Good morning, friends! Financial Freedom Report #125 is here and covers the alarming escalation of a law proposed by the military junta in Burma that would grant officials real-time access to citizens' financial and communications data. In #Bitcoin news, we cover the launch of Bark on Mainnet, another backend for Bitcoin wallets and applications to use the Lightning Network and provide users with fast and low-cost payments. We include El Faro's account of the Bukele government freezing the bank accounts and property of two shareholders of the independent media outlet. View article →

Good morning, friends! Financial Freedom Report #124 is here and covers an alarming attempt by the Kenyan government to sell datasets it collects from public service portals like eCitizen. In Bitcoin news, we highlight developments of a new layer-two called Cube, an attempt to expand the capabilities of Bitcoin without changing core operational realities. We also feature this year’s Freedom Tech track at the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum, where dissidents, technologists, and human rights defenders explored how Bitcoin, Nostr, Bitchat, and open-source AI can help people communicate, transact, and resist authoritarian repression. Enjoy the report. View article →

The Human Rights Foundation just published “Bitcoin for Nonprofits: A Guide To Help Your Movement Achieve Financial Freedom.” This is a practical guide for civil society organizations to accept and manage Bitcoin donations. It covers key tools, privacy best practices, real-world case studies from activists already using it, and common misconceptions. If you work with or support nonprofits, please help share this guide. The more organizations that can receive sats, the harder they will be for dictators to shut down. Read or download the PDF:

Human Rights Foundation

Bitcoin for Nonprofits: A Guide To Help Your Movement Achieve Financial Freedom

Introduction How Bitcoin Helps Bitcoin Basics Using Bitcoin In Practice Case Studies Risks and Challenges Download If you would like to save this r...

Good morning, friends! Financial Freedom Report #121 is here! In El Salvador, officials froze the assets of two members of El Faro, one of the country’s leading independent media organizations, a textbook case of financial repression to silence independent journalism. In freedom tech news, we cover the launch of Maple AI's new private Personal Intelligence Platform that expands Maple from a private AI chatbot into a suite of encrypted AI tools. We include an interview with Afghan activist and tech entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, who explains why Bitcoin is perceived radically differently in places like Kabul or Tehran than it is in New York or London. View article →

Good morning, Nostr! This week’s Financial Freedom Report #115 examines how India’s central bank is negotiating to expand its digital rupee CBDC for cross-border institutional and retail transactions. In freedom tech news, early Bitcoin developer Martti Malmi released Nostr VPN, a tool that allows users to manage their own private networks without centralized accounts, centralized servers, or reliance on any single company. We include a recent discussion at PubKey in Washington, DC, where human rights advocates Leopoldo López, Berta Valle, and Anaïse Kanimba discuss opposing authoritarian regimes and the role of freedom tech in supporting their efforts. View article →

Good afternoon, friends! This month’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #7 is out. We cover Russia’s push into AI-enhanced internet filtering, Chinese AI models parroting CCP propaganda, and an AI-powered hacking campaign targeting Iranians who documented the regime’s killing of protesters. On the tools side, we explore how the explosion of AI agents like OpenClaw and developments in new agentic models are refining workflows and accelerating software development. We also feature the latest episode of Preston Pysh’s Infinite Tech podcast where HRF’s Alex Gladstein and Justin Moon discuss how open-source AI tools like OpenClaw advance individual freedom. View article →

Good afternoon, readers! Financial Freedom Report #109 was just published. It features pressing developments, including India advancing a CBDC pilot to distribute food rations. This comes in addition to coverage on Hong Kong sentencing media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, and a crackdown on informal currency exchange activity by the military junta in Burma. In #Bitcoin news, we cover the addition of Silent Payment support, a bitcoin privacy upgrade, in Sparrow and Nunchuck wallet. We include an interview with Iranian Bitcoin educator, Ziya Sadr, who shares his experience during Iran’s 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement and the broader impact of currency collapse and state financial repression. View article →

HRF and the Finney Family award the Finney Freedom Prize for the 2016–2020 era (Block Height 420,000 - 630,00) to Andreas M. Antonopoulos. For years, Andreas helped the world understand Bitcoin as a tool for individual freedom. Through his writing, talks, and inspirational education, he brought millions of people into the Bitcoin network, inspired a generation of developers, and showed how decentralized money can defend human rights and challenge authoritarian power. Learn more about Andreas' contributions here:

Human Rights Foundation

About Andreas Antonopoulos

About Andreas Antonopoulos Antonopoulos was selected out of a shortlist nominated by the Prize Committee that also included Saifedean Ammous, Matt ...

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #102 is out and features the following in global news: -Venezuela | María Corina Machado Awarded Nobel Peace Prize -Russia | Increased Cash Use Amid Internet Outages and Financial Controls -Cuba | Former Economy Minister Sentenced to Life in Espionage Case In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Save the Children | Bitcoin Fund Launched -MetaMask | Bitcoin Support Added -PlebQR | Pay in Bitcoin in Thailand We end with the livestreams of the 2025 Africa Bitcoin Conference! View article →

Good morning, friends! Today, we celebrate 100 editions of HRF's Financial Freedom Report. What started as an effort to track how authoritarian regimes use money as a tool of repression has evolved into THE weekly newsletter covering the global state of financial freedom. From frozen bank accounts, currency collapse, and CBDCs to resisting with Bitcoin and freedom tech, we are grateful to all our readers who have joined us on this journey. Onward to the next 100! View article →

Good morning, readers! This week's Financial Freedom Report #96 is published and features the following global strories: -Cuba | Independent Media Outlet Blamed for Inflation -Indonesia | Central Bank Expands Oversight with New CBDC-Linked Stablecoin -Tanzania | Internet Blackout and Curfew Follow Unfree and Unfair Elections In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Phoenix | Phoenix Wallet Launches Taproot Channels and Multi-Wallet Support -Bitkey | Introduces Chain Code Delegation for Enhanced Privacy -Cashu | Update Adds Mint Discovery and Web-of-Trust Ratings We end with a new episode of the “What Bitcoin Did” podcast, where HRF’s Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein explains how Bitcoin protects civil society from dictators who devalue currencies, freeze bank accounts, monitor financial activity, and employ myriad other forms of financial repression. View article →

Good morning, nostr! This week's Financial Freedom Report #93 is live and features the following in global news: -China | Opens International Operations Center for Digital Yuan -Nicaragua | Human Rights Guarantees Eliminated -World | SWIFT Eyes Blockchain Payment System Overhaul In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Sparrow Wallet | Implements Send to Silent Payments -Breez | Shares Q3 Lightning Integrations -Bitcoin Babies | Releases “The Sovereign Mother” Book We end with an essay from HRF’s chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein, who explains in the Journal of Democracy why Bitcoin is best thought of as freedom money. He traces how governments have used modern financial systems to surveil and repress, and how Bitcoin provides an alternative. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #90 is now published and features the following in global news: -Thailand | Freezes Accounts and Imposes Transfer Limits -India | Government Opposes Complete Digital Asset Framework -Russia | St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport Accepts CBDC Payments In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Bitchat | Surges Amid Social Media Bans and Protests -Fedimint | Launches E-Cash App -Banxaas | Expands Bitcoin Access to Côte d’Ivoire We end with an interview on the F-Squared Podcast with Catherine Karimi Gichunge, who recounts how one of Africa’s largest mobile money systems, M-Pesa, was built. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #89 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -Russia | Pushes New State-Controlled Message App to Public -Indonesia | Police Violently Suppress Student-Led Protests -Nicaragua | Ortega-Murillo Regime Land Grab In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -NIP-EE | Merged into Nostr Protocol -Macadamia Wallet | First Ecash Wallet to Implement Multi-Nut Payments -Bitchat | Adds Built-in Tor Support on Android We end with a vibe coding tutorial by HRF’s Justin Moon, Alex Gladstein, and Jhanisse Vaca Daza. In it, they teach activists and dissidents how to vibe code a simple website. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #88 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -Georgia | Freezes Bank Accounts of Seven NGOs -Nigeria | eNaira CBDC Goes Offline -Cuba | Pension Increase Evaporates Under Currency Debasement In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Damus | Launches on Android -Cashu | Merges Support for BOLT 12 -Papa Swap | New Submarine Swap Protocol We end with an interview with Rwandan activist Anaïse Kanimba, who reflects on her family’s fight for freedom after her father Paul Rusesabagina’s abduction and explains how Bitcoin has become both a practical tool and a symbol of resilience for those resisting authoritarian regimes in Africa. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #84 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -El Salvador | Congress Approves Unlimited Presidential Reelections -North Korea | Regime Shutters Currency Exchange Centers Amid Currency Crash -Burma | Invasive Cybersecurity Law Comes into Full Effect In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -PPQ AI | Bitcoin-Powered AI Access -Bitle | Run Your Own Bitchat Node -Fedimint | Releases ‘Fedimint-in-a-Box’ Plus, we end with a new study from the Bitcoin Policy Institute, authored by HRF Global Bitcoin Adoption Fellow Win Ko Ko Aung, that explores how individuals across Burma, Thailand, and Laos use Bitcoin to navigate financial repression, authoritarian control, and banking exclusion. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #83 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -Russia | Sentences Man to Three Years in Prison for Donation to ACF -El Salvador | Top Human Rights Group Flees Country -Georgia | Freezes Bank Account of Independent Media Outlet In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -SPHINCS+ | Bitcoin Post-Quantum Signature Scheme -Spark | Implements Unilateral Exit -Bitchat | Launches on Apple App Store Plus, we end with an interview on the Innovate Asia podcast with Hugo, a Burmese citizen who shares how Myanmar’s military coup upended his life and led him to discover Bitcoin. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #81 is now published on nostr and features the following in global news: -Venezuela | Bolívar Depreciating by 13% a Month -Kenya | ‘Shoot in the Leg’ Order Amid Protests -Russia | Delays Launch of Digital Ruble CBDC In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -White Noise | New Encrypted Messaging App Built on Nostr -Cornell Bitcoin Club | Global Bitcoin Adoption Index -Fernweh | Offline Messaging via Bluetooth Plus, we end with the latest installment of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech series, where HRF’s bitcoin development lead, Alex Li, sits down with Soapbox CEO Alex Gleason to discuss the current state and future of decentralized social protocols. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #79 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -Kenya | Protests and Police Repression on Anniversary of Anti-Tax Demonstrations -India | Expands Offline CBDC Access for Citizens -Bolivia | Bitcoin Adoption Grows as a Hedge Against Currency Devaluation In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -JAN3 | Integrates Liquid into BTCPay Server via Aqua Wallet -SeedSigner | Adds Support for Seven New Languages -Wallet of Satoshi | Launches on Spark Plus, we end with the live stream of this year’s Bitcoin Policy Summit, where academics, policymakers, and human rights activists gathered to discuss the opportunities and strategic decisions presented by Bitcoin. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #78 is now on nostr and features the following global updates: -Iran | Largest Digital Asset Exchange Hacked -India | Thousands Report Frozen Bank Accounts as Officials Crack Down on Cybercrime -Venezuela | Gold Grams Against Hyperinflation In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Blitz Wallet | Introduces LNURL Addresses and Self-Custodial Zaps -Ashigaru | Releases Zerolink CoinJoin Coordinator -Sorted Wallet | Implements Breez SDK for Bitcoin Lightning Payments Plus, we end with a debate on What Bitcoin Did, where HRF Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein and LayerTwo Labs CEO Paul Sztorc tackle a critical question: is Bitcoin scaling properly? View article →