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, readers! This week's Financial Freedom Report #80 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -Iran | Financial Repression and Arrests -Russia | Tracking Bitcoin Mining via National Registry -Hong Kong | Central Bank Intervenes to Defend Currency In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Bitchat | P2P Messaging Over Bluetooth -Cake Wallet | Airgap Any Device -Damus | Apple App Store Removes Zaps Plus, we end with the latest bitcoin++ Insider Edition interview, where Bitcoin developer Sosthene breaks down Silent Payments, a promising privacy improvement for Bitcoin addresses that can greatly benefit activists and nonprofits by better protecting their financial activity from surveillance by dictators. 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 →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #77 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -El Salvador | Approves Foreign Agents Law -Cuba | University Students Protest Internet Rate Hike -Iran | Currency Plunges Amid Financial Restrictions In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -SeedSigner | Introduces Right-to-Left Language Support -P2P BAND | Global Peer-to-Peer Bitcoin Aggregator -Cove Wallet | Releases on App Store with Coin Control Plus, we end featuring a new joint publication between HRF and The Signal, which explores the global battle over money and assets between dictators and dissidents. View article →

Good morning, friends! After a short break, HRF's weekly Financial Freedom Report is back! Weve got a lot of ground to cover, starting with the following in global news: -Kenya | Criminal Prosecution of Software Developer -Venezuela | National Police Raid Home of El Dorado Founder -Tanzania | Blocks Access to X and Telegram Amid Financial, Political, and Media Repression In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Breez | Adds BOLT 12 and BIP 353 Support to Nodeless SDK -BTCNutServer | Accept Ecash Payments with BTCPay Server -Chorus.Community | New Social App for Activists Plus, we end featuring an interview with exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law, who turned to Bitcoin to stay active in his push for freedom and democracy in the wake of China’s authoritarian crackdown. View article →

After a short break, HRF’s Financial Freedom Report is back! A lot has happened in the last two weeks, and we’ve got it all covered. Subscribe for free at financialfreedomreport.org to get tomorrow’s full issue delivered straight to your inbox. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #75 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -El Salvador | Bukele Reintroduces Foreign Agents Bill -China | Injects Billions to Stabilize Economy -World | Authoritarian Regimes Lead CBDC Push, Study Finds In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -ChapSmart | Permissionless Remittances in Tanzania -Bitkey | Multisignature for Families Protecting Wealth from State Seizure -Parasite Pool | New Zero-Fee, Lightning Native Bitcoin Mining Pool Plus, we end with an Ask Me Anything (AMA) with Bitcoin educator Anita Posch on Stacker News, who shares her thoughts, experiences, and views from her time conducting Bitcoin education in authoritarian regimes in Africa. View article →

Sneak preview of tomorrow's Financial Freedom Report #75 👀 Subscribe for free at financialfreedomreport.org and receive updates on #Bitcoin and human rights directly to your inbox every Thursday!

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #74 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -DR Congo | Rebel Rule and Economic Ruin -China | Law Enforcement Freezes Bank Accounts of Independent Media Outlet Channel C -Venezuela | Blackouts, Inflation, and Currency Shortages In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Cashu | Make Ecash Payments from Multiple Mints -Bitika | Bridging Bitcoin and M-Pesa in Kenya -Frostsnap | New Bitcoin Multisig Custody Solution Plus, we end with the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech series, where the Human Rights Foundation’s Alex Gladstein discusses the upcoming Oslo Freedom Forum and HRF’s role in supporting open-source freedom tech with Pubkey’s co-founder, Thomas Pacchia. View article →

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #73 is now live on nostr and features the following in global news: -Bangladesh | Currency Shortage as Central Bank Halts Printing of Banknotes -Nigeria | Regulates Bitcoin as a Security -Indonesia | Gold Rush Amid Economic Uncertainty In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -LNbits | Emerges from Beta with v1.0.0 Release -SeedSigner | Self-Custody Tool for Chinese Bitcoiners Facing Local Corruption -Following.space | Create and Share Follow Packs on Nostr Plus, we end with an interview with HRF Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein, who explores his thinking behind the relationship between Bitcoin and human rights as we enter an age of increased corporate and nation-state adoption. View article →