Can a rural village in El Salvador actually replace the central bank?

Host Jethro Toro hangs out with Mike Peterson and the founders of Bitcoin Berlin, Evelyn Lemus and Gerardo Linares. They talk about a grassroots movement that is changing how people use money. We explore the true story of El Zonte, where a project focused on community development built a true circular economy. They used the Lightning Network to make fast digital payments just to survive the pandemic proving the experts wrong years before big banks caught on.

Evelyn and Gerardo explain exactly how they got a whole town excited about Bitcoin without asking the government for permission. We follow their journey from the coast to the mountains of Berlin. They are teaching high school students about decentralized finance so they can run their own independent systems instead of trusting apps to hold their money. They also highlight how El Salvador tourism is booming as Bitcoin fans visit to support local shop owners who are saving in Bitcoin.

We also look at how they are fighting back against expensive money transfer companies. You will learn how a new project in La Laguna uses a local hardware store to help families send money home without paying Western Union's high fees. The team explains why they stopped using the government's Chivo wallet to use better open tools. They even share a new guide for anyone who wants to start a Bitcoin community in their own neighborhood.

Subscribe to the channel to see the proof that this works, and leave a comment if you are ready to try a new way of using money.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect with Gerardo Linares and Evelyn Lemus:
https://x.com/GR_Linares1
https://x.com/Evelynlemus2906
https://www.youtube.com/@BitcoinBerlinSV

Connect and Learn more about Jethro Toro:
https://x.com/JethroToro
https://rumble.com/user/BitcoinCountry

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:
02:13 - The History of Bitcoin Beach
15:04 - Why El Zonte Switched to Lightning
20:46 - How to Build a Bitcoin Circular Economy
32:00 - Living on a Bitcoin Standard in El Salvador
39:41 - Teaching Students to Run Nodes
47:51 - Replicating the Model in La Laguna
57:44 - Solving the Remittance Problem
1:09:58 - Building Bitcoin Network Effects Locally
1:22:45 - Bitcoin Merchant Onboarding Guide PDF

Live From Bitcoin Beach

Are you mining Bitcoin to secure the money of the future? Or are you just a "Fiat Hasher" using the network to stack more dying dollars?

Kent Halliburton (@khalliburton) joins me to argue that most of the industry has the wrong incentives. We compare the early days of El Salvador surf tourism, when walking to the beach meant risking your life, to the current state of the network. Just as surfers ventured into dangerous territory for the perfect wave, true Bitcoiners are pushing boundaries to build an escape raft from the fiat system that will last for generations.

We discuss the concept of Bitcoin miners acting as a pioneer species in the global energy market. Kent explains how sovereign mining operations venture into remote regions like Ethiopia and Paraguay to monetize stranded energy resources that no one else can reach. This process does far more than generate revenue for developing nations. It helps stabilize the local electrical grid and paves the way for vital infrastructure development in places the central banks and global planners have largely ignored.

For many plebs, the biggest barrier to hashing has always been the logistics of the hardware. We break down how hosted mining models allow you to own a dedicated ASIC miner without forcing you to manage the intense heat and noise at home. This is about far more than convenience or ROI. It is about aligning incentives so that you can acquire non-KYC "Wild Sats" at the cost of production rather than paying the inflated spot price on a KYC exchange.

We also touch on the human side of hyperbitcoinization in places like the Peruvian Amazon. Kent shares his experience living near the circular economy projects that are proving Bitcoin works as a medium of exchange today. We talk about the importance of using Bitcoin as a tool for sovereignty and how "Energy Cost Averaging" allows you to opt out of the fiat ponzi completely while supporting the communities that need sound money the most.

Finally, we tackle the critical threat facing the network regarding security and censorship resistance. With so much hash rate concentrated in just a few massive mining pools, the danger of state capture is higher than many admit. Kent uses the "Milan Cathedral" analogy to challenge us to lower our time preference. We need to stop thinking about quarterly profits and start building for a future we might not live to see. If this conversation made you think, please subscribe and drop a comment below.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about Kent Halliburton:
X: https://x.com/khalliburton
Web: https://www.sazmining.com/kent-halliburton
Web: https://iris.to/kent

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:
00:00 Intro
05:15 How do Bitcoin circular economies work in Peru?
09:30 How to stop trading crypto and become Bitcoin-only?
12:45 How to mine Non-KYC Bitcoin without hardware?
16:20 Is Bitcoin mining profitable vs buying spot?
20:10 How to use Section 179 for mining tax deductions?
22:45 Why are miners moving to Ethiopia and Paraguay?
27:30 How does Bitcoin monetize stranded energy?
31:50 Why do you need Low Time Preference for wealth?
35:15 Is mining centralization a security threat?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

Is your citizenship a rug pull waiting to happen?

We sit down with legal expert Jennifer Harding Marlin (@jh_marlin) to discuss why relying on a single fiat passport is a massive single point of failure. We explore the harsh truth for Americans facing restrictive FATCA banking regulations and why entrepreneurs are forced to renounce US citizenship just to protect their stack and keep their businesses alive.

Jennifer breaks down the citizenship by investment industry for those looking to opt out of the system completely. We navigate the maze of golden visa programs available right now to determine where you should plant your flag. From the lightning-fast El Salvador Freedom Visa to traditional Caribbean options we compare the best citadels. She highlights the ability to pay for a new nationality directly in Bitcoin for those looking to exit the fiat banking rails entirely.

We also get into the operational security of securing your freedom. You will learn the difference between applying for a temporary digital nomad visa and securing a permanent high-security biometric passport that guarantees global mobility. Jennifer explains how to navigate the bureaucracy of background checks and apostille services to ensure you actually get approved.

Subscribe to the channel to build your sovereign portfolio and drop a comment if you would move countries for better money laws

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about Jennifer Harding:

X: https://x.com/jh_marlin
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JenniferHardingMarlincitizen
Web: https://jhmarlin.com/

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:

X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:

00:00 Intro
02:26 How to become a citizenship lawyer in Caribbean
06:50 Best second passport for weak passport holders
09:44 Why American entrepreneurs renounce citizenship FATCA banking
13:15 New citizenship by investment programs 2025 Sao Tome
17:30 El Salvador Freedom Visa processing time vs St Kitts citizenship
22:10 Cheapest vs most expensive citizenship by investment 2025
28:40 Is foreign income tax-free in El Salvador for US expats
33:14 Paraguay vs El Salvador residency requirements for digital nomads
36:50 Can you get citizenship by investment with a criminal record

Live From Bitcoin Beach

Is Bitcoin actually helping anyone, or is it just another Wall Street game with better branding?

In this conversation, Mike Peterson sits down with Jeremy Almond (@jeremyalmond) to argue that the answer shows up in Bitcoin circular economies, where people earn, spend, and save in Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, and where financial inclusion can look like a kid getting access to school, tools, and a first job.

Jeremy shares the personal story that brought him here, shaped by the 2008 financial crisis, Occupy Wall Street, and a family tragedy that turned “money problems” into a life-changing emergency. It is the kind of Main Street vs Wall Street moment that forces a choice, either accept the system as it is or build toward something that gives people more economic agency.

Then Jeremy breaks down what Paystand is doing, and why the company keeps Bitcoin in the background. He explains how Bitcoin adoption can happen through business-friendly rails, payment solutions, corporate cards, and payroll, so companies get speed and lower costs without needing a boardroom debate about Bitcoin first.

The conversation also goes deep on Paystand.org and corporate philanthropy that tries to avoid the usual traps. The focus is economic empowerment, not dependency, and the goal is to fund and support grassroots leaders who are building circular Bitcoin economies that can stand on their own.

Finally, Mike and Jeremy zoom in on what actually scales, Hope House, Bitcoin education, fellowships, and the tough balance between moving fast and protecting communities from bad actors. If you want the clearest case for how Bitcoin can change outcomes in the economy people live in every day, this episode makes the argument without pretending it is easy.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about Jeremy Almond:
X: https://x.com/jeremyalmond
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@redefinedpodcast
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@PayStand

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:
00:00 Intro
03:42 - How did the 2008 financial crisis spark Jeremy’s Bitcoin journey?
07:48 - What is Paystand’s "Trojan Horse" strategy for Bitcoin adoption?
12:42 - How do corporate cards introduce companies to Bitcoin? What role does Bitwage play?
16:29 - How a payments company became a top 20 Bitcoin miner
20:16 - Why are circular economies the "purest" form of Bitcoin?
23:51 - How does Hope House use Bitcoin mining for education?
26:33 - Why send tech employees to indigenous communities? How do fellowships change corporate culture?
30:34 - How do you scale grassroots Bitcoin movements without breaking them?
34:29 - Why does traditional foreign aid fail? How does Bitcoin fix the incentive structure?
39:16 - What is Paystand.org? How can you volunteer for circular economy projects?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

What if democracy can’t survive sound money, because it runs on promises it can’t fund?

Knut Svanholm sits down with Mike Peterson in El Salvador, fresh from a formal night at the presidential palace with President Nayib Bukele. Phones taken, press everywhere, and a president who feels unnervingly normal to Bitcoiners. Knut’s take is blunt, El Salvador may have accidentally voted “one of us” into office, and the results feel like the inverse of clown world.

Then the conversation turns to the cage, fiat currency. They break down how money printing, capital gains tax, and government overreach work together to punish anyone trying to use sound money as an inflation hedge. If you have ever felt like you are being taxed for refusing to play the inflation game, this will hit a nerve.

From Centro Histórico to El Zonte, they get practical about what Bitcoin adoption actually looks like when it is not just “number go up” technology. A circular economy takes time, merchant by merchant orange pill work, and more people using the Lightning Network for everyday payments instead of treating Bitcoin like a museum piece.

They widen out to Madeira and Prague, where Bitcoin communities are forming in their own ways. You will hear why BTCmap.org (https://btcmap.org/) matters, why Prague gets called the Bitcoin capital of Europe, and why Vexl is one of the most interesting peer-to-peer tools right now for building a web of trust when rules tighten.

Finally, Knut leans into his anarcho-capitalism lens, the Shawshank Redemption metaphor, and the mindset behind “you can just do things.” If this episode made you uncomfortable, good, subscribe, share it with the friend still asking permission.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about Knut Svanholm
X: https://x.com/knutsvanholm
YT: @bitcoininfinityshow

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:
00:00 - Intro
01:43 - What is Bukele like in person?
03:52 - Why do Bitcoiners say fiat currency is built on money printing?
05:38 - Why does Bukele push circular economy adoption?
07:47 - Why do incentives matter more than democracy?
10:18 - Why doesn’t Bitcoin adoption happen overnight?
14:02 - How did Free Madeira begin? What actually moves merchant Bitcoin adoption?
19:55 - How do you travel on a Bitcoin standard? What tools make a 100% Bitcoin vacation possible
21:26 - Why is Prague a Bitcoin hub? What makes it Europe’s Bitcoin capital
22:41 - What is Vexl for peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading?
24:22 - Why do European Bitcoiners feel squeezed? What role do CBDCs play in the pressure?
32:10 - What Shawshank teaches about hope, fear, and living like a free person?
35:09 - Why is Bitcoin an inflation hedge?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

What if the real trap is not working hard, it is spending your best years building someone else’s empire with money you do not even trust?

Mike Peterson sits down with Efrat Fenigson (@efenigson) during Bitcoin Historico for a blunt conversation about the fiat system, corporate life, and why “growth for growth’s sake” eventually stops making sense. Efrat explains how years of being great at driving revenue for other people pushed her toward a bigger question: who is this all really for?

Before Bitcoin, Efrat Fenigson was deep in the tech world, first as a developer in Australia, then rising to executive roles in Israel. She talks about being a woman in tech on male-dominated teams, the early career reality behind the kinds of paths people imagine when they search video game designer job opportunities, and the moment she realized the work was not the same as purpose.

Then things get personal. Efrat shares what happened when she spoke out during Covid, how backlash followed, and why free speech became a line she would not cross, even if it cost her socially and professionally. This is the part of the story where “play it safe” stops being advice and starts being a warning.

Bitcoin enters through one sharp question that changed everything, “can they touch it?” Efrat Fenigson describes why self-custody, sound money, and censorship resistance felt like freedom tech, not just finance. It is also where her drive for financial independence turns into something broader, a freedom movement mindset built around sovereignty and personal responsibility.

Finally, they zoom out to Bitcoin adoption in El Salvador, including Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte and what a real circular economy looks like when it is not just theory. Efrat and Mike Peterson talk about merchants accepting Bitcoin, why even small savings windows can change how people plan their lives, and why on-the-ground reality matters more than headlines.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about

X: https://x.com/efenigson
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@EfratFenigson

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:

X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com

Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:

00:00:00 - Intro: Observing the reality of Bitcoin in El Salvador
00:08:13 - How do you become a global CMO in Israel?
00:09:43 - How can single motherhood and divorce debt push someone to pursue financial independence and retire early?
00:13:58 - Why do high earners quit corporate jobs?
00:17:51 - What happens when you speak out during Covid?
00:21:11 - How did Efrat Fenigson get into Bitcoin?
00:21:47 - Can the government seize Bitcoin? What does ‘can they touch it’ mean for self-custody and censorship resistance?
00:34:52 - Is Bitcoin still being used in El Salvador? What is Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte really like for visitors?
00:41:20 - Why do merchants accept Bitcoin in El Salvador? Does Bitcoin adoption actually help small businesses save money?
00:42:13 - Why is Bitcoin called freedom tech? How does sound money connect to a freedom movement and personal sovereignty?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

What if Bitcoin does not fail because of governments, banks, or the IMF, but because Bitcoiners themselves refuse to actually use it? In this episode, Mike sits down with Isabella Santos in El Salvador to confront one of the most uncomfortable questions in Bitcoin today. Is most “Bitcoin adoption” actually fake if merchants never see anyone spend sats?

Isabella shares the unfiltered story of how BTC Isla in Isla Mujeres went from a Twitter idea to a true Bitcoin circular economy with a Bitcoin cafe, a Bitcoin gym, and over 30 local merchants now accepting sats. She explains why trying to orange pill people with education alone did not work, and why building real businesses that accept Bitcoin as sound money was the only way to earn real trust inside the community.

In one of the most extreme Bitcoin experiments you will hear this year, Isabella Santos lived for 21 days using only Bitcoin, earning sats through physical jobs like cleaning toilets, selling churros, and making tacos. No fiat safety net. No savings bailout. Just proof that a circular economy either works in real life, or it does not exist at all.

The conversation then turns toward a side of Bitcoin many people avoid. Isabella openly calls out Bitcoin maxis who refuse to spend sats, the rise of ETFs that distract from sound money, and the uncomfortable truth that Bitcoin mining hardware is already highly centralized in only a few manufacturers. Her warning is simple and unsettling. Bitcoin does not win automatically. It only works if people fight for it.

They close with the human side of adoption through the Bitcoin Fit Games, where fitness, scavenger hunts, and sats came together to support the very merchants who took the first risk on Bitcoin. From helping feed a family in crisis to building a wellness hub with a gym, recovery center, and café, Isabella Santos shows what Bitcoin looks like when it leaves Twitter and enters real life.


—Bitcoin Beach team


Connect and Learn more about Isabella Santos:
X: https://x.com/BTCIsla
X: https://x.com/isabellasg3
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@btcisla
Support the project through Geyser Fund: https://geyser.fund/project/btcisla
https://www.youtube.com/@getbasedtv

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:
X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web: https://www.bitcoinbeach.com



Browse through this quick guide to learn more about the episode:

0:00 Intro
1:25 Is El Salvador really welcoming Bitcoiners at the airport with a “Welcome to Bitcoin Country” sign?
4:49 What is BTC Isla and how does it work? How do you set up a Bitcoin cafe payment system that actually gets used?
8:23 How does Bitcoin relate to health and low time preference at the first Bitcoin gym in Mexico running its own node?
11:14 Can you live using only Bitcoin for 21 days? How do you get paid in Bitcoin for local jobs on an island?
13:01 Should Bitcoin prices be listed in sats or fiat? How do you separate a Bitcoin savings stack from a spending stack so you can spend without guilt?
18:36 How do you organize a Bitcoin themed fitness event? Can Bitcoin be used to support local families in need?
27:19 How do you build a Bitcoin circular economy? How many merchants in Isla Mujeres accept Bitcoin, and how do you convince local merchants to accept Bitcoin?
31:31 How do you grow a Bitcoin YouTube channel fast? What is The Exit Manual Bitcoin show ( @exitmanual )? How do you make Bitcoin content that reaches teenagers?
35:25 Is Bitcoin mining too centralized? Who makes the ASIC mining chips? Is Bitcoin centralized?

Live From Bitcoin Beach

Recorded in the middle of Bitcoin Month, this episode brings together Knut Svanholm, Giacomo Zucco, Mike Peterson, and Jethro Toro in El Zonte, El Salvador. They unpack what it feels like to live through Bitcoin Historico at the National Palace San Salvador, Adopting Bitcoin in San Salvador, and the Bitcoin Beach Festival on the coast. From free pupusas and packed plazas to barefoot plebs and kids everywhere, you get a ground-level view of why El Salvador still feels like Bitcoin Country after the El Salvador legal tender law and why so many Bitcoiners keep coming back.

The crew shared the story everyone asks about, their surreal invitation to a formal dinner with President Bukele. Giacomo explains how he gifted a bottle of Dictador rum, they talk about Bukele’s quick jokes about Libertarian anarchism and public sector jobs, and they explain what was actually discussed about Bitcoin adoption, circular economy experiments, and bottom-up projects like Bitcoin Beach and Bitcoin Berlin. It is not a press release, it is what it felt like for plebs and authors like Knut Svanholm and educators like Giacomo Zucco to suddenly find themselves at a presidential table with Max Keiser & Stacy Herbert and other Bitcoin builders.

They also go deep on the work behind the scenes. Mike Peterson shares an update on Bitcoin Beach and the push to launch at least 14 new circular economy projects across El Salvador, plus the new Bitcoin-themed boutique hotel, the Citadel of Hope, and a pickleball court in Punta Mango. Giacomo walks through the three pillars of Plan B Network, global Bitcoin education like Cubo Plus and Node Nation, physical hubs in places such as Lugano, London, and future hubs in San Salvador, and an emerging Bitcoin venture path and startup support. Along the way, they touch on the IMF pressure, how the government stayed committed through bear markets after El Salvador, legal tender went live, and why ideas like Libertarian socialism still get a fair hearing in off-the-record debates.

Running through the episode is the culture piece. Knut talks about his books, the Bitcoin Infinity framing, his talks at Bitcoin Historico inside the National Palace San Salvador, and why Adopting Bitcoin feels more like a festival than a standard conference. The group tells the origin story of Satoshi Rokamoto, the improvised Bitcoin rock band that now shows up at events from Mexico to Lugano, often playing long after the sound crew tries to shut things down.

If you care about Bitcoin in El Salvador, circular economy models, or just want to know what it is really like on the ground during Bitcoin Month, this conversation will probably make you start checking flights.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a Bitcoiner who has El Salvador on their list, leave a comment with your favorite story from Bitcoin Month, and hit subscribe so you do not miss the next chapter of Bitcoin Country.

-Bitcoin Beach Team

Connect and Learn more about Giacomo, Knut, Jethro:

Giacomo Zucco
X: https://x.com/giacomozucco
Web: https://www.giacomozucco.com/

Knut Svanholm
X: https://x.com/knutsvanholm
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@BitcoinInfinityShow

Jethro Toro
X: https://x.com/JethroToro

Support and follow Bitcoin Beach:

X: https://www.twitter.com/BitcoinBeach
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinbeach_sv
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livefrombitcoinbeach
Web:

Live From Bitcoin Beach