The Financial Freedom Report is a newsletter focusing on how currency plays a key role in the civil liberties and human rights struggles of those living under authoritarian regimes. We also spotlight new tools and applications that can help individuals protect their financial freedom.
Good morning, readers!
In Iran, officials are accused of exploiting a recent currency devaluation to profit at the publicтАЩs expense. The regime raised the rialтАЩs official exchange rate from 550,000 to 640,000 per dollar to maximize its profit when selling the $5 billion it had withdrawn from the National Development Fund. This move effectively stole one quadrillion rials ($23 billion) from citizens, fueling inflation and devastating the publicтАЩs already-slim purchasing power.
In Nicaragua, dictator Daniel Ortega dissolved 15 more nonprofit organizations since the start of the year. This brings the total to more than 5,400 NGOs shut down since 2018. Ortega frequently uses financial repression to wield power over citizens, freezing bank accounts, seizing assets, and fabricating financial crimes to dismantle civil society groups.
In open-source software news, Solo Satoshi, a company advancing home Bitcoin mining, unveiled the Bitaxe Touch, a new home mining device designed for individuals to mine Bitcoin. It features a touch screen that displays mining metrics, network data, and Bitcoin news. Innovations like this help democratize access to mining and strengthen the overall Bitcoin network, making an especially big difference for people who wish to mine in difficult political environments.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin developers are exploring rewarding mining pool participants with ecash shares. This model lets miners receive earnings instantly and trade them on open markets without revealing personal details. This could make mining more attractive for dissidents whilst helping strengthen BitcoinтАЩs overall decentralization.
Finally, we feature the release of Evan MawarireтАЩs book тАЬCrazy Epic Courage,тАЭ in which the Zimbabwean pastor and activist recounts his inspiring journey of a peaceful uprising against Robert MugabeтАЩs dictatorship and hyperinflation. We also include a Bitkey wallet tutorial from renowned Bitcoin educator Ben Perrin, aka BTC Sessions, who walks users through setting up cold storage and best practices for safe transactions.
Now, letтАЩs get right to it!
Iran | Regime Profiting From Currency Devaluation
In Iran, Hossein Samsami, a member of the parliamentтАЩs economic committee, accused the government of exploiting foreign currency exchange rates to profit at the expense of ordinary citizens. The regime recently increased the rialтАЩs official exchange rate from 550,000 to 640,000 rial per dollar тАФ a move Samsami explained тАЬwas to sell the $5 billion it had taken from the National Development Fund at the highest price.тАЭ By manipulating the exchange rate, the regime effectively stole one quadrillion rials ($23 billion) from citizens. This deliberate devaluation will drive up inflation, deplete savings, and push basic goods further out of reach. IranтАЩs multi-tiered exchange rate system has long fueled corruption, allowing regime insiders to profit from the gap between the artificially low official exchange rate and the higher free-market rate. To block any financial escape, the regime has tried to close onramps to Bitcoin.
Nicaragua | Regime Dismantles More Nonprofit Organizations
Since the start of 2025, the Nicaraguan regime dissolved an additional 15 nonprofit organizations (NGOs), including Save the Children and the Dominican Nuns Foundation of Nicaragua. This latest wave of repression brings the total to more than 5,400 NGOs shut down since 2018 under dictator Daniel Ortega. Ortega uses financial repression as a weapon, freezing bank accounts, seizing assets, and fabricating financial crimes to dismantle these groups. Deprived of resources and funding, these organizations are forced to close, leaving vulnerable communities without aid. These crackdowns come as part of OrtegaтАЩs broader strategy to stifle dissent, dismantle civil society, and consolidate his grip on Nicaragua.
Nigeria | Political and Bitcoin Activist Faces Regime Censorship
James Otudor, an activist and founder of Bitcoin Calabar, a Nigerian Bitcoin circular economy, described what he believes is a deliberate campaign to silence his Bitcoin advocacy. After filing a lawsuit against the Nigerian regime to defend citizensтАЩ rights to own, use, and trade Bitcoin, Otudor was interrogated by the Department of State Security (DSS) about his funding sources and financial activities. Despite providing proof of legitimate earnings, he reports facing a series of suspicious and coordinated attacks тАФ including the theft of his lawyersтАЩ documents, the suspension of his social media accounts, and disruptions to his phone and internet services. These actions represent the extent to which authoritarian regimes like Nigeria will go to block financial tools that operate beyond their control.
United Arab Emirates | AI Ambitions and Authoritarian Control
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is accelerating its bid to lead the global artificial intelligence race, with reports suggesting that intelligence chief Sheikh Tahnoun is in talks with the United States to acquire NVIDIAтАЩs proprietary AI chips. At the center of this push is G42, an AI conglomerate heavily invested in data analytics, satellite imagery, and predictive surveillance. These technologies enable the UAE to expand domestic surveillance and control to suppress dissent with unprecedented precision. As an authoritarian regime with an appalling human rights record, the UAE has long used technology to surveil activists, journalists, and civil society. Now, it aims to take surveillance and repression to new heights.
Uganda | Civic Group Calls for the End of Trials of Civilians in Military Courts
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Agora Discourse, a civic group co-founded by activist and Oslo Freedom Forum speaker Agather Atuhaire, launched a Change petition calling for the end of trials of civilians in military courts in Uganda. The next day, police officers harassed and roughed up Agather Atuhaire as she delivered a physical copy of the petition, addressed to Chief Justice Owinyi Dollo, at UgandaтАЩs Supreme Court in the capital, Kampala. Alongside this physical repression, Uganda employs financial repression тАФ freezing the bank accounts of civil society organizations to diminish civilian voices and their right to association and organization. This petition aims to rally international pressure against the regimeтАЩs practice of using military courts to target dissidents. If you have a moment, please consider reviewing and signing the petition here.
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
тАЬCrazy Epic CourageтАЭ by Evan Mawarire
Zimbabwean pastor and activist Evan Mawarire never set out to become a revolutionary тАФ he simply wanted to speak the truth. But when a video of him draped in a Zimbabwean flag went viral, it ignited a nationwide movement that would challenge Robert Mugabe, one of AfricaтАЩs longest-standing autocrats and a thief who looted Zimbabwean wealth via hyperinflation. In his newly released book, тАЬCrazy Epic Courage,тАЭ Mawarire details how an ordinary citizen can become the voice of a nation. From arrests and exile to global advocacy, his journey is a testament to risking everything for what is right. Read the full book here.
This weekтАЩs Bitcoin news focuses on Bitcoin mining updates. To learn more about Bitcoin mining, we recommend checking out this explainer article and video.
Mostro | Implements Key Management to Boost Privacy
Mostro, a peer-to-peer (P2P) Bitcoin exchange built on Nostr, introduced advanced key management to improve user privacy. Created by Venezuelan developer Francisco Calderon, Mostro тАФ specifically designed to aid people under tyranny тАФ enables individuals to buy and sell Bitcoin without sharing excessive personal information. This adds another layer of privacy critical for human rights defenders, journalists, and nonprofits operating under authoritarian regimes. As a past recipient of HRFтАЩs Bitcoin Development Fund, Mostro continues to advance private Bitcoin access for those who need it most.
Bitcoin Safe | New Bitcoin Wallet Designed for Non-Technical Users
Bitcoin Safe is a new open-source Bitcoin wallet designed to make self-custody simple even for non-technical users, something that really comes in handy for human rights activists. The wallet guides users through the setup process, with step-by-step instructions for both single-signature (where one private key is used to control your Bitcoin) and multi-signature wallets (which require multiple private keys for added security). Bitcoin Safe also includes features to manage Bitcoin efficiently, such as automatically combining unused Bitcoin (known as Unspent Transaction Outputs or UTXOs), speeding up stuck transactions with fees (known as Replace-By-Fee or RBF), and letting users choose specific coins to spend. With support for more than 10 languages, Bitcoin Safe can lower the barriers to self-custody.
Solo Satoshi | Introduces Bitaxe Touch
Solo Satoshi, a company advancing home Bitcoin mining, unveiled the Bitaxe Touch, the first Bitcoin home miner with a built-in touchscreen. Scheduled for release in early 2025, the device enables users to monitor key metrics, including BitcoinтАЩs price, mining performance, power consumption, incoming transactions, and real-time temperature data. It also features a Bitcoin news feed, offering a comprehensive overview of the mining experience. Built using an open-source Bitaxe 601 Gamma, the Bitaxe Touch is designed to simplify Bitcoin mining for individuals. By empowering more people to mine Bitcoin independently, devices like this reduce reliance on large mining pools, strengthening BitcoinтАЩs decentralization and resistance to censorship.
Mining Pools | Rewarding Miners with Tradeable Ecash Shares
Bitcoin developers are exploring a new way to reward miners using tradeable тАЬecash shares.тАЭ In Bitcoin mining, individuals often join тАЬmining poolsтАЭ тАФ groups of Bitcoin miners that work together to verify transactions, solve blocks, and share rewards. They do so because pooling resources increases their chances of earning Bitcoin. However, miners in these pools can wait days or weeks for payouts (depending on the poolsтАЩ payout structure), and miners often suffer violations of their privacy. With ecash shares, miners could receive their earnings immediately and sell them on an open market (without having to reveal their identity, shielding them from a dictatorтАЩs watchful eye). This system could also make it easier for small mining pools to get started and grow. Smaller pools often struggle to attract miners because payouts are uncertain. By using ecash shares, these smaller pools could temporarily operate as clients of larger ones to ensure steady income in the early stages.
F2Pool | Monitoring Global Censorship Risks
Bitcoin developer b10c revealed that F2Pool, one of BitcoinтАЩs largest mining pools, may be filtering transactions. Over the past weeks, b10cтАЩs miningpool-observer detected 15 transactions from certain addresses that were not mined in the first eligible block. While all transactions were eventually confirmed тАФ proving the Bitcoin networkтАЩs overall censorship resistance тАФ F2Pool appears to have excluded some despite negligible fee differences, raising concerns of potential censorship. Notably, no other pools filtered these transactions, revealing the strength of this decentralized software network. However, these observations warrant ongoing monitoring so that the public understands such risks before they metastasize.
Mi Primer Bitcoin | Releases 2025 Bitcoin Diploma
Mi Primer Bitcoin, a nonprofit advancing open-source Bitcoin education, released its updated 2025 Bitcoin Diploma. This 176-page open-source workbook serves as a 10-week educational program and is used by more than 56 projects in 30 countries. The diploma covers topics like the history of money, BitcoinтАЩs technical and practical applications, and its implication for financial freedom and human rights. The latest edition features enhanced infographics and refined content for improved clarity. Available in multiple languages, the Bitcoin Diploma is a powerful resource for fostering financial literacy and global Bitcoin adoption and is taught by civil society groups even under dictatorships like the one in Cuba.
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
Bitkey Wallet Tutorial by BTC Sessions
In this tutorial, renowned Bitcoin educator Ben Perrin (BTC Sessions) demonstrates how to set up and use the Bitkey hardware wallet on a mobile device. He guides viewers through the process of storing, sending, and receiving Bitcoin, with a focus on user-friendliness and secure practices. He also reveals secret techniques to make the most out of oneтАЩs hardware wallet. DonтАЩt miss the full tutorial тАФ watch it here.
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