The Bitcoin Matrix

Tony Yazbeck - A Collapse Survivor's Warning About War, Banks & Bitcoin

9 snips
Mar 2, 2026
Tony Yazbeck, a Lebanese banking collapse survivor and co-founder of The Bitcoin Way, now teaches Bitcoin sovereignty and self-custody. He recounts losing his savings to bank seizures and surviving societal collapse. The conversation covers opting out of failing banks, practical self-custody steps, moving jurisdictions for freedom, and building community and resilience around Bitcoin.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Bank Seizure Forced Tony Into Bitcoin

  • Tony Yazbeck woke up after the Lebanese bank collapse to find his life savings confiscated and became homeless overnight.
  • Nine months later an Andreas Antonopoulos video orange-pilled him and started his Bitcoin sovereignty journey that rebuilt his life.
ANECDOTE

Survival Chaos After ATMs Went Empty

  • During Lebanon's collapse people resorted to barter, theft risk, and primal survival skills as supermarkets closed and ATMs emptied.
  • Tony describes crowds with weapons outside stores and the immediate need to trade services and protect family to survive.
ADVICE

Move To Self Custody Not ETFs Or Exchanges

  • Do learn Bitcoin as a savings technology and move to 100% self-custody rather than buying ETFs or leaving coins on exchanges.
  • Tony: use hardware wallets and practice the steps like learning any new skill to avoid custodial risk.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app