolutely no future.
It was always just #Bitcoin.
A little research I did on India's central bank digital currency (CBDC) while writing HRF's financialfreedomreport.org
🧵👇
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently partnered with fintech firms MobiKwik and Cred to expand the digital rupee (India’s CBDC) using existing payment infrastructure and financial institutions. This includes UPI (Unified Payments Interface), India’s government-owned real-time payment system, which already dominates the country's digital payment sector.
With a combined user base of 180 million, Mobikwik and Cred, both integrated with UPI, will act as entry points for public access to the CBDC through the new “e₹ wallet” CBDC app.
Why does this matter?
Unlike Bitcoin, CBDCs aren’t neutral money — they are programmable, surveilled, and fully controlled by the state, allowing for transactions to be tracked, censored, frozen, or even confiscated at will.
The new e₹ wallet mandates KYC video verification to transact — and while these requirements may seem routine, in a CBDC system, they remove the option of financial anonymity altogether.
The new e₹ wallet imposes strict limits on citizens:
💠₹10,000 per transaction ($115) 💠₹50,000 daily cap ($577) 💠Mandatory video KYC 💠Integration with UPI for tracking every payment
India is already the global leader in digital transactions. In 2022, 46% of all real-time global digital payments happened in India. Further, the digital rupee CBDC peaked at 1 million retail transactions in 2023. Luckily, it has tapered off since.
It's critical to understand that the RBI isn’t just rolling out a CBDC — it’s embedding it into the country's dominant payments infrastructure (UPI), easing in new users and making opting out increasingly difficult.
This all comes as part of India’s stated goal of achieving a cashless economy. Exemplifying this, in 2016, India tried to reduce the use of cash in its economy by demonetizing, overnight, two of its most widely used bank notes.
Further, India plans to export its digital payments model to 20 countries by 2028, integrating UPI internationally. A government-controlled payments network with built-in surveillance powers is a blueprint for financial repression on a global scale.
It has become abundantly clear that CBDCs give governments unprecedented control over individuals' financial activity, such as the ability to freeze or restrict funds instantly, the imposition of negative interest rates, expiry dates on savings, and selective access based on political or social behavior.
Already, India has demonstrated its willingness to take financially repressive measures to suppress political opposition. In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, froze the bank accounts of its largest political opposition, the Indian National Congress (INC), citing alleged tax violations and leaving the party financially paralyzed mere weeks before the upcoming election.
India has a population of over 1.4 billion, and while the CBDC is still in its pilot phase, its rollout is accelerating dramatically.
Do you want to live in a world where access to your own money depends on government approval?
The writing is on the wall: If India continues this trajectory, financial freedom will be increasingly under threat for billions of people.
#Bitcoin remains one of the few tools left for true financial freedom. The question remains — will Indians be able to use it freely?
Excited to join
for the next
Freedom Tech Series.
His book, "A Progressive's Case for Bitcoin," is a great intro to Bitcoin—and one I’ve gifted many times. #Bitcoin is for everyone, and Jason makes that case powerfully.
Looking forward to discussing how Bitcoin empowers the individual, advances financial inclusion and human rights, and drives meaningful social change.
Come hang out on March 6th in NYC! 🗽
#Bitcoin is now worth over $103k USD, pushing it's market cap to a fresh high of $2 trillion.
We are now only $107 billion from overtaking Google as the world's 6th largest asset. https://image.nostr.build/840297001973f77dd9bfb9af24e6e88d4a25de33d841192e3e307d7cf26ffde8.jpg
