BITCOIN, THE WORLD AND ITS MASKS
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Sometimes all it takes is a simple question thrown at random in the street to understand how Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies reveal less about what they are than what people experience. Imagine yourself one morning, anywhere on the planet, stopping a passerby to ask them what they think about cryptocurrencies. Their answer won't tell you so much about the technology as about their life, their constraints, their hopes. Here in Paris, people might shrug their shoulders and talk about speculation, risk, fraud. Over there in Lagos, they'll explain how to buy rice through a phone transaction, evading a closed banking system. Same protocol, same code, two realities that never intersect. This gap doesn't come from a technical difference. It's born of geography, rules, the stability, or the collapse of a local currency.
So, let's set off together on a world tour. Let's open a travel journal that crosses continents and time zones, to encounter the multiple faces of Bitcoin. Let's observe it, a monetary chameleon, slipping into the interstices of each culture, adapting to each economic climate. But let's keep one thing in mind: behind all these forms, Bitcoin remains the same, incorruptible, the only asset that does not bend to the will of a man or a state.
Under a gray winter sky, the Eiffel Tower stands out between mist and metal. In Paris, Bitcoin isn't a hot commodity. It's intriguing. In cafes, it's talked about as an exotic investment, a speculative asset for bold investors. Newspaper headlines still evoke scams, even if the tone is gradually becoming more nuanced. France has confidence in its institutions, in the euro, in social protection. So, the idea of a free currency, without a central bank, remains theoretical for many. Yet, beneath the surface, the French ecosystem is buzzing with activity. Startups are designing hardware wallets, developers are contributing to protocols. The country has even been a pioneer in regulation with the Pacte law. But on the street, adoption is still tentative, as if the seed has germinated but not yet blossomed.
Let's leave the old continent and cross the Atlantic. New York's skyscrapers soar into the sky, steel mirrors reflecting a winter sun. Here, everything moves fast. Bitcoin is at the heart of political and financial debates. Regulators alternate between threats and overtures, courts settle landmark cases, and, in the glass towers of Wall Street, giants like BlackRock and MicroStrategy maneuver to consolidate their positions. A new wind is blowing since the political authorities clarified the rules: stabilized taxation, dropped lawsuits, a clear legal framework. Even the government now maintains a strategic reserve of Bitcoin. Traders see an opportunity, maximalists read it as an ambiguous sign: adoption is growing, but the risk of capture by the system is very real. Here, Bitcoin advances in the spotlight, powerful but monitored.
Heading east, and a radical change of scenery. Beijing rises in a milky light, a vast human anthill where discipline mixes with ambition. In China, monetary freedom is not on the agenda. Mining is a legislative yo-yo, authorized then prohibited, trading closely monitored. Yet the country is not moving away from the blockchain, quite the contrary. It has created its digital yuan, an instrument of fine control, promoted in every daily transaction. The values of Bitcoin—decentralization, neutrality, and uncensorability—are absent from this state-run version. But while the state locks down its territory, its entrepreneurs are expatriating and building crypto empires abroad. As if the Bitcoin river, blocked by a dam, always finds an underground passage to continue its journey.
Further southwest, India vibrates with a different energy. In the chaotic streets of Mumbai, billboards tout new investment apps, while horns and the smell of spices saturate the air. Officially, the state remains unclear: punitive taxation, uncertain regulations, cautious banks. But on the ground, a connected, mobile-first generation refuses to wait. Exchanges are exploding, projects are multiplying, and Bitcoin circulates from hand to hand as if it were a given. The government blows hot and cold, but young people have already chosen to emancipate themselves financially. Here, adoption is organic, rooted in everyday life even before the law accompanies it.
Moving down to Vietnam, we enter a socialist republic where the state controls everything, but where crypto is paradoxically encouraged. Starting in 2026, a legal framework will recognize it, with tax exemptions and incentives to attract foreign capital. The streets of Hanoi are filled with cafes where young people, smartphones in hand, discuss Web3 projects. Adoption isn't born out of a vital need, but rather from a conviction that this technology can be an economic driver.
Then, a leap west takes us to Nigeria. Here, the air is heavy, saturated with heat and urgency. Inflation eats away at the national currency, banks impose ridiculously low withdrawal limits, sometimes even disappearing with the funds. International transfers cost a fortune. So, peer-to-peer Bitcoin transactions thrive, simple, direct, outside official channels. It's an adoption born of need, of survival. No marketing campaigns, no incentive laws: just the evidence of a tool that works when all else fails.
Crossing the South Atlantic, we reach Buenos Aires. The cafes are full, but the economy is under constant strain. Inflation is an old enemy. One in five residents owns cryptocurrencies, but here, stablecoins dominate. They offer the stability that Bitcoin, too volatile in the short term, cannot guarantee. Yet, in speeches, Bitcoin remains a symbol of resistance, a promise of monetary independence. A libertarian president speaks openly about it, using it as a political tool. Maximalists know it's not yet widespread adoption, but it's a seed planted in fertile ground.
A little further north, Venezuela is experiencing monetary collapse on an almost unimaginable scale. Banknotes are worthless, sometimes not even the paper they're printed on. The government attempted to create the Petro, a national cryptocurrency supposedly backed by oil, but without transparency or trust, the project foundered. Meanwhile, mining thrived thanks to near-free electricity, until the state forcibly regained control. Here, Bitcoin is a space for digital contraband, a refuge on the fringes, off the beaten track.
Then comes El Salvador, a small Central American country that dared to make Bitcoin legal tender. The decision attracted foreign capital, reduced debt, and boosted tourism. But on the streets, adoption remains modest. The gesture is above all political, a bet on the future. For a maximalist, it's a flag planted: proof that a state can adopt Bitcoin as currency.
In the Central African Republic, the story takes a different turn. Bitcoin's legalization was proclaimed without infrastructure, without internet access for the majority, and without crypto education. The result: a complete failure. It's a stark reminder that Bitcoin cannot be imposed by decree; it must be established through real use and need.
In Turkey, the lira has collapsed, and people are turning en masse to stablecoins. But Bitcoin is also circulating, particularly through peer-to-peer exchanges. The state prohibits certain uses while tolerating others, playing with the limits to maintain control.
In Ukraine, the war revealed a profound truth: the absolute portability of Bitcoin. One can flee with a lifetime of value in a simple string of words. The government itself funded its defense with crypto donations. Here, Bitcoin is no longer a theory, but a lifeline.
In the United Arab Emirates, Bitcoin is a tool for economic attractiveness. Dubai has established a clear framework, low taxes, and regulated licenses, attracting the world's largest players. Here, crypto is a product that attracts capital, rather than a tool for liberation.
Finally, South Korea, where Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have found a unique, almost cultural, niche. K-pop artists are launching their own tokens, communities are embracing them, and laws are regulating without stifling them. A rare balance between technological modernity and popular adoption.
And when this journey ends, we realize that Bitcoin is like water. In one country, it slips through the cracks of a collapsed banking system. In another, it slowly flows through institutional investment channels. But whatever its form, its nature remains the same. It is the only global currency, neutral, uncensorable, which treats every individual the same way. Whether you live in a Manhattan apartment or in a bankless African village, the rules are the same. Customs change, perceptions fluctuate, but the protocol remains the same. And it is this permanence that, one day, will end up erasing the borders we have crossed over the course of this travelogue.
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