The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance on April 10, forming a coalition of activists, humanitarian organizations, and pro-democracy movements leveraging Bitcoin (BTC) to support civil liberties and deliver aid in financially repressive environments.

The initiative brings together frontline groups operating in jurisdictions where financial systems are routinely weaponized to block dissent, surveil critics, freeze donations, and obstruct humanitarian operations.

The Alliance aims to provide a shared platform for these organizations to exchange knowledge on using Bitcoin as a censorship-resistant financial tool. 

It also seeks to deepen collaboration between the humanitarian sector and Bitcoin developers to build tools that address privacy, access, and survivability under authoritarian regimes.

Tool for aid and resistance

The HRF said that many authoritarian governments exploit traditional banking infrastructure to restrict financial access for opposition movements and aid networks. 

Regions such as Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia, and China have seen activists excluded from the financial system through blocked accounts, suspended transfers, and targeted surveillance. The HRF said that Bitcoin is an alternative mechanism for transferring value, preserving privacy, and securing operational continuity in these environments.

The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance seeks to formalize and expand the use of Bitcoin in this context by building a global network of practitioners. The Alliance’s 13 founding members are activists from around the world, from Latin America to Asia.

Additionally, Alliance members are already using Bitcoin to raise uncensorable donations, pay local staff securely, and move cross-border aid without reliance on centralized intermediaries. Others turn to Bitcoin to store value in hyperinflationary economies or jurisdictions with strict capital controls.

In the coming years, the Alliance plans to organize workshops, host conferences, and develop educational materials for nonprofit organizations interested in incorporating Bitcoin into their operations. 

It also intends to document Bitcoin’s role in providing financial resilience for dissidents and aid recipients, making its findings available to the media and policy organizations.

HRF’s ongoing BTC engagement

The HRF emphasized the need for a clear distinction between Bitcoin and broader “crypto” ecosystems, noting that BTC’s decentralized architecture and fixed monetary policy offer structural advantages for activists seeking financial neutrality. 

The Foundation cautioned that other digital assets, which may rely on centralized entities or have fluctuating governance models, can reintroduce the risks dissidents aim to avoid.

The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance extends HRF’s involvement in Bitcoin, which scaled in 2020 with the creation of the Bitcoin Development Fund. 

Since its inception, the fund has issued over $5.5 million across 174 grants to support open-source Bitcoin projects, including privacy tools, custody solutions, and educational resources. 

HRF has used the fund to support initiatives such as wallet development, Lightning infrastructure, and training programs for civil society groups operating under hostile regimes.

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