Several residents of El Salvador are now completing a free-of-charge training program called Cubo+ designed to ensure they have all the bitcoin knowledge they need to handle future transactions and what will likely be the way their nation does payments and transactions from here on out.
El Salvador Unveils Cubo+ BTC Program
El Salvador is a revolutionary country in that it was the first to declare bitcoin legal tender in September of 2021. Up until that point, paying with bitcoin was a little taboo. It was something only a small collection of businesses did, but the Central American region decided that it was to be on par with USD, the fiat currency it was dependent on. Anyone could walk into any store and buy whatever they needed with bitcoin, and they couldn’t get a “no” or a dirty look from the shopkeeper.
Now, the country is taking its love of bitcoin to the next level by ensuring crypto education is available for all. Cubo+ features several technical details regarding blockchain, the digital network that supports BTC. It also has talks and lectures from some of the biggest names in the bitcoin arena including Peter Todd, a former Bitcoin Core contributor. In an interview, Todd mentioned:
One of the differences is just the scale of this. That is unusually big.
Lisa Neigut was another developer that had the chance to speak to the many students in attendance. She said afterwards:
It’s a real privilege to be a part of such a radical and hopeful project. The students I met this past week are all bright and enthusiastic about their futures in the world of open money.
Backend developer and Cubo+ attendee Naomi Iglesias also threw her two cents into the mix, stating:
Personally, Jimmy Song’s course was the most challenging part of the program… I believe that programs like Cubo+ can significantly impact my professional life. Having provided me with practical and focused education on relevant topics such as [the] Lightning Network and bitcoin, I am prepared to face real challenges in a workplace.
A Lot of Issues to Get Past
El Salvador had to overcome a lot of big problems before it could implement its newfound bitcoin agenda. For example, the World Bank announced that it would not aid the nation in its plans given that bitcoin was largely volatile, and thus unworthy (at least in the institution’s eyes) of any real attention.
Also, the wallet system the country tried to utilize to ensure citizens could receive their fair share of bitcoin experienced several technical issues, while there were several residents of El Salvador that had serious qualms with being “forced” into bitcoin usage or with its alleged ties to money laundering and crime and decided to engage in protests in the country’s capital city of San Salvador.