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
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
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
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‑
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
A recap of Btrust’s 2025 milestones in decentralizing Bitcoin open‑source development across Africa and the Global South.
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
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
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
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
Building a scalable, high‑quality pipeline for Bitcoin open‑source contributors
Written by Jamal Errakibi This article is a written version of my talk “Why Rust Is Becoming Essential in Bitcoin,” which I gave during the 2025 Btrust Developer Day. If you prefer watching instead of reading, you can watch the talk linked here. Rust has been voted the most loved
Btrust Builders
In 2025, hundreds of developers across Africa took their first steps into Bitcoin’s open‑source ecosystem, learning how it works, how to contribute to it, and how to build sustainable careers around it. The Btrust Builders program was designed to move developers from curiosity, to capability, to contribution. This
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A practical guide for building and sustaining Bitcoin-only technical communities across the Global South.
Btrust
Global, December 31, 2025 - At Btrust, we know that growing the Bitcoin open-source developer ecosystem starts with creating gateways; spaces where curious builders can connect, learn, experiment, and ultimately take their first steps toward meaningful contribution. These gateways often take the form of events: technical meetups, grassroots workshops, hackathons,
Btrust
At Btrust, we’ve been fortunate to support developers whose work strengthens the foundations of Bitcoin. Today, we celebrate the journey of Duncan Dean, who joined us as a long-term grantee in April 2024 and whose time with us concluded in August 2025. His contributions extended well beyond code. Over
Btrust
Africa, December 12, 2025 — We’re excited to recognize six outstanding Bitcoin open-source developers awarded Btrust grants, including four starter grant recipients and two open-source cohort members. Starter Grants The Btrust Starter Grant provides support for software engineers ready to contribute full-time to open-source Bitcoin development. It allows recipients to
Btrust Builders
Applications are ongoing for the 2026 ₿OSS (Bitcoin Open-Source Software) Challenge, kicking off January 12, 2026.
Btrust Grantee Spotlight
Written by Rita Anene For over three years, I've worked as a software developer, building features and solving problems in the familiar rhythm of a 9-to-5 job. But something was missing. I wanted to work on technology that wasn't just functional, but foundational, something that could
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Leadership transitions mark important moments in any organization’s journey, and today, we’re excited to share one of our own. In July, we put out a call for a Chief Executive Officer. After receiving multiple strong applications and going through a long, thoughtful, and rigorous selection process, we’re
Btrust
In the world of Bitcoin development, talent is everywhere. Yet, for many developers in the Global South, especially across Africa, reaching the highest levels of contribution isn’t just about skill or dedication—it’s about access. Opportunities to meet global collaborators, speak at conferences, and work alongside seasoned peers
Btrust
Africa, October 14, 2025 — We’re excited to recognize six outstanding Bitcoin open-source developers awarded Btrust grants, including four starter grant recipients and two open-source cohort members. The four starter grant recipients are all graduates of the 2025 Btrust Builders pathways. The program offers structured tracks that cover everything from
Btrust Grantee Spotlight
Written by Itoro Ukpong This story details my transition from an enterprise software engineer to a full-time Bitcoin open-source developer. It covers my journey through blockchain exploration, the Btrust programs, and the key steps that enabled me to secure a grant for open-source work, offering insights for others interested in
Behind every successful Btrust Builders cohort is a team of dedicated faculty members who go above and beyond to shape the learning journey. This year, our faculty were a monumental part of our courses, from developing the curriculum to walking side by side with participants through our various pathways. What