Four more Btrust Builders pathway cohorts have wrapped up, and it’s been exciting to see our community keep learning, building, and growing. 🚀 Between May and July, developers came together for Rust for Bitcoiners 🦀, Language Clubs, Mastering Bitcoin, and Bitcoin CLI, working through technical material, supporting their peers, and putting their skills into practice. Across the four cohorts, we recorded 204 enrollments and 87 graduations. Some graduates are now continuing their journey through the open source fellowship. We’ve put together a full recap of the learning, community, and achievements across these cohorts, plus what’s coming next, including October’s Rust for Bitcoiners and Language Clubs cohorts. Read the full update here:

Btrust Blog

Celebrating our Q2-Q3 2026 Pathway Cohort Graduates

Between May and July 2026, developers from across Africa and beyond came together for four Btrust Builders pathway cohorts: Rust for Bitcoiners, La...

In part 2 of the series, we continue following the work of Btrust Builders alumni beyond the program. This time, we meet Isaack Njama, Theophilus Isah, Fidel Otieno, devgitotox, and @Chuks, five alumni whose work spans different corners of the Bitcoin ecosystem, from building products and open-source infrastructure to contributing to Bitcoin Core, Lightning, and supporting the developers coming behind them. Their journeys have taken different turns, but the work continues. Read the full story on our blog:

Btrust Blog

Builders Beyond the Program: What Btrust Builders Alumni Are Working On Today (Part 2)

The journey through Btrust Builders can lead in many directions. Alumni have gone on to work on Bitcoin infrastructure, build products, contribute ...

Today, we wrapped up the week 5 study group session of the Bitcoin CLI live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants took a deeper dive into Bitcoin Script by exploring Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) transactions and script-based timelocks. The cohort learned how P2SH makes it possible to embed more complex spending conditions into Bitcoin transactions, including multisignature and SegWit scripts. They also explored how timelock opcodes like CheckLockTimeVerify (CLTV) and CheckSequenceVerify (CSV) can be used to control when bitcoin can be spent, enabling more advanced and flexible transaction workflows. Through hands-on technical exercises, partner discussions, and collaborative learning, participants gained practical experience writing and working with these more advanced Bitcoin scripting features.

Today, we wrapped up the week 6 study group session of the Mastering Bitcoin live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants explored the blockchain and mining & consensus. The cohort examined how blocks are linked together to form Bitcoin's immutable ledger, how miners validate transactions and secure the network through proof of work, and how consensus allows thousands of independent nodes to agree on a single version of the blockchain without relying on a central authority. As always, participants met with their study partners ahead of the session to discuss the readings before coming together to share insights, ask questions, and unpack these concepts during the group study.

We've just wrapped up the week 4 study group session of the Bitcoin CLI live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants explored more advanced ways of building Bitcoin transactions by working with timelocks and OP_RETURN, learning how transactions can be scheduled for future execution or used to store small amounts of data on the blockchain. The cohort also took its first deep dive into Bitcoin Script, the scripting language that powers Bitcoin's spending conditions. Participants learned how scripts are used to authorize transactions, explored common script types like P2PKH and P2WPKH, and began writing and testing their own scripts to better understand how Bitcoin transactions are validated. As always, the week combined hands-on technical exercises, partner discussions, and collaborative learning, giving participants the opportunity to apply what they learned and deepen their understanding together.

We've just wrapped up the week 5 study group session of the Mastering Bitcoin live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants explored transaction fees and the Bitcoin network, gaining a deeper understanding of how transactions are prioritized for inclusion in blocks and the factors that influence confirmation times. They also examined how bitcoin nodes communicate, validate, and relay transactions across the network, and the different ways users interact with Bitcoin through full nodes and lightweight clients. As always, participants met with their study partners ahead of the session to discuss the readings before coming together to share insights, ask questions, and learn from one another during the group study.

We've just wrapped up the week 3 study group session of the Bitcoin CLI live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants explored multisignatures (multisigs) and partially signed bitcoin transactions (PSBTs). The cohort learned how multisigs enable multiple parties to jointly control bitcoin, improving security and shared custody. They also explored how PSBTs make it possible for multiple participants to collaborate on creating, funding, and signing bitcoin transactions, including workflows that integrate with hardware wallets. Alongside the technical exercises, participants worked through these concepts with their study partners before coming together to share insights, discuss use cases,and deepen their understanding during the group study session.

Most people think learning about bitcoin is about understanding the technology. For many developers, the biggest shift happens much earlier, it starts with them unlearning what they thought they already knew. Through the self-paced pathways, developers went beyond the headlines and into the protocol itself. They ran nodes, challenged long-held assumptions, and for some, made their first open-source contributions along the way. In this latest post, 13 developers share what surprised them, what humbled them, and how the experience changed the way they see bitcoin entirely. Their reflections are honest, personal, and a reminder that real learning often begins with admitting what you got wrong. Check out their reflections here:

Btrust Blog

In Their Own Words: Reflections from the Q1 2026 Self-Paced Tracks

In Q1 2026, Btrust Builders ran two learning pathways in parallel: Mastering Bitcoin and Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line. Each pathway had two ...

We've just wrapped up the week 4 study group session of the Mastering Bitcoin Live Cohort. 📚⚡ This week, participants explored authorization & authentication and digital signatures, two fundamental concepts that underpin Bitcoin security. The discussions focused on how Bitcoin uses scripts and cryptography to define spending conditions, prove ownership of funds, and authorize transactions without revealing private keys. Participants also learned how digital signatures protect the integrity of transactions and make trustless payments possible. As always, the learning extended beyond the readings. Through partner discussions, breakout sessions, and group conversations, participants unpacked these concepts together, asked thoughtful questions, and connected the theory to real-world bitcoin transactions.

We've just wrapped up the week 2 study group session of the Bitcoin CLI live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants learned how to create and send bitcoin transactions directly from the command line using bitcoin-cli. They explored different ways of constructing transactions, from simple sends to raw transactions, while gaining a better understanding of transaction fees, SegWit, and the trade-offs involved in different approaches. The cohort also looked at what happens after a transaction is broadcast. Participants explored the mempool and learned how to manage stuck transactions using Replace-by-Fee (RBF) and Child-Pays-for-Parent (CPFP), giving them a practical understanding of how transaction fees and confirmation strategies work in Bitcoin. As always, the week combined hands-on technical exercises, partner discussions, and group conversations, giving participants the opportunity to put theory into practice and learn from one another.

Another cohort in the books! 🦀🎉 Today, we officially wrapped up the first Rust for Bitcoiners cohort of 2026, making it the second pathway cohort to conclude this week. Over the past six weeks, participants have explored Rust through the lens of Bitcoin development, building practical skills while learning core programming concepts, memory safety, ownership, and writing performant code for Bitcoin applications. With the live sessions now behind them, the final stage begins: completing their capstone projects. Once those are submitted, the evaluation process will begin ahead of graduation.

That's a wrap on the first Language Clubs cohort of 2026! 🎉 Over the past six weeks, participants have built their understanding of key concepts, and learned together through discussions, weekly exercises, and collaborative study. With the live sessions now complete, participants will now work on their capstone projects before the final evaluation process begins.

We just wrapped up the week 3 study group session of the Mastering Bitcoin live cohort. ⚡ This week, participants explored wallet recovery and transactions. The cohort examined how modern bitcoin wallets generate and recover keys, the role of recovery seeds and backups, and why proper wallet recovery is critical to securing bitcoin over the long term. They also dove into bitcoin transactions, learning how value moves across the network, how transactions are structured, and the key components that make them valid and secure. Through partner discussions, breakout sessions, and group conversations, participants unpacked these concepts together, shared insights from the readings, and connected the theory to real-world bitcoin usage.

Yesterday, we wrapped up the first study group session of the second Bitcoin CLI live cohort of 2026. 🚀 Over the week, participants explored the foundations of Bitcoin, learned how to set up and run a Bitcoin Core node on a VPS, and gained a practical understanding of the different Bitcoin networks: mainnet, testnet, and regtest. They also got hands-on with bitcoin-cli, learning how to interact directly with their nodes, verify their setups, and use basic wallet commands. Through technical exercises, partner discussions, and group conversations, participants took their first steps toward understanding Bitcoin from the command line up.

Just wrapped up the Week 2 study group session of the Mastering Bitcoin Live Cohort 🎉 Over the past week, participants explored Chapter 3 (Bitcoin Core: The Reference Implementation) and Chapter 4 (Keys and Addresses), building a deeper understanding of the software that powers the Bitcoin network and the cryptographic foundations behind ownership and transactions. Before today's session, participants met with their assigned study partners to work through discussion questions, challenge each other's thinking, and prepare additional questions for the group. During the study session, breakout groups led engaging conversations, shared insights from their readings, and unpacked some of the more technical concepts together. One of the most rewarding parts of the cohort continues to be seeing learners teach, question, and learn from one another.

Just wrapped up the first study group session of this year's second Mastering Bitcoin live cohort. 🥳 Over the next few weeks, participants will be building strong Bitcoin fundamentals in a focused, community-driven environment as they work through Mastering Bitcoin together. This week, we explored the foundations of Bitcoin, covering the introduction and how Bitcoin works chapters. Participants also connected with their study partners, discussed key concepts, and prepared to lead conversations that deepen their understanding of the material. Looking forward to seeing the discussions and insights that emerge over the coming weeks. 🚀

We just wrapped up the opening session for Rust for Bitcoiners cohort. 🦀 The session introduced the pathway and what participants can expect over the next couple of weeks. The pathway is designed for developers who already understand the basics of Bitcoin and want to build the Rust skills needed to contribute to Bitcoin open‑source projects. Throughout the pathway, participants will work through carefully selected Rust learning resources, follow a structured weekly rhythm, and get support from peers, chaperones and faculty along the way. Alongside the curriculum, builders will complete practical tasks that reinforce Rust fundamentals and connect them to real Bitcoin use cases, especially in high‑performance and security‑critical systems.

The Q1 2026 Btrust Builders pathway cohorts have officially wrapped, and we couldn’t be prouder of everyone who showed up, put in the work, and came out the other side a stronger builder.🎉 Across two pathways, developers from 24 countries spent between 7 and 8 weeks going deeper into Bitcoin’s technical foundations. They worked through Bitcoin's technical infrastructure, from transaction creation and node management to open-source workflows and protocol-level concepts, building the kind of foundational knowledge that turns genuine curiosity into meaningful contribution. This cohort also made history: women represented 34% of the Mastering Bitcoin track, the highest we’ve seen so far. It’s a milestone that reflects our ongoing commitment to making Bitcoin development accessible, inclusive, and representative of the communities it’s meant to serve. For many of these graduates, it’s the beginning. A starting point for deeper technical exploration, open‑source contribution, and long‑term involvement in shaping the future of Bitcoin development across Africa and beyond. Read the full Q1 2026 pathway vohort recap on the blog:

Btrust Blog

Celebrating the Q1, 2026 Pathway Cohort Graduation

The first pathways of 2026 at Btrust Builders officially concluded recently. Between March and April 2026, developers from across Africa and beyond...

Join us on Wednesday, 20th May, for a Twitter Space as we celebrate the Q1 Builders Pathways cohorts and explore what it takes to get started in the Bitcoin open-source ecosystem.🎉 We’ll unpack lessons from the pathways, highlight the progress builders have made, and discuss the next steps for anyone looking to grow from learner to contributor. If you’ve been curious about contributing to Bitcoin open source projects, this conversation is for you. Date: Wednesday, 20th May Time: 5pm UTC/ 6pm WAT/ 8pm EAT Set a reminder here and we'll see you then:

X (formerly Twitter)

Play recording: Q1 Builders Pathway Graduation, and Navigating Bitcoin Open-Source. / X

Btrust Builders's Space · Where live audio conversations happen

The first pathways of 2026 are officially wrapped up, and it’s been incredible to see how much this community has grown. 🚀 Over March and April, 265 developers from 24 countries took part in Mastering Bitcoin and Bitcoin CLI; learning together, helping each other, and working through deep technical material. By the end of the cohorts, 37 participants graduated from the live tracks, with many more continuing their journey through the self‑paced pathways. We’ve put together a full recap of what happened this quarter and what’s coming next for the Builders community. Read the full update here:

Btrust Blog

Celebrating the Q1, 2026 Pathway Cohort Graduation

The first pathways of 2026 at Btrust Builders officially concluded recently. Between March and April 2026, developers from across Africa and beyond...