npub1sk…6jraw on Nostr: .Gary Brode went to El Salvador to answer the simplest question in Bitcoin: can you ...
.Gary Brode went to El Salvador to answer the simplest question in Bitcoin: can you actually use it to buy things?
His answer: yes, but it depends on who you are.
Lightning QR payments work. But El Salvador is still a dollar-priced economy. You're converting to sats at the point of sale, apps have friction, and if you already have a credit card with cash back, the math doesn't always favor spending bitcoin.
The people who benefit most are the unbanked and those sending remittances. For them, Bitcoin as a currency isn't theoretical. It's cheaper and faster than the alternatives.
His bigger point: the dollar is backed by "faith and the credit of a government with more than $40 trillion of debt and more than $200 trillion of off-balance sheet liabilities."
Self-custody is the long game.
Published at
2026-09-17 18:59:11 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": ".Gary Brode went to El Salvador to answer the simplest question in Bitcoin: can you actually use it to buy things?\n\nHis answer: yes, but it depends on who you are.\n\nLightning QR payments work. But El Salvador is still a dollar-priced economy. You're converting to sats at the point of sale, apps have friction, and if you already have a credit card with cash back, the math doesn't always favor spending bitcoin.\n\nThe people who benefit most are the unbanked and those sending remittances. For them, Bitcoin as a currency isn't theoretical. It's cheaper and faster than the alternatives.\n\nHis bigger point: the dollar is backed by \"faith and the credit of a government with more than $40 trillion of debt and more than $200 trillion of off-balance sheet liabilities.\"\n\nSelf-custody is the long game.\nhttps://blossom.primal.net/ca2aea5ca7708298252820bf1ec02eb34539b50623d5dbe6ff654bf6fefedbf6.jpg\nhttps://blossom.primal.net/ea3680b9e8e1a066d284d0d4215ac25f18bb03b20a8d7a134ff8fc21ed03bdcb.jpg",
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