Running Obscura VPN

Here is my talk, "A Bitcoinized Africa," from last week's @Hodl Hodl Baltic Honeybadger '24 conference #BH2024 This year, I decided to give a more concise presentation, based on a lot of feedback and requests, on why Africa will continue to play a significant role in Bitcoin's overall development and future success. Share this presentation with anyone curious about "what material benefits Bitcoin brings to humanity" or "what Africa's role is in the future of Bitcoin." "Africa will not only continue to show what Bitcoin can do but, more importantly, it is going to show what we can do with Bitcoin" 🔥 Full video 🎥 (15 mins)

I am honored and immensely appreciative of the trust placed in me to lead Btrust. Looking forward to all the great work ahead 💪🏾🔥

Bitcoin Magazine

Jay-Z And Jack Dorsey-Backed Non-Profit ₿trust Appoints Bitcoin Core Contributor As Interim CEO

The organization, which trains Bitcoin developers in Africa, LATAM and SE Asia, appoints one its inaugural board members, Abubakar Nur Khalil, as i...

Regarding the recent Proton Wallet, I respect their conscious effort to be transparent and open about the tradeoffs / threat model (especially in their recent blog posts; see below). I just tested out the wallet, great work. Though not perfect ATM, they seem to be on a good path so far in building a Bitcoin-only wallet to simplify sending and receiving Bitcoin for their 100 million Proton users. Presently, they appear to use the Bitcoin Dev Kit (BDK; see below) as a dependency, with coinjoin and the Lightning Dev Kit (LDK) on their radar. Hopefully, we will see silent payments integrated down the line, too. Nevertheless, as a Proton user, I look forward to seeing how the Proton Wallet evolves 🔥 - - - More Reading 📌 - Initial announcement:

Proton

Introducing Proton Wallet – a safer way to hold Bitcoin | Proton

Proton Wallet is an easy-to-use self-custodial wallet that makes financial freedom attainable for everyone.

- The wallet's security model:

Proton

Proton Wallet user experience and security model | Proton

This article reviews the key features and security architecture that make Proton Wallet a private and secure wallet that is as easy to use as email.

- Github repo:

GitHub

GitHub - ProtonWallet/andromeda: The andromeda libraries aims to provide logical blocks to build a privacy-focused, cross-platform, self-custody Bitcoin and Lightning wallet, integrated in Proton's ecosystem

The andromeda libraries aims to provide logical blocks to build a privacy-focused, cross-platform, self-custody Bitcoin and Lightning wallet, integ...

- Potential future dependencies:

GitHub

Update readme.md · ProtonWallet/andromeda@211dc5a

The andromeda libraries aims to provide logical blocks to build a privacy-focused, cross-platform, self-custody Bitcoin and Lightning wallet, integ...

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The African Bitcoin ecosystem will ONLY move forward when we have more builders and value creators than talkers and value extractors.

In my latest piece for Forbes Crypto, I highlight the whirlwind of events following the controversial finance bill, the protests and its success, the resilience of the youth and their view of Bitcoin's role in Kenya's future 🇰🇪 ❤️ Noelyne Sumba, a stellar Kenyan Bitcoiner and Machakura team member, put it best, "Many young Kenyans see Bitcoin as a way to escape the restrictive monetary policies imposed by international financial institutions, which have contributed to the country's economic challenges. Integrating Bitcoin into the financial system could reduce reliance on foreign debt and offer a way out from oppressive government policies that hinder economic and individual growth." Very proud of—and inspired by—the resilience shown by fellow Kenyan Bitcoiners and the youth on the ground in fighting against this bill and winning. Here's to amplifying the voices of those we've lost over the last week and those who continue to fight 🕊 https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/06/26/kenyan-youth-embrace-bitcoin-amid-deadly-protests-over-finance-bill/

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Appreciate the recent Volt shoutout and kind words from @ODELL and @Marty Bent on @RABBIT HOLE RECAP 🔥 Thank you for highlighting the Nigeria situation and Volt announcement @Ayelen 🧡

Insane collab 🔥

Presently, no KYC P2P Bitcoin services might seem like a novelty option, but for some, it is a lifeline, and soon enough, for all, it could be the last resistance against total capture. Plan ahead, stay safe 🦡

In my latest piece for Forbes Crypto, I cover the great work by @BTCPay Server in standardising the Lightning Network payment experience for Bitcoin conferences, with case studies from @Hodl Hodl’s Baltic HoneyBadger 2023 conference and the @Bitcoin Atlantis 2024 conference. "[...] BTCPay Server is building, iterating, and rolling out what is becoming the standard for Bitcoin payment experience over the Lightning Network, all through the power of open-source code and a talented group of global volunteers and developers." https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/04/12/btcpay-server-is-reshaping-the-bitcoin-conference-payment-experience/?sh=191bfd5de269

As Bitcoin's price continues to rise, events in Nigeria haven't been as smooth sailing. In my latest piece for Forbes Crypto, I cover the rabbit hole of developments from late February to date here. "While many things are in flux, it is safe to say that Bitcoin is not going anywhere. Bitcoin and stablecoin speculation may continue to impact the Naira's FX future, but it is an overstatement to single them out as the sole factor in the Naira's FX crisis." https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/04/08/as-bitcoin-surges-nigerians-are-facing-harsh-fx-related-interventions/?sh=3478a962547c

Happy Craig Wright is not Satoshi Day! Thank you to all the legends who made this massive W possible 🫂🧡

The pursuit of Bitcoin adoption shouldn't be at the cost of individual sovereignty and privacy. The system will end up like it is in fiat, just with a different narrative. Build resilience today, it'll be too late tomorrow.

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Here is my talk on the “Evolution of Bitcoin VC Funding in Africa” from the AfroBitcoin 2023 conference. In it, I explore the evolution and future outlook of the Bitcoin VC landscape in Africa 🌍🔥 YT Link 🎥 (8 mins)

With all the ETF news taking up bandwidth, I thought it would be worthwhile to document what I think is a very important project, announced at last week's Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town conf. The Bitcoin Java Card project by KG, developer of Machankura, could be the missing piece to bringing Bitcoin to billions in Africa, and globally. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/01/31/bitcoin-java-cards-could-help-bank-millions-in-africa--billions-next/?sh=2622f8296bde

We are hiring a Chief Executive Officer for Btrust 🔥 Btrust is a non-profit organization established to decentralize the development of free and open-source Bitcoin software. Initially focused on Africa, our mission is to locate, educate, and remunerate developers in the global south to contribute to the Bitcoin protocol and its associated technology stack. Although no prior Bitcoin experience is necessary, we’re seeking a leader who shares our enthusiasm for Bitcoin’s potential and values and the importance of a decentralized contributor community collaborating to shape the future of global money. If this sounds like you, go ahead and apply here:

Jobs

On friday, the Central Bank of Nigeria released a circular reversing its bitcoin ban 🔥 Given the scant information available online on the circular and questions I've been getting from folks, I decided to distill the 11-page document into a piece, which I've just published. The piece walks through the details of the CBN's circular, important changes, and its effects going into 2024. Hopefully this provides more clarity on this important development. https://www.forbes.com/sites/abubakarnurkhalil/2023/12/24/nigerian-central-bank-issues-circular-reversing-2021-bitcoin-ban/?sh=69910ce57350