4 days to go 🎉 Today's theme is a fun one. Have you thought of what to wear to the #BtrustDeveloperDay?🤷‍♂️ Mauritius is warm, so think light, comfortable, and practical. You'll be moving around, coding, and joining hands-on sessions, so dress in whatever keeps you focused and relaxed. No suits, no pressure. Wear what feels like you. Just bring the laptop. We'll handle the rest. Learn more and register to attend here: https://www.clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

A little throwback to last year's gala dinner in Nairobi 🇰🇪, in partnership with the Africa Bitcoin Conference. It was an evening of good company, warm reunions, and a well-earned exhale after a full year. Can't wait to do it all again this year 🔥🎉

We’re excited to host the 2025 #BtrustGathering, our annual convening, taking place on November 29th & 30th at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel in Port Louis, Mauritius 🇲🇺. The Btrust Gathering brings together developers, contributors, educators, leaders, and partners from across the Global South, all working to strengthen and shape the future of open-source Bitcoin development. Over two days, participants will engage in learning sessions, strategic discussions, and collaborative workshops, focusing on how we can build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Bitcoin ecosystems. This year, we’re bringing together over 70 people from across our community, including the Btrust team, grantees, Btrust Builders faculty and top students from the 2025 pathways, plus team members from Bitshala, Librería de Satoshi, and Vinteum. We can’t wait to connect, learn, and build together as we continue driving open-source Bitcoin development across the Global South. #BtrustInMauritius

We’re excited to have takinbrrrr joining us at the #BtrustDeveloperDay for a special fireside chat and Q&A session. 🚀 A passionate advocate for digital freedom, he brings a deep commitment to free and open‑source software (FOSS) and the transformative power of cryptography in shaping a more autonomous digital world. With a strong background in technology, takinbrrrr champions the belief that software should empower, not control. This guiding philosophy informs his work across projects and initiatives that prioritize transparency, privacy, and user sovereignty. This is reminder to all builders that using open‑source technology isn’t just a technical choice, it’s a moral and social one, deeply aligned with Bitcoin’s principles of decentralization and freedom. 👉 Learn more and RSVP here to attend: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to have @pepi and @J.G.Montoya.Hodl, developers at whitenoise.chat, joining us at the #BtrustDeveloperDay. Both are deeply passionate about Bitcoin and about building tools that advance freedom, privacy, and censorship resistance in the digital world. Together, they are developing Whitenoise, a secure and private messaging application built on Nostr using MLS (Messaging Layer Security), an open‑source project focused on enabling private communication. Josefina, a B4OS.dev 2024 alumnus from Chile 🇨🇱, began her career as a software developer in traditional companies building web and mobile apps, before transitioning into Bitcoin development. She even built a Bitcoin arbitrage bot before finding her way into open‑source work. At Whitenoise, she contributes on the Flutter side, helping design reliable and privacy‑preserving user interfaces. At the Developer Day, Josefina and Javier will present a talk that unpacks their journey building Whitenoise and the technical, ethical, and design challenges of developing censorship‑resistant systems. They’ll share lessons from building software that prioritizes privacy, the realities of working with emerging protocols like Nostr and MLS, and what it takes to create truly decentralized, unfiltered tools for communication. Building software is hard, but building software that is private and censorship‑resistant is even harder. Join this session to hear firsthand how the Whitenoise team is tackling that challenge. 👉 RSVP here to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to have Nymius, developer at Bitcoin Dev Kit and B4OS 2024 alumnus, joining us at #BtrustDeveloperDay. An active open‑source contributor with a background in software engineering, Nymius has worked on multiple Bitcoin‑related projects before focusing his efforts on BDK, where he continues to help improve the developer tools that make bitcoin wallet development more efficient and flexible. At the Developer Day, Nymius will explore the current progress and future potential of the silent payments protocol. He’ll highlight the latest developments, from improvements in libsecp, to wallet integrations like Cake Wallet and Sparrow, and new infrastructure such as Electrum‑like servers that enable silent payment scanning. Nymius will also dive into the key components still needed for widespread adoption, outlining what developers and wallet builders can do to unlock the full power of this privacy‑focused payment system. Join us for a forward‑looking discussion on Silent Payments, the innovations driving it, and the missing pieces that will shape its next stage of development. 👉 RSVP now to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to have Sandeep Ramgolam, senior software engineer at Livestorm, joining us as a speaker at this year’s #BtrustDeveloperDay. A passionate technologist and Google Developer Expert in web, Sandeep has spent years at the intersection of software engineering, open source, and community building. He is the lead organizer of Frontend Coders Mauritius 🇲🇺 and a maintainer of multiple open‑source projects that support the Mauritian developer community. In his session, Sandeep will take participants on a reflective journey through the evolving landscape of software development in the age of AI, from the early days of GitHub Copilot to the latest agentic coding tools. Drawing from his personal experiences, he’ll explore both the positives and pitfalls of AI‑assisted development, its impact on developer happiness, and how it’s reshaping open‑source contributions. 👉 RSVP here to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

6 days to go 🥳 Today we're spotlighting the workshop experience at this year's #BtrustDeveloperDay. Our workshops are built to help you learn by doing. Expect guided sessions where you can experiment, ask questions, and work through concepts alongside other builders. It's practical, collaborative, and designed to help you walk away with skills you can actually use. Come curious, and bring your laptops. Learn more and register here: https://www.clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

In our latest Btrust grantee spotlight, we feature Rita Anene, a developer who went from night-time coder to full-time Bitcoin open-source contributor. Rita’s story captures the reality for many African developers: balancing a 9-to-5 job while pursuing their passion for open-source development. Through dedication, late nights, and perseverance, she found her way into the ₿OSS program and eventually to her first open-source contributions. Thanks to the Btrust developer grant, Rita is now able to focus full-time on Bitcoin open-source development, contributing to projects like LDK Node, deepening her technical expertise, and empowering others to do the same. Her journey reminds us that with the right support, mentorship, and funding, builders across Africa can play a central role in shaping a more open and decentralized financial system. Read the full story on our blog to discover how Rita turned persistence into purpose, and how Btrust Grants are helping African developers build the future of Bitcoin:

Btrust Blog

From Night Time Coder to Full-Time Bitcoin Builder: My Journey Through Btrust and the BOSS Program

Written by Rita Anene For over three years, I've worked as a software developer, building features and solving problems in the familiar rhythm of ...

Learn more about Btrust developer grants here: https://www.btrust.tech/grants/developer

We’re excited to have Federico Zupicich, program director and co‑founder of Bitcoin4OpenSource (B4OS), joining us at this year’s #BtrustDeveloperDay. A former lawyer with a solid background in IT, Federico discovered bitcoin a decade ago and has spent the past six years deeply involved in the ecosystem, focusing on mining, security, and decentralization. He is a Librería de Satoshi 2022 alumnus and an elected board member of Bitcoin Argentina 🇦🇷, where he continues to support bitcoin advocacy and education across Latin America. Federico will present a product showcase on B4OS.dev, a comprehensive Bitcoin EdTech platform that brings together student progress tracking, challenge repositories, and automated workflows across the B4OS ecosystem. By integrating tools such as GitHub Classroom, Moodle LMS, advanced code validation, and scalable communication via n8n and customer.io, the platform streamlines how Bitcoin developers learn, collaborate, and grow, all within a unified learning environment. 👉 RSVP now to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We're excited to have Kelvin Isievwore speaking at the #BtrustDeveloperDay. Kelvin leads the technical vision, oversees our developer programs, and provides technical oversight for the Btrust grants. With over a decade of experience in software engineering and a deep commitment to Bitcoin since 2015, Kelvin brings a wealth of expertise in both technical development and community growth. In this session, Kelvin will share the Q4 grant announcements and provide insights into Btrust's grant program, which supports full-time Bitcoin open-source contributors. This talk is a must-attend for developers looking to build a career in Bitcoin and make a long-term impact through open-source work. RSVP here to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

Paul Eke, founder of Blocc, will take the stage as the host for this year’s #BtrustDeveloperDay, bringing his signature blend of charisma, precision, and energy to guide the event from start to finish. Known for transforming gatherings into unforgettable experiences, Paul is one of the most sought‑after MCs across conferences, concerts, and cultural festivals. His dynamic presence and commanding style make him a natural connector, effortlessly balancing professionalism with personality, keeping audiences engaged and the atmosphere electric. Whether hosting high‑profile bitcoin conferences, leading panels of innovators, or energizing creative crowds, Paul’s delivery is consistently sharp and memorable. 👉 RSVP here to attend the event: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

7 days to go 🚀 Today we're spotlighting the brilliant minds joining us at this year's #BtrustDeveloperDay. Our 2025 speakers include developers, researchers, and open-source contributors shaping Bitcoin across Africa, the Global South, and beyond. They'll be leading technical sessions, sharing real-world experience, and giving you direct insight into the work happening in Bitcoin today. It's a chance to learn from people building the future of the ecosystem, up close. Learn more and register here: https://www.clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to have Theophilus Isah, CEO and co‑founder of Mavapay, joining the #BtrustDeveloperDay speaker lineup.🚀 Theo is a dedicated bitcoin advocate and builder working to expand bitcoin adoption and infrastructure across the African continent. As CEO of Mavapay, he’s pioneering payment systems that connect African businesses to the global bitcoin economy. An alumnus of the @Btrust Builders program, Theo has led developer workshops and bootcamps across Nigeria 🇳🇬 and Ghana 🇬🇭, and remains deeply engaged in building open‑source tools that advance real‑world bitcoin use. His focus on technical education in the Global South has inspired and trained a new generation of builders across the bitcoin ecosystem. In the workshop, Theo, Abdullahi Yunus and Sulaiman Aminu Barkindo will walk participants through the practical process of deploying an LND node environment, and integrating it with NodeGaze, an open‑source observability tool for visualizing real‑time channel health, payments, and system events. Theo will also be part of the Lightning Round Q&A, alongside other global contributors and African builders. This session gives you the chance to ask questions about contribution paths, opportunities and challenges, so come prepared with your questions. 👉 Learn more and RSVP here to attend: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to have Abdullahi Yunus, software engineer and Btrust grantee, speaking at the #BtrustDeveloperDay. Abdullahi contributes to LND, one of the open‑source implementations of the Lightning Network, where his work focuses on implementing the onion message protocol, optimizing the network graph, and developing rigorous tests to enhance system stability. At the Developer Day, Abdullahi will join Theophilus Isah and Sulaiman Aminu Barkindo for a hands-on workshop. The workshop will guide participants through the process of setting up a Lightning node, configuring it for reliability, and maintaining privacy and stability through best practices. Attendees will also learn how to automate key tasks to optimize performance and streamline operations, gaining practical insights into how professional developers manage Lightning nodes at scale. 👉 RSVP now to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We're just 10 days away from this year's #BtrustDeveloperDay; a gathering for open-source Bitcoin builders across Africa and beyond. Expect deep technical insights, meaningful conversations, and a day focused entirely on empowering the developer community. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements in the days ahead. Learn more and register to attend here: https://www.clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

Applications for the Btrust Board are now open! 📢 If you’re passionate about strengthening Bitcoin open-source development across the Global South, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact. 🗓️ Application Deadline: 22nd December, 2025 📬 Notifications: By 26th January, 2026 Learn more and apply here:

Call for Board Members

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We’re excited to welcome Bernard Parah, CEO and co‑founder of Bitnob, as a keynote speaker at this year’s #BtrustDeveloperDay. 🚀 Bitnob is a leading fintech infrastructure company building the financial and blockchain rails that connect Africa to the global internet economy. Bernard is also the founder of Qala, now known as Btrust Builders, an initiative that has developed one of the largest pipelines of Bitcoin technical talent across Africa. Under his leadership, Qala trained over 200 developers, many of whom now contribute to Bitcoin Core, and secured funding from leading organizations including the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), Chaincode Labs, Coinbase, and Gemini. In 2023, Qala’s impact was further recognized when it was acquired by Btrust. A respected thought leader in the global Bitcoin space, Bernard has spoken at prestigious events such as the The Bitcoin Conference (USA), Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) (Norway), Africa Bitcoin Conference (Ghana & Kenya), and Adopting Bitcoin (El Salvador). His work and insights have been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Arise, and BBC Radio. Learn more and register to attend the Developer Day: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

We’re excited to welcome the Coinswap development team to the #BtrustDeveloperDay for a special live demo and hands-on workshop. This session will give participants an exclusive first look at the Coinswap App (beta) and the chance to perform a coinswap on Signet, experiencing the technology in action. Attendees will dive deep into the protocol’s privacy model, exploring how Coinswap enhances confidentiality in bitcoin transactions and understanding the nuances that make it such a powerful tool for preserving user privacy. The workshop will also walk through the protocol’s architecture, current functionality, and upcoming improvements outlined in the Coinswap project roadmap. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore one of the most promising privacy innovations in Bitcoin, live, hands-on, and led by the team building it. 👉 RSVP now to secure your spot: https://clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY

Collaboration is at the heart of every great developer community. That’s why we’re delighted to recognize the Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community (MSCC) as a community partner for this year’s #BtrustDeveloperDay. 🚀 The MSCC is a vibrant, technology-agnostic community of IT professionals passionate about raising the bar for software development in Mauritius and beyond. Guided by the principles of Software Craftsmanship, they focus on mastering the craft, writing clean and maintainable code, and continuously learning together to build better software. If you’ve ever attended their annual Developers Conference (DevCon), joined one of their monthly meetups, or taken part in a casual coding session, you already know how much they value knowledge sharing, collaboration, and professional growth. A big thank-you to the MSCC for opening up their platform and community to help us share our work and connect with more developers. Learn more about the community at mscc.mu Register to attend the Developer Day here: https://www.clooza.com/events/BTRUSTDEVELOPERDAY