Weekly Brief 2026/06

Bitcoin payments are entering a phase of high-velocity growth. This week, we saw high-value settlements pierce through the "micropayment-only" myth, while South Africa activated 700,000 new touchpoints. From El Tunco’s "Bitcoin-by-default" dining to massive batch payouts across eight countries, the network is proving its reliability at every scale.

Bitcoin is hitting the streets through new "Bitcoin-by-default" merchant models and high-value travel booking rails.

• El Tunco "By Default": Japan Food has opened as El Tunco’s newest restaurant, opting for Bitcoin as the default checkout experience for locals and tourists alike.

• Travel via Airbtc: The travel platform is positioning Bitcoin payments as a core booking rail, encouraging travelers to pay locals and tip in sats to build circular economies at their destination.

Infrastructure is scaling to handle mass distribution. We are seeing record-breaking payout speeds that outpace traditional banking rails across borders.

• Blink Batch Payouts: In an unofficial record, Blink was used to send 2,100 sats to 771 individuals across 8 African countries—all completed in under 30 minutes.

• Zambia via USSD: BitZed’s integration with Machankura allows anyone in Zambia with a feature phone to buy and spend BTC without needing a data connection, removing the smartphone barrier to entry.

The circular economy is maturing. In South Africa and Kenya, we are seeing merchant-to-merchant loops where sats are used for everyday essentials like groceries and transportation.

• Cape Town Proof-of-Work: Practical evidence continues to surface in South Africa, with Lightning being used for parking and daily retail via the MoneyBadger and Blink toolkit.

Building in the Townships: Bitcoin Loxion

To close out an incredible week, attendees of the Cape Town conference visited Bitcoin Loxion in Khayelitsha. Seeing Bitcoin functioning as money in the heart of the township is the ultimate proof that the circular economy is growing from the ground up.

Stay tuned for next week's brief as we continue to track the global shift toward a Bitcoin standard.