In this episode of the Bitcoin Fundamentals podcast, host Dread Oliver, a former elite athlete and entrepreneur, shares his journey in developing a Bitcoin exchange app tailored for the Caribbean. The conversation delves into the unsuccessful rollout of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) in the region, pointing out the challenges of low adoption rates due to insufficient institutional backing and concerns over surveillance. Dread contrasts CBDCs with stablecoins, suggesting that stablecoins present a more effective pathway to Bitcoin. He also highlights his involvement with OpenSats, a non-profit dedicated to funding open-source Bitcoin initiatives, and discusses his company, Flash, which facilitates Bitcoin transactions in the Caribbean using Nostr for smooth social and payment integration. A standout moment in the podcast is the exploration of e-cash, an offline payment system based on Bitcoin that enables nearly instant transactions without needing an internet connection.
