šEl Salvador Taxi Driver Who Accepted Bitcoin Now Runs Ojol Startupš
From jobless to business ownerāBitcoin helped transform one manās life in El Salvador.
š§¾ The Highlights:
1ļøā£ Bitcoin-Powered Ride-Hailing Startup
Napoleon Osorio, the first taxi driver in El Salvador to accept Bitcoin as payment, has now become an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) entrepreneur. His company accepts BTC payments through a mobile app called Bit-Driver.
2ļøā£ From Unemployed to Employer
Once unemployed, Osorio now employs 21 people. As a single father, he says Bitcoin enabled him to pay for his two childrenās school tuitionāsomething he previously struggled with.
3ļøā£ Support from Crypto Education NGO
Osorio attributes his transformation to encouragement from John Dennehy, founder of U.S.-based nonprofit My First Bitcoin, which promotes crypto education in El Salvador.
4ļøā£ Bitcoin Adoption in El Salvador
President Nayib Bukele began building a national Bitcoin reserve in 2021 and legalized BTC for daily transactions. By 2022, more Salvadorans owned Lightning Network wallets than traditional bank accounts.
š Why It Matters:
Osorioās story illustrates the real-world impact of Bitcoin adoption in emerging economiesābridging financial inclusion and sparking grassroots entrepreneurship.