HRF

Good morning, friends! Financial Freedom Report #112 has just been released. We begin this week’s edition in Cuba, where personal stories reveal the human toll of currency collapse under the communist regime. We also bring word from Iran, where millions remain cut off from the outside world as the clerical regime enforces sweeping internet blackouts amid unrest and continued air strikes. In #Bitcoin news, Bitwise made a $233,000 donation to support open-source Bitcoin development, fulfilling a pledge to allocate 10% of annual profits from its Bitcoin ETF. We end with a Bitcoin Policy Institute report examining the monetary preferences of advanced AI models. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq35v6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknzvfj956xzmpevemscfal74

Good afternoon, friends! This month’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #7 is out. We cover Russia’s push into AI-enhanced internet filtering, Chinese AI models parroting CCP propaganda, and an AI-powered hacking campaign targeting Iranians who documented the regime’s killing of protesters. On the tools side, we explore how the explosion of AI agents like OpenClaw and developments in new agentic models are refining workflows and accelerating software development. We also feature the latest episode of Preston Pysh’s Infinite Tech podcast where HRF’s Alex Gladstein and Justin Moon discuss how open-source AI tools like OpenClaw advance individual freedom. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqqeys5jx94ej6s2f94nx7u3df9hxg6tkd9j82ctv94fxjemgw3ej6nn9waekcet5w3jhytfh95un2mn6v33spt67ge

Good afternoon, readers! Financial Freedom Report #109 was just published. It features pressing developments, including India advancing a CBDC pilot to distribute food rations. This comes in addition to coverage on Hong Kong sentencing media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, and a crackdown on informal currency exchange activity by the military junta in Burma. In #Bitcoin news, we cover the addition of Silent Payment support, a bitcoin privacy upgrade, in Sparrow and Nunchuck wallet. We include an interview with Iranian Bitcoin educator, Ziya Sadr, who shares his experience during Iran’s 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement and the broader impact of currency collapse and state financial repression. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq35v6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknzvpe94jkydpjv4eshcfyu3

HRF and the Finney Family award the Finney Freedom Prize for the 2016–2020 era (Block Height 420,000 - 630,00) to Andreas M. Antonopoulos. For years, Andreas helped the world understand Bitcoin as a tool for individual freedom. Through his writing, talks, and inspirational education, he brought millions of people into the Bitcoin network, inspired a generation of developers, and showed how decentralized money can defend human rights and challenge authoritarian power. Learn more about Andreas' contributions here: https://hrf.org/program/financial-freedom/finney-prize/ab…

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #102 is out and features the following in global news: -Venezuela | María Corina Machado Awarded Nobel Peace Prize -Russia | Increased Cash Use Amid Internet Outages and Financial Controls -Cuba | Former Economy Minister Sentenced to Life in Espionage Case In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Save the Children | Bitcoin Fund Launched -MetaMask | Bitcoin Support Added -PlebQR | Pay in Bitcoin in Thailand We end with the livestreams of the 2025 Africa Bitcoin Conference! nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq35v6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknzvpj94ax5v35dyms7593q8

Good morning, friends! Today, we celebrate 100 editions of HRF's Financial Freedom Report. What started as an effort to track how authoritarian regimes use money as a tool of repression has evolved into THE weekly newsletter covering the global state of financial freedom. From frozen bank accounts, currency collapse, and CBDCs to resisting with Bitcoin and freedom tech, we are grateful to all our readers who have joined us on this journey. Onward to the next 100! nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq35v6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknzvps94sngut8w3jshj5sm3

Good morning, readers! This week's Financial Freedom Report #96 is published and features the following global strories: -Cuba | Independent Media Outlet Blamed for Inflation -Indonesia | Central Bank Expands Oversight with New CBDC-Linked Stablecoin -Tanzania | Internet Blackout and Curfew Follow Unfree and Unfair Elections In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Phoenix | Phoenix Wallet Launches Taproot Channels and Multi-Wallet Support -Bitkey | Introduces Chain Code Delegation for Enhanced Privacy -Cashu | Update Adds Mint Discovery and Web-of-Trust Ratings We end with a new episode of the “What Bitcoin Did” podcast, where HRF’s Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein explains how Bitcoin protects civil society from dictators who devalue currencies, freeze bank accounts, monitor financial activity, and employ myriad other forms of financial repression. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknjd3dvyurqmr2xcaytujm

Good morning, nostr! This week's Financial Freedom Report #93 is live and features the following in global news: -China | Opens International Operations Center for Digital Yuan -Nicaragua | Human Rights Guarantees Eliminated -World | SWIFT Eyes Blockchain Payment System Overhaul In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Sparrow Wallet | Implements Send to Silent Payments -Breez | Shares Q3 Lightning Integrations -Bitcoin Babies | Releases “The Sovereign Mother” Book We end with an essay from HRF’s chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein, who explains in the Journal of Democracy why Bitcoin is best thought of as freedom money. He traces how governments have used modern financial systems to surveil and repress, and how Bitcoin provides an alternative. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknjvedvdn8gutxxqj56wvv

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #90 is now published and features the following in global news: -Thailand | Freezes Accounts and Imposes Transfer Limits -India | Government Opposes Complete Digital Asset Framework -Russia | St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport Accepts CBDC Payments In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Bitchat | Surges Amid Social Media Bans and Protests -Fedimint | Launches E-Cash App -Banxaas | Expands Bitcoin Access to Côte d’Ivoire We end with an interview on the F-Squared Podcast with Catherine Karimi Gichunge, who recounts how one of Africa’s largest mobile money systems, M-Pesa, was built. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknjvpdw5ekxvtsdvqqxjv4

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #89 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -Russia | Pushes New State-Controlled Message App to Public -Indonesia | Police Violently Suppress Student-Led Protests -Nicaragua | Ortega-Murillo Regime Land Grab In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -NIP-EE | Merged into Nostr Protocol -Macadamia Wallet | First Ecash Wallet to Implement Multi-Nut Payments -Bitchat | Adds Built-in Tor Support on Android We end with a vibe coding tutorial by HRF’s Justin Moon, Alex Gladstein, and Jhanisse Vaca Daza. In it, they teach activists and dissidents how to vibe code a simple website. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknswfddq6rz6eev5mpwkjj

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #88 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -Georgia | Freezes Bank Accounts of Seven NGOs -Nigeria | eNaira CBDC Goes Offline -Cuba | Pension Increase Evaporates Under Currency Debasement In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -Damus | Launches on Android -Cashu | Merges Support for BOLT 12 -Papa Swap | New Submarine Swap Protocol We end with an interview with Rwandan activist Anaïse Kanimba, who reflects on her family’s fight for freedom after her father Paul Rusesabagina’s abduction and explains how Bitcoin has become both a practical tool and a symbol of resilience for those resisting authoritarian regimes in Africa. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknswpdx95nzmmj0gfmfrcx

Good morning, friends! This week's Financial Freedom Report #84 is now on nostr and features the following in global news: -El Salvador | Congress Approves Unlimited Presidential Reelections -North Korea | Regime Shutters Currency Exchange Centers Amid Currency Crash -Burma | Invasive Cybersecurity Law Comes into Full Effect In #Bitcoin and Freedom Tech News: -PPQ AI | Bitcoin-Powered AI Access -Bitle | Run Your Own Bitchat Node -Fedimint | Releases ‘Fedimint-in-a-Box’ Plus, we end with a new study from the Bitcoin Policy Institute, authored by HRF Global Bitcoin Adoption Fellow Win Ko Ko Aung, that explores how individuals across Burma, Thailand, and Laos use Bitcoin to navigate financial repression, authoritarian control, and banking exclusion. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpuvcn2tdwk4rs66vsu25xcnvhvmzcqey3v3qmjdw20tua7724ukpqq3yv6twv9hxx6tpdsk5vun9v4jx7mfd2fjhqmmjwsknsdpdwehngumzdghkh8vd