Nobel Peace Prize Winner: Bitcoin is an Important Means of Resisting Oppression

Digital currency is not only a technological innovation; it is also a new tool for fighting authoritarianism and defending freedom. “Some Venezuelans found a lifeline in Bitcoin during hyperinflation, using it to protect their wealth and finance their escape,” said 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, commenting on the role of Bitcoin in her home country. The Venezuelan opposition leader was honored for promoting democracy in her country. In coverage of her award, Machado emphasized that Bitcoin is a pro-freedom technology that has “evolved from a humanitarian tool into a vital means of resistance.”

"Lifeline" under hyperinflation

In Venezuela,the inflation rate has reached 229%, and some even estimate that the actual figure has exceeded 300%. In this country with the world's largest oil reserves, people have to worry about basic food and clothing. "My monthly salary can buy a week's worth of food on payday, but three days later it's only enough for two days," a local elementary school teacher said helplessly. Amid this economic crisis, cryptocurrency has unexpectedly become a lifesaver. According to statistics, Venezuela received $461 million in remittances via digital assets in 2023, supporting the livelihoods of millions of families. Machado pointed out: "Bitcoin circumvents government-imposed exchange rates and has helped many of our people." Today, Bitcoin not only helps people preserve their wealth but has also become a key channel for Venezuelans abroad to send remittances to their families back home, breaking the privileged class's monopoly on financial resources.

A global tool for resistance

Bitcoin's peer-to-peer nature makes it a powerful tool for resisting oppression.

In 2022, when Canadian truckers protested the government's new crown restrictions, the government froze their bank accounts and traditional sources of funds.

The protesters then turned to Bitcoin. Although the Canadian government confiscated approximately 5 BTC sent through centralized channels,

most of the more than 20 bitcoins sent through peer-to-peer methods were never confiscated.

A federal judge later ruled that the government's freeze was unconstitutional.

Similarly, in Nepal, when the government shut down social media, protesters turned to Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat app,

, a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging network that uses Bluetooth to form a communication mesh, does not rely on the internet, and can operate completely offline.

The idea of ​​freedom behind the technology

Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, believes that Bitcoin can repair broken democracy and fight corruption by limiting the government's power to control the people. He pointed out: "Bitcoin represents freedom of speech, property rights and open capital markets - these are exactly what authoritarian governments need to stifle."

"Tyrants need censorship, closed capital markets, and confiscation of property, and Bitcoin makes it difficult for governments to impose these things on the people." Gladstein added that this decentralized feature coincides with the concept of checks and balances in the democratic movement. Machado once said that she looks forward to embracing cryptocurrencies in the new democratic Venezuela, and even considered incorporating Bitcoin into the national reserves. This idea shows her confidence in Bitcoin's potential to promote social change. The value of Bitcoin is not only reflected in its price, but also in the choice it gives ordinary people. "Bitcoin gives us the right to choose, allowing us to decide how to protect the fruits of our labor." The words of a Venezuelan cryptocurrency user may be the best footnote to this spirit of change.