In Costa Rica’s southern jungle, an entire community is proving that Bitcoin can be more than just an investment. At restaurants, yoga retreats, even schools, people are paying and getting paid in Bitcoin. The project is called Bitcoin Jungle, and it offers a glimpse into what the future of money might look like.
For many Americans, bitcoin is still thought of mainly as a speculative investment or store of wealth. And while it certainly serves that purpose, Bitcoin’s true power lies in its role as a currency – a tool for everyday exchange that doesn’t rely on governments or central banks.
Daily life in Bitcoin Jungle
A community in Costa Rica is focusing on using bitcoin as their everyday currency. Gabriel Kurman, in his recent book about everyday uses of bitcoin, writes about this “circular economy” which goes by the name of Bitcoin Jungle. (The whole thing is worth reading, check it out!)
What’s going on is that a few organizers decided that they wanted to take the advantages of cryptocurrencies and bring them outside of the investment realm into the real world.
Two men lit the spark that gave birth to Bitcoin Jungle. Over time, others joined the fire, but two were the energies that aligned to start this project. One a developer and serial entrepreneur; the other a journalist, retired teacher and democracy activist.
Both shared two deeply rooted beliefs in their hearts. First, Costa Rica is the best place in the world to live. Second, Bitcoin is an enlightening technology that can lead humanity to a more peaceful and evolved lifestyle.
Using a lightning wallet and the open source communication platform Nostr, the founders of Bitcoin Jungle created a situation in which people can send “micro-donations” (zaps) or micro-transactions to each other. Now, we all know it’s possible to pay with crypto, but here’s the thing: People actually prefer to do everyday business this way.
Ultimately, this situation is the very essence of a free market economy: the ability to buy and sell without hindrance, using a method of payment both buyer and seller actually prefer.
Instead of paying with high-fee credit cards and constantly needing to transfer money into the country from abroad, users could simply load their Bitcoin Lightning wallet and buy whatever they needed.
It’s that convenience that makes bitcoin (well, that makes crypto generally) a great option for everyday transactions, especially when you’re in a foreign country. Crypto really is a currency without borders.
And that brings us to another reason why more and more people are interested in crypto ownership…
The non-investment appeal of cryptocurrencies
Now, I’m not downplaying the usefulness of crypto for investing and for wealth-storage. Those are very real benefits of smart cryptocurrency investing.
But even people who have less of a mindset towards investing are finding cryptocurrencies interesting for their practical uses.
As I mentioned earlier, crypto, even though people buy bitcoin as an asset, is still a currency. It is a medium of exchange as well as a store of value.
But crypto has some very real, very significant advantages as a currency over any other commonly available currency in the world today.
Why bitcoin has an edge
Bitcoin has two qualities that make it uniquely powerful as a currency:
- Scarcity – Unlike fiat money, bitcoin can’t be printed endlessly. Its fixed supply protects against the silent theft of inflation.
- Independence – Bitcoin exists outside government control. It cannot be seized, devalued, or manipulated by central authorities.
Together, these features add up to financial sovereignty. When you own bitcoin, you own money that no one else can debase or confiscate. That’s why communities like Bitcoin Jungle see it not just as a payment tool, but as a path toward freedom.
This is huge both from an investment standpoint and from the standpoint of people just trying to live their lives without someone else (a government) stealing their purchasing power.
Which leads us to the second big advantage of cryptocurrencies as currencies: most are outside of government control.
That means that no government can take it from you, manipulate it, abuse it, or prevent you from using it how you see fit.
It’s currency freedom.
That’s a fundamental of financial sovereignty. When you choose the money that you have, when you control that decision (and when no one else can devalue or debase your money), then, it is much more difficult for others to control you. That’s why authoritarian regimes (most notably China) ban cryptocurrencies. They’re terrified of what might happen if their citizens have true financial sovereignty. They’re free from central bank currency devaluation. Free from debanking. Insulated from the prying eyes of data brokers and credit reporting agencies. Financial privacy becomes not just possible, but scalable. (Sure, cash works great for small transactions you want to keep discreet, but it doesn’t scale well. Scale is one thing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are fantastic at.)
What this means even for those not yet actively investing in cryptocurrencies is that, in many ways…
Crypto is freedom
You don’t need to move to Costa Rica to benefit from this shift. Bitcoin Jungle simply demonstrates what’s possible when bitcoin is treated as real money. As adoption grows worldwide, demand will follow – and so will the relevance of Bitcoin in the global economy.
That broader use of cryptocurrency as money for everyday transactions will mean that demand for cryptocurrencies will continue to increase.
And with increased demand will come higher prices – that’s not a prediction, that’s just math.
So, if you want to get in front of this value increase for your own investing and use, this is a brilliant time to look into crypto. Find out more by getting our free information guide on cryptocurrencies.
