In this episode of Btrust in Focus, Paul sits down with @Sy ⚡, convener of BitDevs NBO 🇰🇪, to discuss the journey of building Nairobi's Bitcoin developer community and the impact it continues to have across Kenya's growing Bitcoin ecosystem. From its early days of searching for meeting spaces and support to becoming a community that has produced contributors, founders, and builders, Simon shares lessons on community building, open-source development, mentorship, and the importance of creating spaces where people can learn and grow together. The conversation also explores Simon's work in Bitcoin mining, his contributions to Stratum V2, and how initiatives such as @npub1353s...gajp have helped deepen technical engagement within the community. Watch the full conversation here:

What does it take to go from learning about Bitcoin to creating pathways for others to contribute? In the first episode of Btrust in Focus, Paul Eke sits down with @Lucas Ferreira 🇧🇷⚡️, founder of @npub13s0k...5g70, to discuss his journey from overcoming imposter syndrome to helping build one of the most active Bitcoin development ecosystems in Brazil 🇧🇷 and the wider Latin America region. The conversation explores the growth of Vinteum, the expansion of BitDevs communities, the importance of mentorship, and why creating opportunities for new contributors remains one of the most important investments the Bitcoin ecosystem can make. Watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel:

Could quantum computers one day threaten Bitcoin’s security, and what would it take to prepare? The answer is not as simple as adopting new cryptography. Every option comes with trade-offs for transaction size, fees, storage, network performance and decentralization. In our latest article, Btrust grantee Sulaiman Aminu Barkindo explains the risk, assesses the leading post-quantum options and looks at how Bitcoin could move forward carefully. Read the full article on the Btrust blog:

Btrust Blog

Quantum Computing and Bitcoin: Understanding the Risks, the Trade-offs, and the Path Forward

CriterionBitcoin's RequirementSignature size64 bytes (Schnorr, BIP-340)Verification speedFast enough for full node throughputSigning speedFast enou...

A big thank you to the @HRF team for featuring our Developer Education Grants in this week's edition of the Financial Freedom Report. 🧡 Check out past editions and subscribe to get the latest updates here: https://hrf.org/program/financial-freedom/financial-freedom-reports Bitcoin needs more contributors from more places, and that starts with making technical education more accessible. Through our Education Grants, we're supporting programs that provide mentorship, technical training, and pathways that help developers move from learning to meaningful open-source contribution. Applications are open year-round for initiatives focused on Bitcoin open-source development, developer education, mentorship, and contributor pathways. Learn more and apply here: https://www.btrust.tech/grants/education

What does it take to grow the Bitcoin open-source ecosystem? Behind every contribution, project, program, and community is a story of curiosity, persistence, collaboration, and the people creating opportunities for others to build. Btrust in Focus is a new conversation series exploring the people behind Btrust's mission and the broader Bitcoin open-source ecosystem. Through conversations with builders, educators, community leaders, program operators, ecosystem partners, and members of the Btrust team, we explore the journeys, challenges, lessons, and experiences behind the work of growing Bitcoin. Across nine episodes, you'll hear from people building products, supporting developers, strengthening communities, advancing Bitcoin education, and creating pathways for the next generation of open-source contributors. The first episode premieres next week, with new episodes dropping every Friday. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you don't miss an episode: https://www.youtube.com/@btrust_tech

Last week, we had the pleasure of sponsoring and presenting at the Genesis Workshop hosted by OSGuild in Mauritius 🇲🇺. Two of our developer grantees, @Chuks and @Sy ⚡, joined the workshop to share their knowledge and experiences with the local community. On day 1, Sy introduced participants to the fundamentals of bitcoin, covering the basics of how it works, and mining ⛏️. Chuks ended the day with a session on the Lightning Network⚡, explaining how it enables fast, low-cost bitcoin payments and the technology that makes it possible. On day 2, they joined a panel discussion to share their journeys into Bitcoin open-source development, offering practical advice and encouragement to developers looking to contribute to the ecosystem. Across the two days, participants took part in technical presentations, thoughtful discussions, and the interactive @npub1vmpf...xhm7 LARP, making for an engaging and collaborative learning experience. A huge thank you to Sadiq Rabiu and the OSGuild team for organizing such a fantastic event. We're grateful to have been part of it and look forward to supporting more initiatives that help grow the Bitcoin open-source community.

BitDevs is a space for asking questions, exchanging ideas, and learning alongside others who share your curiosity. These discussion-led meetups bring together developers, designers, researchers, writers, students, and people from many other backgrounds. Participants examine new proposals, challenge assumptions, share different perspectives, and learn from one another. You don’t need to be technical or have all the answers to take part. Over time, these conversations can lead to deeper knowledge, new collaborations, research, projects, and contributions across the Bitcoin ecosystem. Our latest article explains what happens at a BitDevs meetup, why these communities matter, and how you can get involved. Read the full article on our blog:

Btrust Blog

BitDevs Explained: What to Expect and How to Get Involved

Walk into a BitDevs meetup for the first time and you may feel as though the conversation started before you arrived. Someone might be discussing ...

At Btrust, we believe a stronger Bitcoin open-source ecosystem starts with better developer education. Developers need structured learning, mentors, and communities that help them grow from learners into contributors. We’re excited to announce the first round of 2026 Bitcoin Developer Education Grant recipients. 🚀 This round, we’re awarding $904,000 across five education initiatives: • Hack4Freedom by @npub1ytws...ju8r • Summer of Bitcoin • @bitshala • @npub13s0k...5g70 • @Librería de Satoshi & B4OS Together, these programs are helping developers across Africa and the Global Majority build technical skills, contribute to open-source Bitcoin projects, and become the next generation of maintainers, educators, and full-time Bitcoin developers. From hackathons and fellowships to study cohorts, internships, mentorship, and long-term developer support, each program creates meaningful pathways into Bitcoin open source. Read more about the programs we're supporting:

Btrust Blog

Announcing the First Round of 2026 Bitcoin Developer Education Grant Recipients

Over $900k awarded across five education initiatives supporting Bitcoin open-source development in Africa and the Global Majority.

Btrust Education Grants are open year-round to initiatives advancing Bitcoin developer education, mentorship, and open-source contribution across Africa and the Global Majority. Learn more and apply here: https://www.btrust.tech/grants/education

For many developers, the first step into Bitcoin open source is often a meetup, workshop, hackathon, conference talk, or technical session. These events create entry points for curious developers, connect new builders with mentors and peers, and give contributors a platform to share their work and find collaborators. We’re excited to announce the first batch of 2026 Btrust event grant recipients. 🚀 This round, we are supporting eight events: • @Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2026 • @Africa Free Routing Lightning Developer Bootcamps • @btcplusplus Nairobi & Seoul 2026 • Code & Chain Senegal by Bitnob • The Genesis Workshop by OSGuild • Dakar Bitcoin Days IV • DevFest Kaduna 2026 Learn more about the recipients here:

Btrust Blog

Introducing the First Batch of 2026 Btrust Event Grants

For many developers, the first step into Bitcoin is not a grant, a fellowship, or a full-time open-source role. It is a local meetup, workshop, hac...

Btrust event grants are open to events, conferences, bootcamps, workshops, hackathons, and technical gatherings growing the Bitcoin open-source ecosystem. Learn more and apply here: https://www.btrust.tech/grants/event

We're excited to support the Genesis Workshop in Mauritius 🇲🇺, a two-day hands-on Bitcoin and open-source workshop organized by OSGuild in collaboration with BitDevs Mauritius. Designed for developers, students, and curious builders, the workshop introduces participants to open-source culture, Bitcoin development, and real-world contribution pathways through practical, mentor-led sessions. We're also excited to have two of our developer grantees, @Chuks and@npub1zm2dg6fjl8aw0rcmhhc8kcdax6nzmsvvdwxcwc9upnvctl5vvwlslpf260, joining the workshop as speakers, sharing their experience and helping guide the next generation of Bitcoin open-source contributors. If you're in Mauritius, don't miss this opportunity to get started. 🔗 Learn more and register to attend here:

Genesis Workshop — Building Open Source Developers

Join the Genesis Workshop to build your skills as an open source developer, connect with industry experts, and get funding for open source contribu...

Lightning⚡ can make bitcoin payments fast and low cost, but building a Lightning-enabled app from scratch can still feel like a lot. There are channels to open, liquidity to manage, invoices to create, payments to track, and events to handle. LDK Node makes that path more practical by packaging the hard infrastructure choices into a smaller, production-ready API. In our latest blog, 👩‍💻 Rita Anene walks through building a working Lightning node in Rust 🦀, step by step: connecting to a peer, opening a channel, handling the ChannelReady event, receiving and sending BOLT11 payments, creating and paying BOLT12 offers, and sending a spontaneous payment without an invoice. It is a hands-on starting point for developers who understand Bitcoin and want to begin building on Lightning, without needing to learn every layer of the protocol first. Read the full article here:

Btrust Blog

Getting Started with LDK Node: Building a Lightning Node in Rust

Written by Rita Anene If you've spent time in the Bitcoin developer space, you've probably heard of LDK, (the Lightning Development Kit). LDK g...

Getting your first pull request merged is a milestone, but it is rarely the point where the journey becomes easier. If anything, it marks the beginning of deeper learning, greater responsibility, and continued contribution. In this article, we spoke with our Head of Engineering Kelvin Isievwore and two long-term developer grantees, Abubakar Sadiq Ismail and Enigbe Ochekliye, about what really changes after that first merge. From navigating code reviews to finding your place within an open-source project, they reflect on the lessons that stayed with them long after their first contribution was accepted. Read the full article on our blog:

Btrust Blog

What Happens After Your First Merged PR?

There are few moments in open source that feel as rewarding as seeing your first pull request merged. For many contributors, it marks the end of d...

https://blossom.primal.net/302f47427723a7ebb5c31bf1a5744f05927e2dd19f819622a2dd7c4a4b439809.jpgp

We’re excited to announce the Q2, 2026 Btrust developer grant recipients. 🚀 Seven Bitcoin open-source developers were awarded grants last quarter, including three starter grant recipients and four long-term open-source cohort members. The Btrust starter grant supports software engineers who are ready to contribute full-time to open-source Bitcoin development. It gives recipients the time, mentorship, and financial support they need to explore a focused area of Bitcoin open source, make meaningful contributions, and grow into long-term contributors. Q2, 2026 starter grantees are: • Jemimah Nagasha working on Polar ⚡ • Oyindamola Oladapo working on Rust-Payjoin and the Payjoin Development Kit • Yankho Ngolleka working on @npub1m0st...40un The Btrust Open-Source Cohort provides long-term support to established Bitcoin open-source contributors. Members receive funding, mentorship, and peer support to deepen their work on important Bitcoin open-source projects and build long-term careers in the ecosystem. Q2, 2026 long-term grantees are: • Abiodun Awoyemi working on Bitcoin Dev Kit and BDK-TX • Ojok Emmanuel Nsubuga working on BlueWallet • Jamal ERRAKIBI working on rust-bitcoin, rust-secp256k1, and cryptographic performance • Brandon Odiwuor Odiwuor working on Bitcoin Core CI with CTest and CDash Learn more about the recipients and what they’re working on in the blog:

Btrust Blog

Announcing Q2, 2026 Btrust Developer Grant Recipients

Africa, July 13, 2026 - We’re excited to announce the Q2 2026 Btrust developer grant recipients. Last quarter, seven Bitcoin open-source develope...

Applications for Btrust developer grants are open year-round, with new grantees announced quarterly. If you’re a developer looking to contribute to Bitcoin open-source projects, we encourage you to apply. Learn more about Btrust developer grants and explore other Btrust grants here:

Grants

Get funding to work on Free and Open-Source Bitcoin projects

Yesterday, Peter Tyonum took the stage at Bitcoin Mastermind in Cotonou 🇧🇯, to share how Btrust is helping grow the next generation of Bitcoin open-source engineers. His talk explored the work we've been doing over the past few years to identify talent, provide technical education, and support developers building Bitcoin. He also shared how open-source development is growing across the Global Majority and why investing in local talent matters for bitcoin's future. Thank you to the #BMM2026 team for creating space for these important discussions. ⚡ #BMM26

Behind every active Bitcoin open-source contributor is a system that helped them get there, one that helped them discover Bitcoin, develop the skills to work on it, and find a place within the open-source ecosystem. Supporting that system across the Global Majority is what Btrust grants are designed to do. For a long time, open-source Bitcoin development has not reflected the full range of people Bitcoin is meant to serve. That gap was never about ability. It was about access, to learning paths, technical communities, mentors, and funding. Since 2021, Btrust has been working to change that through grants, mentorship, and education programs for developers from Africa and the Global Majority. 👩‍💻 Rita Anene, Jemimah Nagasha, and Enigbe Ochekliye are three grantees from across Africa who found their way into serious Bitcoin open-source work through that system. Three different backgrounds. Three different paths. One shared commitment to building. Read the full story of how they got started and are shaping Bitcoin's future:

Btrust Blog

From Builders to Leaders: Meet the African Women Shaping Bitcoin’s Future

Bitcoin has always carried a powerful promise: that money can be open, neutral, and fair. Regardless of where you are from, what you look like, who...

Two weeks ago, we brought our developer grantees together for an internal retreat. It was a chance to step away from the day-to-day activities, connect in person, and spend time together as a community, not just a network of individual contributors. We kicked things off with a look at the state of the Btrust developer ecosystem, where we are today, the progress we've made, and the gaps we're still working to close. From there, grantees shared the projects they've been working on, followed by technical deep dives into the challenges, blockers, and breakthroughs shaping their work. We wrapped up with roadmap alignment, ensuring everyone left with a shared understanding of where we're headed and how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Open-source development can often be a solitary journey. Bringing the community together, even for a day, created space to learn from one another, exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, and leave inspired to keep building. Here's a look back at the day. 🧡

Before @btcplusplus Nairobi 🇰🇪 kicked off, we brought together Btrust developer grantees and team members for a retreat at Node NBO. With many of our grantees already in Nairobi for bitcoin++, it felt like the perfect opportunity to spend a day together, connecting, sharing progress, aligning on priorities, and strengthening the relationships that make our ecosystem what it is. For many of the grantees and some of our newer team members, this was the first time meeting in person after months (and in some cases years) of collaborating online. The day featured project showcases, technical deep dives, conversations around challenges and breakthroughs, ecosystem updates, roadmap discussions, and a look ahead at what we hope to achieve in the second half of the year. We also made time for some friendly competition and fun along the way. One unexpected highlight was an impromptu visit to the Gridless offices. As fellow tenants at Node NBO, the team welcomed us into their space, where Erik Hersman walked the grantees through some of the work they're doing to help decentralize bitcoin mining⛏️ through their mining operations across Africa. It sparked great conversations around energy, infrastructure, and the role African builders can play in strengthening the bitcoin ecosystem. Perhaps most importantly, the retreat gave us a chance to celebrate progress, exchange ideas, and strengthen the community behind the work. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day meaningful. 🧡

Africa is not waiting for the future of bitcoin to be built elsewhere, we're building it ourselves.🚀 That was one of the strongest themes throughout the inaugural Bitcoin Nairobi Conference 🇰🇪, a gathering of developers, educators, entrepreneurs, community leaders, policymakers, and builders working to strengthen bitcoin adoption and innovation across the continent. We're proud that some members of the Btrust community contributed to these important conversations. On day 1, our communications lead, @Sharon Murugi, joined the bitcoin and media panel alongside @Sabina, CJ Kelly, and Alfonce Ouma, moderated by Blessing Ekong from Librería de Satoshi. The discussion explored the role of storytelling, education, and media in helping more people understand bitcoin and its impact. Also on day 1, Ojok Emmanuel working on BlueWallet, delivered a talk on hardware wallet security for Africa, sharing practical insights on self-custody and why secure bitcoin ownership matters for African users. On day 2, our head of engineering, Kelvin Isievwore, delivered a keynote on decentralizing Bitcoin development, highlighting the importance of a globally distributed Bitcoin ecosystem and how Btrust is supporting open-source contributors and creating pathways for developers across Africa and the Global Majority. Later, Btrust grantee Simon joined the building on Bitcoin panel, exchanging ideas with fellow builders and exploring how developers can continue expanding Bitcoin's capabilities. Beyond these sessions, the conference featured rich discussions on bitcoin education, open-source development, human rights, financial inclusion, design, mining, entrepreneurship, circular economies, and community building, demonstrating that Africa is not just participating in the Bitcoin ecosystem, but actively shaping its future. Thank you to the Bitcoin Nairobi Conference team for bringing together such a vibrant community of builders and thinkers, and congratulations on a successful first edition.🎉

We recently had the pleasure of supporting @btcplusplus Nairobi 🇰🇪, the first bitcoin++ conference in Africa and the first-ever open source edition. Over three incredible days, we saw developers, researchers, educators, and builders come together to explore Bitcoin, Lightning, privacy, mining, open-source development, developer tooling, financial infrastructure, and the future of building on Bitcoin. It was inspiring to see so many ideas turn into working projects tackling real-world challenges. We're especially proud of the strong representation from our community, with members speaking across the conference and teams building projects that earned recognition across multiple hackathon categories. A huge thank you to @niftynei() 🇺🇸💸💛🚀 and the entire bitcoin++ team for bringing this milestone event to Africa, as well as the speakers, mentors, judges, volunteers, sponsors, and every attendee who made it such a success. We're excited to see the projects, collaborations, and conversations that started here continue long after the conference. See you next year! 🚀

The final day of @btcplusplus Nairobi 🇰🇪 brought together developers, educators, and builders for a full day of talks, workshops, hackathon presentations, and community discussions. Sessions explored a wide range of topics, including bitcoin mining, Lightning payments, privacy, mobile money integration, and open-source development. The workshop track offered hands-on learning opportunities, with Abdullahi Yunus leading an L402 workshop on using Lightning for API authentication and payments, while Sonkeng Maldini demonstrated how developers can send and receive Silent Payments using Bitcoin Dev Kit tooling. Several Btrust community members took the stage throughout the day, including Simon, Abdullahi Yunus, Muhammad Shehu, Sonkeng Maldini, Michael Ariwaodo, Ojok Emmanuel, and @Sharon Murugi, sharing insights on open-source development, privacy, Lightning, mining, and community building. The afternoon featured the hackathon finals, where teams showcased innovative projects spanning developer tooling, financial infrastructure, privacy, and open-source maintenance. The event concluded with the hackathon awards, celebrating the builders and projects that stood out during two days of intensive hacking and collaboration.