Bitcoin breaks barriers sovereignty – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion piece by Renata Rodigues, Head of Global Society and Education at Paxful.
Bitcoin gives millions around the world the opportunity to become sovereign entrepreneurs. After visiting neighborhoods in Nigeria and Colombia, I found people who took power back into their own hands and mapped their own journey toward economic freedom. What we see are communities that remove boundaries and restrictions and revolutionize money without the need for an intermediary or authority.
In Kenya, peer-to-peer (P2P) financing is driving the next wave of Bitcoin adoption. Last year alone, the country had one of the highest rates of grassroots adoption worldwide, along with Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania. We see a country where Bitcoin works for 100% – not 1%. For people like Andrey, Bitcoin is life and a chance to experience a brighter economic future.
With a focus on Africa, we will also take a look at Paco as he travels through Africa using Bitcoin to educate and demonstrate its power.
Bitcoinforthe100 is a collection of stories and utility cases that prove that Bitcoin really is for 100%. Below are the voices of people embracing Bitcoin for freedom and self-sovereignty outside the framework of the traditional financial system.
Andrey Sikdelnikov: Nairobi, Kenya
Andrey has completely changed the way he handles his finances. He went from using the Kenyan shilling in everyday life to now using exclusively bitcoin for everything. Regardless of barriers at hand, he leads with Bitcoin, and he can not wait until the rest of the world follows.
Since not everywhere in Kenya (or the world) accepts bitcoin as a payment method, Andrey had to be creative with his solutions. When faced with a merchant who does not take bitcoin, “I sell my bitcoin on Paxful and get the required amount in shillings for my phone and then pay my bill,” he shared. Since these transactions take less than two minutes to complete, Andrey does not have to skip a stroke. Instead of having to make sure he has the right amount in his bank account, he can make transactions right away without having to do anything in advance.
Learn more about his story here.
Paco De La India: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Inspired by the concept of time preference for humanity, Paco knew he wanted to do something to show how Bitcoin could strengthen the world with economic freedom. By combining his love of travel with his passion for Bitcoin, Paco knew he could merge these two worlds into one bigger cause.
Paco has always been one who has traveled the world, so it was only fitting that he first learned about Bitcoin while visiting Germany. “In 2015, a crazy German guy in his shorts started yelling at the hostel to buy bitcoin,” Paco told us. He did not think much about it at the time – he calculated it to be something he was not interested in since he was focused on his travels.
Fast forward to 2021 – Paco decided it was time to take the plunge and start using Bitcoin. He picked up “The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative To Central Banking” by Dr. Saifedean Ammous and consumed everything it had to offer. Paco was fascinated by the book, and he took away so much more than Bitcoin – he learned about freedom and the concept of time preference. “We should really hold on to something that is not controlled by anyone,” he said.
Today, Paco has set out to visit 40 countries in 400 days. The challenge? He only uses bitcoin during his travels to educate and demonstrate its power.
Learn more about his story here.
This is a guest post by Renata Rodrigues. Expressed opinions are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
