Tim DraperFounder and Managing Partne, Draper Associate · I back the ideas that look crazy first

If Bitcoin works for merchants, does everything else follow? 💰

8 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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1:18

Blink has built over 50 Bitcoin circular economies across Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Peru, and Germany where people already buy groceries and coffee with Bitcoin. Merchants download the app and sign up with just a phone number, making it simple enough that Bitcoin payments are happening now, not someday.

This is a map of our merchants around the world who are already using Blink today to accept Bitcoin payments. And this is probably what we're most proud of. This is more than 50 Bitcoin circular economies around the world in Honduras, in El Salvador, in Brazil, in Peru, in Germany, all of them already using Bitcoin as a circular economy. That means they're buying their groceries, they're paying for their gym membership, they're paying for their coffee, all with Bitcoin. Not in 20 years, not 5 years ago.
Today. When we're just getting started and I'm a sender and I'm saying, I want to buy this— Cantaloupe. —dozen of cantaloupe— So this matches— —with Bitcoin, then I give it to the retailer and the retailer says, well, that's fine, but I don't have a Bitcoin wallet. Does it automatically give the Bitcoin wallet to the recipient?
No, he has to download the app. But the only thing we need to make an account is a phone number. And after you create the account, you can delete the phone number and put an email.
I've spent a lot of Bitcoin on pizza that I wish I hadn't. But like generally, you know, everyone pays that to be able to spread the word of Bitcoin at any given time. Why is now like the moment that you feel like merchants, it makes sense?