A new study reveals that at least 329,000 refugees worldwide have already used Bitcoin (BTC) to protect and transfer their savings when fleeing conflicts and persecutions. The data confirm that the digital currency, due to its decentralized and portable nature, is consolidated as a crucial financial lifeguard where traditional banking systems collapse or become inaccessible.
The report, which used a method based on indirect data and prudent assumptions to make the calculations, projects that This figure could be shot up to 7.5 million refugees for 2035. This if current trends of forced displacement and adoption of digital assets continue. This explosive growth underlines the urgency that legislators and humanitarian organizations understand and adapt to this phenomenon.
As detailed in the document, refugees face the collapse of local banks, capital controls and irisy retirement limits (such as 33 dollars daily, equivalent in Ukrainian grivna, during the invasion of Ukraine). So they go to Bitcoin, since it allows them to avoid these barriers.
To achieve this, refugees transport their savings safely and discreetly, sometimes only memorizing a seed phrase. And then, They cross borders without risk of confiscation, allowing them to access funds to buy food, transport or start a new life.
Unlike programs with stablcoins (such as USDC) that depend on intermediaries and can be frozen, Bitcoin operates peer-to-peer. The study did not find verified cases of refugees using Stablecoins independently to escape conflict zones.
The truth is that with Bitcoin, Upon arriving with own resources, refugees accelerate their integrationThey relieve the financial burden of reception countries and preserve their autonomy and dignity.
He report It highlights real cases that demonstrate Bitcoin’s power in extreme crises. For example, he mentions the case of Fadey, a young Ukrainian who escaped to Poland with 2,000 dollars in Bitcoin in a Wallet hardware. His story illustrates how the digital currency became his only option to access money.
There is also the case of Yusef Mahmoud, informed by cryptootics. This is a taxi driver who launched an aid campaign in Gaza to raise funds in Bitcoin to supply food and water to families trapped by the blockade. Its history demonstrates Bitcoin’s effectiveness when international bank channels fail.
A call to political action
For all these benefits that Bitcoin offers, the study launches a direct call to the political leaders to recognize the humanitarian role of the currency created by Satoshi Nakamoto.
In its recommendations three key points are included:
- Clarify legal protections so that refugees do not face confiscation.
- Regulate illicit use without blocking this vital aid route.
- Support safe adoption through training and accessible tools.
In short, the study positions Bitcoin as a resistance tool that is already empowering thousands of the most vulnerable people in the world. In an era of mass displacement, the phrase “carries only what you can load” acquires a new meaning because sometimes, the most valuable thing is what is transported in memory.
