In this conversation, André Loja discusses the Free Madeira project, which aims to promote Bitcoin adoption through education and community engagement. He highlights the success of merchant adoption on the island, the impact of Bitcoin conferences, and the development of the Basalto Fund, which allows investors to gain residency in Portugal while investing in Bitcoin.

The conversation also touches on the future of Madeira as a hub for Bitcoin and related technologies, emphasizing the importance of community and collaboration.

Takeaways:

🔸Free Madeira is focused on Bitcoin education and adoption.

🔸The project has successfully onboarded numerous merchants accepting Bitcoin.

🔸Community engagement is key to sustaining Bitcoin adoption.

🔸Conferences have significantly raised awareness and interest in Madeira.

🔸Sovereign Engineering aims to foster open-source freedom tech projects.

🔸The Baselto Fund allows investment in Bitcoin while gaining residency in Portugal.

🔸Madeira offers a unique blend of autonomy and EU regulations.

🔸Quality of life in Madeira is high, attracting Bitcoiners and expats.

🔸The island's infrastructure supports a growing Bitcoin community.

🔸Future plans include establishing a physical hub for Bitcoin projects.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:54) - What is Free Madeira?

(08:11) - Has Bitcoin adoption attracted people to visit Madeira?

(15:07) - The experience of earning & spending Bitcoin on the island

(17:43) - What is Sovereign Engineering?

(24:08) - André’s business ventures in Madeira

(27:34) - Sponsors

(28:36) - HODL only or Spend & Replace Bitcoin?

(35:32) - What is the Basalto Fund?

(41:07) - Understanding Portugal’s Golden visa process

(46:14) - Basalto Fund - Fees and Performance

(51:03) - How autonomous is Madeira?; Services and opportunities

(56:58) - Future plans and Community development

(1:00:37) - Closing thoughts

Links:

• https://x.com/andreloja

• https://x.com/andreloja/status/1935061124719706410

• https://x.com/FREEMadeiraOrg

• https://sovereignengineering.io/

• https://x.com/BitcoinAtlantis

• https://x.com/BasaltoFund

Sponsor:

• CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)

Stephan Livera links:

• Follow me on X: @stephanlivera

• Subscribe to the podcast

• Subscribe to Substack

In this episode, NVK, CEO of CoinKite, discusses the advancements in Bitcoin self-custody solutions, particularly focusing on the Coldcard wallet and its new spending policies. The conversation explores the challenges businesses face in self-custody, the complexities of accounting for Bitcoin transactions, and the growing trend of Bitcoin treasuries among corporations. NVK emphasizes the importance of self-custody, the future of Bitcoin custody solutions, and the evolving landscape of Bitcoin adoption in the financial markets. The discussion also touches on the ongoing debates within the Bitcoin community regarding the Bitcoin Core development and the implications of debt in treasury companies.

Takeaways:

🔸Spending policies enhance operational security for Bitcoin transactions.

🔸Self-custody is crucial for businesses to manage Bitcoin effectively.

🔸Accounting complexities hinder Bitcoin adoption for companies.

🔸Bitcoin treasuries are becoming a popular choice for corporate investments.

🔸The market for Bitcoin collateralized loans is expected to grow.

🔸There is a need for more diverse Bitcoin custody solutions.

🔸The Bitcoin community is divided on the future of Bitcoin Core.

🔸Debt can be a useful tool for Bitcoin treasury companies.

🔸The demand for Bitcoin will continue to drive its value up.

🔸The evolution of Bitcoin will impact societal structures and power dynamics.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro

(00:41) - What are Coldcard spending policies? How is it useful?

(05:19) - Why do companies not prefer self-custody?

(07:58) - Operational difficulties in accounting & taxation of Bitcoin

(10:29) - Why do BTCTCs not prefer self-custody?; Role of custodians in Bitcoin treasury management

(15:51) - How many BTCTCs will we have by EOY?

(17:11) - The Bitcoin Leaderboard ft. @BTCtreasuries

(20:46) - ‘Winner takes all’ scenarios for BTCTCs?

(22:55) - Sponsors

(24:39) - The future of financial engineering in Bitcoin

(28:11) - Any demand is good for Bitcoin

(29:56) - Is Bitcoin being co-opted?; Bitcoin’s power-shift - Economic & Political influence

(35:40) - BTCTCs using ‘cheap fiat’ to stack Bitcoin

(39:50) - Mindset shifts among Bitcoin OGs; Does everybody care about Bitcoin price?

(44:33) - NVK’s thoughts on Core

(46:48) - NVK’s thoughts on Knots

(51:09) - Should there be multiple Bitcoin implementations?

(54:50) - Closing thoughts

Links:

• https://x.com/nvk

Sponsor:

• CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)

Stephan Livera links:

• Follow me on X: @stephanlivera

• Subscribe to the podcast

• Subscribe to Substack

Stephan Livera interviews Prashanth, the CEO and founder of Bringin, a startup focused on providing seamless Bitcoin solutions for users in the Eurozone. Prashanth shares his journey into the Bitcoin space, the pain points he identified regarding Bitcoin liquidity, and how Bringin addresses these challenges through innovative products like virtual IBAN accounts and debit cards. The conversation also touches on user feedback, regulatory impacts, and future developments for Bringin.

Takeaways:

🔸Prashanth's introduction to Bitcoin began in 2017.

🔸The main pain point was the inability to liquidate Bitcoin easily.

🔸Bringin offers a virtual IBAN account for seamless transactions.

🔸The platform aims to provide a reliable off-ramping solution for Bitcoiners.

🔸User experience is optimized for both small and large transactions.

🔸The debit card allows users to spend Bitcoin easily.

🔸Feedback from users highlights the speed and reliability of the service.

🔸Bringin charges a flat fee of 1% for transactions.

🔸EU regulations are tightening, impacting compliance for crypto businesses.

🔸The Bringin wallet integrates self-custody with easy off-ramping capabilities.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro

(00:52) - When did Prashanth discover Bitcoin?

(02:21) - What is Bringin trying to solve?

(06:47) - What does Bringin offer and who does it cater to?

(10:03) - Building the bridge between self-custody Bitcoin and TradFi Banks; Virtual IBANs

(13:26) - How does the Bringin Debit card work?

(15:37) - What has been the user feedback?; Fees & Costs for off ramps

(18:25) - How are EU regulations impacting Bringin?

(20:13) - Sponsors

(24:10) - Bringin’s self-custodial Bitcoin wallet

(30:18) - Future plans for Bringin

(32:39) - Closing thoughts

Links:

• https://x.com/prashanthc123

• https://x.com/bringinxyz

• https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/europeans-can-now-live-on-the-bitcoin-standard-with-bringin

Sponsor:

• CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)

Stephan Livera links:

• Follow me on X: @stephanlivera

• Subscribe to the podcast

• Subscribe to Substack