Written by Chuks Agbakuru There’s a problem that’s been annoying bitcoin users for years, and it’s almost embarrassingly basic: receiving money shouldn’t feel this clunky. You end up copying and pasting a long string of random characters, then crossing your fingers that nothing gets messed up.
Last year, we ran our first Open Source Bootcamp with a goal of making Bitcoin open-source contribution feel less intimidating. Many developers in our Builders pathways had the technical foundation to contribute, but they were unsure how to get started. They did not always know how to navigate a large
The journey through Btrust Builders can lead in many directions. Alumni have gone on to work on Bitcoin infrastructure, build products, contribute to open-source projects, teach other developers, and create communities where more people can find their way into Bitcoin development. In part one, we looked at five alumni contributing
For many developers, Btrust Builders is where their open-source journey begins. Through technical education, mentorship, and hands-on learning, participants develop the skills needed to contribute to Bitcoin. What happens next is often just as interesting. Today, Builders alumni can be found across different parts of the Bitcoin ecosystem. Some are
CriterionBitcoin's RequirementSignature size64 bytes (Schnorr, BIP-340)Verification speedFast enough for full node throughputSigning speedFast enough for payment channel state updatesSecurity assumptionWell-studied, conservative, quantum-resistantCryptanalytic maturityDecades of failed public attacksConstant-time implementationReliably achievable in practice CriterionML-DSA (FIPS 204)SLH-DSA (FIPS 205)Original AlgorithmCRYSTALS-DilithiumSPHINCS+Hardness AssumptionModule Lattice (MLWE/MSIS)Hash
The BOSS Challenge may be over, but for this year’s finalists, the work has not stopped. They are still opening pull requests, responding to reviews and building tools for Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Some are improving the projects they started during the challenge. Others have moved into new
Walk into a BitDevs meetup for the first time and you may feel as though the conversation started before you arrived. Someone might be discussing a recent change proposed for Bitcoin Core. A few minutes later, the group moved on to a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, better known as a BIP,
Over $900k awarded across five education initiatives supporting Bitcoin open-source development in Africa and the Global Majority.
For many developers, the first step into Bitcoin is not a grant, a fellowship, or a full-time open-source role. It is a local meetup, workshop, hackathon, conference talk, or technical session where they see that Bitcoin is not only something to use, but something they can build on and contribute
Written by Rita Anene If you've spent time in the Bitcoin developer space, you've probably heard of LDK, (the Lightning Development Kit). LDK gives a great deal of control. You can decide how peers connect, how channels are configured, how keys are handled, and how data
There are few moments in open source that feel as rewarding as seeing your first pull request merged. For many contributors, it marks the end of days, weeks, or even months spent navigating an unfamiliar codebase, responding to review comments, revising changes, and wondering if their contribution will eventually be
Africa, July 13, 2026 - We’re excited to announce the Q2 2026 Btrust developer grant recipients. Last quarter, seven Bitcoin open-source developers were awarded grants, including three starter grant recipients and four long-term open-source cohort members. This cohort continues our mission to decentralize Bitcoin open-source development by supporting talented
Btrust Builders
In Q1 2026, Btrust Builders ran two learning pathways in parallel: Mastering Bitcoin and Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line. Each pathway had two tracks: a live cohort with weekly sessions, chaperones, structured assignments, and formal graduation requirements; and a self-paced track for developers who wanted to study the same
Btrust
Bitcoin has always carried a powerful promise: that money can be open, neutral, and fair. Regardless of where you are from, what you look like, who you know, or the kind of background you have should not decide whether you can access the global financial system. That promise is one
Btrust
The bitcoin++ Open Source Edition Hackathon brought together 90 builders from across Africa and beyond for two intense days of hacking, collaboration, learning, and open-source innovation. From June 17th, participants built projects spanning Bitcoin, Lightning, Nostr, developer tooling, financial inclusion, open-source infrastructure, and real-world applications. The result was an impressive
Btrust Grantee Spotlight
Written by Jemimah Nagasha If you had told me a few years ago that I would leave my civil engineering job to work full-time in Bitcoin open source, I probably would have smiled politely and gone back to reviewing construction drawings. At the time, my life followed a fairly structured
Btrust
Global, May 19, 2026 - Btrust today announced the appointment of its new Board of Directors, marking the completion of a planned governance transition and the beginning of its next chapter. Following a global, open call and a rigorous selection process, Janet Maingi, Bruno Garcia, and Laurence Aderemi have assumed
Btrust Builders
The first pathways of 2026 at Btrust Builders officially concluded recently. Between March and April 2026, developers from across Africa and beyond participated in two learning pathways: Mastering Bitcoin and Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line. Each pathway ran in two formats: a structured live cohort and an open self‑
Technical
Written by Abdullahi Yunus Most people know the Lightning Network as a fast way to send Bitcoin payments. It’s a network of computers (called nodes) connected by payment channels. When someone sends a payment, it travels through several nodes, and each step of the journey is protected using something
Btrust
A recap of Btrust’s 2025 milestones in decentralizing Bitcoin open‑source development across Africa and the Global South.
Technical
Written by Sonkeng Maldini Bitcoin is constantly evolving, and one of the recent developments attracting attention is Silent Payments. In this post, we provide a simplified, high‑level explanation of how Silent Payments work, their advantages over existing approaches, and how they can be used in practice. We will also
Btrust
Africa, April 1, 2026 — We're excited to announce our largest Btrust developer grant cohort to date. Ten outstanding Bitcoin open-source developers have been awarded grants, comprising six starter grant recipients and four open-source cohort members, including two renewals and two promotions from starter to long-term grants. This cohort
Btrust
Written by Abiodun Awoyemi Table of Contents 1. Introduction to BIP326 2. Locktime Fundamentals: nLockTime vs nSequence 3. Fee Sniping: The Threat That Locktime Solves 4. How LockTime Defends Against Fee Sniping 5. The Taproot Connection: How MAST works 6. HTLC vs PTLC: Why Off-Chain Protocols Leak 7. The Privacy
Btrust
At its core, Bitcoin is sustained by people; developers who review code, fix bugs, debate tradeoffs, and quietly maintain the software that powers a global monetary network. In 2025, Btrust’s support of open source development efforts were guided by a belief that when developers from Africa and the Global