What happens when a tech visionary and a hip-hop legend decide to change the face of Bitcoin development? You get Btrust, a nonprofit that's quietly revolutionizing who gets to build the future of money.
The Power Move That Started It All
Picture this: February 2021. Jack Dorsey, then Twitter's CEO, and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter drop a bombshell. They're putting 500 Bitcoin—worth over $23 million at the time into a new endowment. Not for themselves. Not for profit. But to fund Bitcoin developers in Africa and India.
The name? ₿trust (yes, with the Bitcoin symbol). The mission? Make Bitcoin the internet's currency by empowering the people who need it most to build it.
Here's the kicker: Dorsey and Jay-Z set it up as a blind irrevocable trust. Translation? They put in the money, stepped back, and let the board run the show with zero interference. No corporate strings. No ego trips. Just pure support for open-source Bitcoin development.
What Btrust Actually Does
Think of Btrust as a talent accelerator meets venture philanthropy—but for Bitcoin builders, not startups.
The organization operates on a simple but powerful premise: the people facing the world's toughest financial problems are best positioned to build the solutions. In regions where inflation runs rampant, banking infrastructure crumbles, and cross-border payments cost a fortune, Bitcoin isn't just an investment—it's a lifeline.
Btrust runs three core programs:
- Btrust Builders
This is their flagship education program a developer bootcamp on steroids. They take talented software engineers from Africa and guide them through an intensive journey into Bitcoin and Lightning Network development. We're talking everything from studying "Mastering Bitcoin" in peer groups to hands-on contributions to actual Bitcoin Core code.
The program has evolved from small cohorts to an open, rolling admission system. Graduates don't just learn theory; many become Bitcoin Core contributors joining the elite group of fewer than 40 people worldwide who maintain Bitcoin's fundamental codebase.
2. Grant Programs
Money talks, and Btrust puts it where its mission is. They offer two grant types:
- Starter Grants: Six months of full-time funding for developers new to Bitcoin open-source work
- Open-Source Cohort Grants: Long-term support for experienced contributors ready to go deep
Since mid-2024 alone, they've distributed over $1.7 million, with more than half going directly to developers. That's not administrative overhead, that's capital flowing to the people actually writing code.
3. Community Building
Through BitDevs meetups, conferences, and grassroots events across Africa, Latin America, India, and the Middle East, Btrust creates spaces where Bitcoin developers connect, learn, and collaborate. They're building an ecosystem, not just funding individuals.
The Visionary Leading the Charge
In November 2025, Btrust named Abubakar Nur Khalil as its CEO and this choice tells you everything about the organization's values.
Khalil isn't some Silicon Valley transplant parachuting in to "help Africa." He's a Nigerian Bitcoin Core contributor who became one of the world's youngest Core developers at just 19.
His appointment as CEO (after serving as interim leader) represents something bigger: leadership coming from within the communities Btrust serves. It's not about charity; it's about empowerment.
Why This Matters for Bitcoin
Bitcoin's biggest vulnerability isn't technical, it's geographic. When most developers, miners, and node operators cluster in wealthy nations, the network becomes centralized in ways that threaten its core promise of decentralization.
Btrust flips this script. By cultivating world-class Bitcoin talent in Nigeria, Kenya, India, Brazil, and beyond, they're making Bitcoin more resilient, more relevant, and more censorship-resistant.
As Khalil puts it: "By supporting developers from the Global South, we are strengthening Bitcoin's resilience to ensure it remains a robust global financial tool."
The results speak for themselves:
- Dozens of open-source contributors trained and funded
- The first female Bitcoin Core contributor from Africa
- Partnerships with organizations like Bitshala, Vinteum, and 2140
- Expanding footprint across Africa, Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia
The Genesis Principles: Built to Last
Btrust operates under a set of immutable principles that guide every decision:
- Bitcoin will provide a monetary system that enhances financial sovereignty for all
- Btrust will support Bitcoin exclusively (in case of a hard fork, they follow the chain endorsed by the user majority)
- Decentralization enhances Bitcoin's resilience, reach, and relevance
These aren't just words on a website. They're accountability mechanisms—guardrails to keep the organization true to its mission even as leadership changes and the ecosystem evolves.
Applications for the Btrust Board are ongoing 🚨
— Btrust (@btrustteam) December 12, 2025
Btrust is seeking new board members from the Global South region to join our mission-driven organization and help shape its next chapter.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to Btrust’s vision of strengthening Bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/Cgr7Jj7xIE
The Impact: By the Numbers
The results speak volumes. Since its inception in 2021, Btrust has become the leading grant organization supporting African Bitcoin developers, and the numbers tell a powerful story:
Education & Training:
- In 2024 alone, Btrust Builders graduated 17 Bitcoin developers in their first exclusively open-source focused cohort
- 55 developers participated in their Mastering Bitcoin study group, with 35 completing the rigorous program
- Over 40 attendees per session participated in hands-on Bitcoin LARP (Live Action Role Play) workshops at the 2024 Africa Bitcoin Conference
- The January 2024 cohort brought together 55 carefully selected fellows who passed rigorous code challenges and faculty interviews
Financial Support:
- Since mid-2024, Btrust has distributed over $1.7 million in funding
- More than half of that funding went directly to developers (not overhead)
- Six developers received grants in Q4 2024 alone—four starter grants and two open-source cohort memberships
- Grant applications remain open year-round, with quarterly announcements
Groundbreaking Achievements:
- Produced the first female Bitcoin Core contributor from Africa
- Multiple graduates have become Bitcoin Core contributors—joining fewer than 40 people worldwide who maintain Bitcoin's fundamental codebase
- Several 2025 BOSS Challenge participants have transitioned to full-time Btrust-funded grantees
- Built partnerships with leading organizations including Bitshala, Vinteum, 2140, and Chaincode Labs
Geographic Expansion:
- Originally focused on Africa and India
- Now actively supporting developers across Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia
- Running localized BitDevs meetups following the established format for high-signal technical discussions
- Expanding the cultural and geographical diversity of Bitcoin contributors globally
What makes these numbers even more impressive? They represent not just technical training, but sustainable career pathways. Btrust isn't creating hobbyists—they're funding full-time careers in open-source Bitcoin development, with graduates going on to receive long-term support and recognition from the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.
The Genesis Principles: Built to Last
Btrust operates under a set of immutable principles that guide every decision:
- Bitcoin will provide a monetary system that enhances financial sovereignty for all
- Btrust will support Bitcoin exclusively (in case of a hard fork, they follow the chain endorsed by the user majority)
- Decentralization enhances Bitcoin's resilience, reach, and relevance
These aren't just words on a website. They're accountability mechanisms—guardrails to keep the organization true to its mission even as leadership changes and the ecosystem evolves.
From Africa to the World
While Btrust started with a focus on Africa and India, it's expanding. Developers from Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are joining programs. The vision is going global because talent is everywhere opportunity isn't.
Every grant awarded, every developer trained, every open-source contribution merged into Bitcoin Core represents a small revolution. It's people who understand financial exclusion firsthand building tools to fix it. It's engineers from Lagos and Nairobi and Mumbai writing code that could power the future of money for billions.
The Bottom Line
Btrust isn't flashy. You won't see their logo on Super Bowl ads or hear them hyping the latest memecoin. They're doing the unglamorous, essential work of building Bitcoin's technical foundation one developer at a time.
And that quiet, focused approach might be exactly what Bitcoin needs. Not more speculators or influencers, but more builders who understand that code is power, and that power should be distributed as widely as possible.
When Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z put 500 BTC into this vision four years ago, they bet on a simple truth: give talented people the resources and support they need, then get out of their way.
So far, that bet is paying off spectacularly.
Want to learn more or apply for Btrust programs? Visit btrust.tech or follow them on Twitter (X). Applications for grants and builder programs are open year-round.
