Motiv Builds Bitcoin Circular Economies, Empowering 750+ Peruvian Families Weekly

Motiv Peru, co-founded by Rich Swisher and Valentin Popescu, is establishing grassroots Bitcoin circular economies across Peru, serving over 750 families weekly in areas like Lima, Cusco, and Huanchaco. Evolving from a 2019 shoe donation program called Happy Steps, the organization pivoted during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns when a Bitcoin donor insisted on funding supplies only if paid for in Bitcoin, forcing Motiv to onboard local merchants. This necessity led to the development of a strategy focused on teaching Bitcoin as a practical payment tool, rather than preaching ideology. Today, Motiv employs a team of 50 and volunteers, offering Bitcoin and financial literacy education six days a week in 15 locations, facilitating thousands of transactions and fulfilling the early Bitcoin vision of banking the unbanked through sustainable, local empowerment.

(Source：Bitcoin Magazine)