The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance is a coalition of human rights defenders, pro-democracy movements, and humanitarian organizations using Bitcoin to advance civil liberties and direct aid worldwide.
Governments — especially authoritarian regimes — are increasingly weaponizing financial systems to silence dissent, block aid, surveil critics, and cut off activists from critical resources. Bank accounts are routinely frozen, donations are blocked, and entire communities are left without support. From Nigeria, China, Russia, to Venezuela and elsewhere, increasing exploitation of the existing monetary system makes it extremely difficult for dissidents and humanitarian groups to operate. In these hostile environments, Bitcoin emerges as a lifeline.
As a decentralized, borderless, and censorship-resistant financial tool, Bitcoin operates outside the control of governments, banks, and corporations. This means humanitarian organizations can raise funds, move money across borders, and bypass financial repression — but only if they understand how it works, how to use it safely, and how Bitcoin differs from crypto tokens and schemes.
The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance exists to bridge this gap. It equips aid organizations and activist movements with the knowledge and tools to use Bitcoin effectively and it connects them to a growing network of dissidents, anti-corruption leaders, and human rights defenders who have firsthand experience using Bitcoin to sustain their work. Many of these groups came together at the Alliance’s launch in April 2025, where we shared powerful examples of how Bitcoin helps them survive financial censorship and keep going when governments try to shut them down.
Our success offers a blueprint for others facing similar threats. It serves as a reminder that resistance is possible in today’s growing climate of surveillance, censorship, and financial control.
Meet the Alliance
Srdja Popovic
Serbia
Co-founder, Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS)
The Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies is a nonprofit co-founded by Srdja Popovic that advances nonviolent resistance worldwide. It provides training, strategy, and resources to activists fighting oppression and building lasting change.
Anna Chekhovich
Russia
Financial manager, Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF)
The Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is a Russian nonprofit exposing corruption and promoting transparency. It produces reports and documentaries, and advocates for democratic reforms.
Leopoldo López
Venezuela
Founder, Voluntad Popular
Voluntad Popular, founded by opposition leader Leopoldo López, is a Venezuelan political party promoting democracy, human rights, and social justice. Committed to nonviolent resistance, it opposes the Maduro regime’s abuses and advocates for free elections.
Carine Kanimba
Rwanda
Executive Council, World Liberty Congress (WLC)
World Liberty Congress is one of the largest global movements of pro-democracy leaders, uniting activists from 60 countries ruled by autocracies. It provides resources, connects dissidents, shares intelligence, and supports those facing injustice.
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
Iraq
President & Founder, Ideas Beyond Borders (IBB)
Ideas Beyond Borders is a leading platform for advancing free market thought, innovation, and policy reform in the Arab world. It equips individuals and communities across the Middle East with the information, skills, and resources to build a freer and more prosperous future.
Noemi Boyer
Costa Rica
CEO, Demo Lab
Demo Lab is a nonprofit revitalizing democracy in Costa Rica and Latin America through citizen engagement, events, education, and research. It promotes individual freedoms and strengthens democratic participation for a more inclusive, resilient society.
Fadi Elsalameen
Palestine
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Bitcoin Policy Institute
The Bitcoin Policy Institute is a nonprofit researching the policy and societal implications of Bitcoin and emerging monetary networks. Through advocacy, policy analysis, and public engagement, it educates policymakers, journalists, and the public on open financial access.
Alex Gladstein
USA
Chief Strategy Officer, Human Rights Foundation
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonprofit that promotes and protects human rights globally, focusing on closed societies. Its Financial Freedom program equips activists and nonprofits with decentralized financial tools to resist financial repression and sustain their movements.
Roya Mahboob
Afghanistan
Founder, Digital Citizen Fund
Digital Citizen Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to helping women and girls in Afghanistan achieve financial independence and access to job opportunities through training in technology, digital literacy, robotics, financial education, and entrepreneurship.
Hadiya Masieh
United Kingdom
Founder, Groundswell Project
Groundswell Project is a nonprofit fostering empathy, education, and dialogue to build safer, more inclusive communities. Founded by Masieh, an expert in countering extremism, it collaborates with diverse communities to drive meaningful and lasting change.
Antonia Roupell
United Kingdom
Innovation, Marketing and Partnerships Lead, Save the Children
Save the Children is a nonprofit that supports over 47 million children worldwide with medicine, nutrition, and education. Through targeted initiatives such as vaccination campaigns, healthcare access, and education programs, it helps children transform their lives.
Jhanisse Vaca Daza
Bolivia
Co-founder, Ríos de Pie
Ríos de Pie is a Bolivian movement advocating for human rights, environmental protection, and nonviolent resistance. It educates citizens, promotes accountability, and leads grassroots efforts on democracy and the environment.
Femi Longe
Nigeria
Global Bitcoin Lead, Bitcoin Development Fund
The Bitcoin Development Fund is an HRF project that supports initiatives that enhance Bitcoin as a censorship-resistant financial tool for human rights defenders in authoritarian regimes. It funds developers, educators, designers, and community builders working to strengthen Bitcoin’s utility for freedom.
Alliance members will share how they use Bitcoin to:
Raise uncensorable and privacy-protecting donations while operating under dictatorships
Bypass banking restrictions that prevent organizations from accessing international funding
Pay staff and local partners securely
Store value in collapsing economies suffering from hyperinflation and capital controls
Send and receive cross-border aid instantly and at low costs, without reliance on intermediaries or corrupt financial institutions
What to Expect in the Coming Years:
The launch of the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance took place on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at the Frontline Club in London, England. It brought together activists, human rights defenders, anti-corruption leaders, and humanitarian organizations who rely on Bitcoin to sustain their work. They shared real-world examples of how Bitcoin helps them continue their advocacy—even under regimes that try to silence them. Building on this momentum, over the next few years, the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance will: