In it episode twenty-five of Separating Money and the State from CriptoNoticias, Iván Gómez spoke with Evelyn Lemus, co-founder of Bitcoin Berlin, one of the most successful Bitcoin circular economies in El Salvador. Evelyn explained that the project was born in April 2023 in the mountain town of Berlin (Usulután), motivated by the frustration of not being able to spend Bitcoin easily despite the Bitcoin Law of 2021. Instead of waiting for the government or Bitcoin City, they decided to build it themselves: they started by educating local merchants, combining Bitcoin with community work and gaining the trust of the people without imposing technology.
Three years later, more than 170-200 businesses accept Bitcoin (many without being officially registered), you can live almost exclusively in sats and the town has seen a clear increase in tourism and economic activity. Evelyn highlighted that success is based on the network effect and local FOMO: businesses see that their neighbors attract more customers by accepting Bitcoin and they join organically.
The most relevant:
- Evelyn and Gerardo chose Berlin for its pleasant climate, ideal size, sufficient shops and tourist potential.
- At first they combined Bitcoin with social activities (park cleaning, tree planting, events) to gain local trust.
- People in Berlin did not associate Bitcoin with the government or the Chivo Wallet, which facilitated a more open reception.
- The network effect and local FOMO have been key: businesses see that their neighbors attract more customers and they join on their own.
- Blink with stable-sats has been the most effective tool for onboarding new merchants.
- The project has already been replicated in Bitcoin Laguna (Chalatenango), where growth has been faster due to accumulated learning.
- They maintain a good cordial relationship with the municipality as strategic allies, without confrontation.
- Bitcoin tourism has revitalized the local economy and positioned Berlin as an attractive mountain destination.
- Continuing education and personalized merchant follow-up are essential to maintain adoption.
- The project demonstrates that circular economies can be built from below without waiting for the State.
- Each context is different: what worked on Bitcoin Beach is not identically copied in Berlin.
- Bitcoin Berlin already inspires other initiatives in El Salvador and shows that communities can build parallel structures.
- The next step is to deepen education, encourage savings in Bitcoin and replicate the model with higher quality.