THE Bitcoin Podcast HOW TO ESCAPE HYPERINFLATION & SHORT FIAT WITH BITCOIN | Mauricio Di Bartolomeo
Sep 2, 2025
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, a Venezuelan-born Bitcoiner and co-founder of Ledn, shares his gripping journey through hyperinflation and authoritarianism in Venezuela. He discusses how Bitcoin became a lifeline for his family, allowing them to navigate a collapsing economy. The conversation also covers the challenges of Bitcoin-backed loans, the importance of self-custody and transparency in crypto lending, and the shifting regulatory landscape. Di Bartolomeo emphasizes Bitcoin's potential to revolutionize access to finance, particularly in regions plagued by economic instability.
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Hyperinflation Creates Natural Demand For Bitcoin
- Hyperinflation turned daily wages into rapidly decaying value creating urgent demand for dollar or Bitcoin alternatives.
- Venezuelans adopted Bitcoin because it preserved value and could be sold internationally when banks and official FX markets failed.
Venezuelan Golden Age Of Bitcoin Mining
- Mauricio describes the viral mining and peer-to-peer exchanges in 2015–2017 where locals mined and traded Bitcoin to preserve value.
- Communities learned mining, imported rigs, and treated Bitcoin as a lifeline during shortages and currency controls.
Make Proof-Of-Reserves Foundational
- Build Bitcoin-backed lending products with simple, auditable custody and no extra tokens or layered assets.
- Prioritize transparency and proof-of-reserves as foundational requirements before scaling lending operations.