We recently had the pleasure of sponsoring and being part of the just concluded @Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 🇿🇦 conference.
Things kicked off on Thursday with the Bitcoin Circular Economy Summit, followed by the pre-conference hangout. It was a great chance to meet people, network, and enjoy some fun activities like sim golf ⛳ before the main event began.
On day 1, @Sy ⚡, a Btrust developer grantee working on Stratum V2, presented a session on mining decentralization. He broke things down from the basics all the way to the technical details, showing why mining pool centralization can become a censorship risk.
He also shared how Stratum V2 helps miners choose their own transactions, making Bitcoin more secure and decentralized.
On day 2, @Sharon Murugi, our communications lead spoke about what it takes to support and sustain open-source development in Africa and the Global South.
She reminded everyone that behind Bitcoin is a strong human layer, consisting of developers, reviewers, maintainers, and community builders whose work keeps the network running and growing.
She also shared how developers help turn Bitcoin from just a protocol into tools people actually use every day, like wallets, self-custody solutions, and payment infrastructure.
That’s why decentralization shouldn’t stop at the code. We need builders from more places, especially those who understand local challenges, helping shape the tools that will bring Bitcoin to the next billion users.
We’re proud to support this work by creating more sustainable paths for contributors and helping strengthen the ecosystem.
One of the coolest parts of the conference was seeing bitcoin used in real life. We were able to buy coffee using bitcoin, powered by @BTCPay Server, one of the open-source projects helping make bitcoin payments possible.
There was also a dedicated workshop space where builders got to share what they’re working on. It was exciting to see solutions being built from real local problems, and we loved connecting with the community and exploring new partnerships.
A big thank you to the organizers and everyone involved for putting together such an amazing experience.
