The blackout in Spain is a call to action with Bitcoin

The electrical blackout of the Iberian Peninsula reminds us of the fragility of digital systems.

There are ways to send Bitcoin without the Internet.

We need to have payment alternatives available when there is no electricity.

An electronic cash system from person to person. Today, the blackout in Spain drives us to emphasize the electronic nature of Bitcoin.

We write this text in the old-fashioned way, with paper and pen in hand. If it were night, a candle would illuminate us, but it is daytime and, on the contrary, the sunlight in the park across the street reflects off the white page, dazzling our gaze. The muscles in our hands, unaccustomedly tense, and the fresh spring breeze, carry the memory of a time when we wrote without being tethered to a power outlet.

This is the second national blackout we are experiencing. The first was in Venezuela in 2019. That one lasted for days; we still do not know how long this one will last. It was that blackout that ultimately pushed us to migrate to Spain. Today, as if closing a circle, we can take a step back to reflect on the experience with a comparative perspective.

In Venezuela, hyperinflation soon led to cash shortages and the digitalization of money. The value of the bills was so low and the prices so high that it was natural to transition to electronic payment methods. At the moment of the blackout, chaos obviously ensued. No one had cash, point-of-sale systems had no electricity, and without an internet connection, bank transfers were also impossible. Thanks to the government's ineptitude, commercial flow was obstructed. Except for one option. This was the turning point for the de facto dollarization that exists today in Venezuela. Only those who had cash dollars could pay. The others had to make do with the few leftovers in the pantry.