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By: www.criptonoticias.com|2026/08/24 10:08:15
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- “It is still possible to use <a href="https://xpertsstudio.com/bitcoin-btcusd-is-up-1-21-on-aug-24-why-it-happened/” title=”Bitcoin (BTCUSD) Is up 1.21% on Aug 24: Why It Happened”>bitcoin for almost everything if one makes an effort to do so,” says Atack.
- Jethro Toro responds: “It’s not a problem of the businesses or the government. It depends on us.”
On August 23, 2026, Bitcoin Core developer Jon Atack shared a testimony of his recent visit to El Zonte, El Salvador, on his X account. This is where the circular economy in bitcoin (BTC) known as Bitcoin Beach operates.
According to Atack, the experience was not as he would have liked. The computer scientist recounts: “I had lunch today in El Zonte (Bitcoin Beach). After paying, they told me it was the first payment with bitcoin they had received there all month. Then they told me that they used to see many payments in bitcoin and that now it is practically nonexistent. Quite depressing.”
The developer adds that he then asked if most people paid in cash like in rural areas, where very few people are banked. The answer was negative. “They replied no: almost all beach customers pay with card,” he said.
To conclude his anecdote, he mentions that he offered the person who attended him a tip in sats “but had forgotten how to use his bitcoin app and really didn’t want to receive it” because, as he told him, “it’s dead.”
After narrating his experience, Jon Atack makes some comments to contextualize the experience, as it was not entirely negative (despite not being as positive as he would have liked).
- It is just a specific data point and, for now, that café still accepts bitcoin.
- The same person has been working there for 3 years; he has seen the evolution of payments in that place.
- He had no difficulty accepting the lunch payment in sats.
- Atack says: “I used to tip him in sats directly every time I went; this was the first time he didn’t remember how to do it.”
- This does not mean that bitcoin cannot still be used for almost everything here if one makes an effort to do so.
Regarding this travel story, bitcoin developer and promoter Giacomo Zucco expressed:
In-person commerce has always played in hard mode, to be honest. It is very good for marketing and education purposes (physical acts and communities are important for human psychology) and, being a bit selfish, it is also useful to create spaces where bitcoiners can spend with less friction (and attract some bitcoin tourism in return). But the easy mode is clearly permissionless saving first and e-commerce of black/gray markets second.
Giacomo Zucco, bitcoin developer and promoter
On his part, bitcoiner Jethro Toro sought to contextualize and, to some extent, partially dismiss Atack’s comments. Toro said that, contrary to what —according to Atack— happens in Bitcoin Beach, “the circular economy is thriving in Berlin, El Salvador, where many Salvadorans spend bitcoin in the shops of other Salvadorans.”
Toro added that “that particular café” (assuming it is the one he was thinking of) “is one of the most expensive in El Zonte, which could be the most expensive town in El Salvador.”
Jethro Toro states that we should not forget that we are in a bear market. Although he does not explicitly comment, CriptoNoticias infers that he refers to a lower willingness to spend sats in this context.
Additionally, climatic issues would also influence this behavior. Toro states: “It is the rainy season and at this time of year there are no Bitcoin conferences. The economy of El Zonte largely depends on tourism, unlike Berlin, which is an agricultural hub. Moreover, many of the bitcoiners living in El Salvador have moved to less expensive areas. Therefore, it is natural that there is less demand from bitcoiners when there is less tourism at this time of year.”
In conclusion, Toro comments that “the vast majority of businesses in Bitcoin Beach still accept bitcoin.” He adds, however: “this is not a problem of those businesses or the government of El Salvador. It depends on us, the bitcoiners who want fiat money to become obsolete, to practice what we preach.”,
— Price
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