HRF

Good morning, friends! This week’s Financial Freedom Report #107 is out. We cover record bank branch closures in Russia, rising cash surveillance in Thailand, and Malawi’s renwed push toward a CBDC. On the #Bitcoin side: a new Bitcoin Core maintainer has been named, BitZed is connecting bitcoin to mobile money in Zambia, and we highlight upcoming Cashu improvements. We also include an essay by economist Tyler Cowen on why a country’s currency can be one of the clearest signals of its political and economic health. View Article →

Good morning, friends! Financial Freedom Report #106 is out. This week, we examine how financial systems are being reshaped under pressure: • China’s CBDC, where new features blur the line between central bank money and bank deposits. • Yemen, as a major bank shutdown deepens an already severe humanitarian crisis. • Iran, where new data shows economic survival topping people’s concerns amid protests and blackouts. In Bitcoin & freedom tech: • A new Bitcoin Core privacy upgrade for transaction broadcasting. • Programming Lightning releases open-source Lightning education. • Electrum adds submarine payments, bridging on-chain and Lightning. Plus, a new HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series episode with Harrison Friedes and Block engineer Alex Hancock on vibe coding and building under surveillance. View Article →