Bitcoin Adoption in Crisis: Sparse but Real

The Digital Assets Research Institute (DARI), supported by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), has released a new report titled Bring Only What You Can Carry: Bitcoin’s Role in Refugee Wealth Preservation.

Key takeaways:

• Bitcoin is being used as a tool for preserving and transferring wealth by refugees fleeing crises and conflicts.
• At least 329,000 refugees worldwide have already used Bitcoin to safeguard or move their savings.
• Bitcoin’s key advantages in these situations are its censorship resistance, global accessibility, and independence from collapsing banking systems.

The report highlights real-world examples from Ukraine, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Bitcoin provided a financial lifeline.

It’s a compelling read. Still, if you look at Bitcoin’s on-chain activity, these events barely register - which suggests that adoption in such scenarios remains isolated rather than widespread.

This points to an important insight: Bitcoin is ready to help, but people aren’t always ready to accept that help. Many still rely on more familiar, bank-tied tools like stablecoins.

And maybe that’s how it should be. Bitcoin will be there for those who truly need it. And for others - if stablecoins or other crypto assets are more convenient, that’s great too. We now have a diverse ecosystem where everyone can find the right tool for their needs.

And when it comes to swapping one crypto for another, there’s rabbit.io - no limits, no registration, and always the best rates.