How El Salvador Forced This Crypto Billionaire to Use Bitcoin (Proof The Circular Economy Works)

Jan 24, 2026

Evelyn Lemus, educator building Bitcoin University and merchant programs in Salvadoran towns, and Gerardo Linares, community organizer scaling circular-economy models. They describe how Lightning-powered local payments revived towns, the playbook for replicating Bitcoin circular economies, merchant onboarding and education, and grassroots remittance solutions that bypass costly intermediaries.

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ADVICE

Document A Replicable Roadmap

Publish simple playbooks so other communities can replicate your model instead of relying on outsiders.
Make the steps practical and non-technical so local leaders can start on their own.

ADVICE

Choose Practical Tools Over Perfection

Move to Lightning when on-chain fees make small transactions impractical.
Prioritize workable tools over waiting for perfection to scale real-world use.

ANECDOTE

School Cafe Was First Merchant

Bitcoin Berlin began by teaching students and onboarding the school cafe so students had somewhere to spend sats.
That first campus merchant still sells Bitcoin and small amounts to students today.

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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

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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