In this episode, we sit down with Francisco Calderon, a veteran developer and a central figure in the Latin American Bitcoin scene. Francisco shares his journey from experiencing the economic collapse in Venezuela to building Mostro, a decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) trading protocol. We discuss how Mostro leverages the Nostr protocol to remove single points of failure, providing a lifeline for users in regions like Cuba and Bolivia where financial censorship and slow internet are daily realities.

Beyond P2P trading, Francisco dives into the philosophical importance of open-source technology and his vision for the future. From using Bitcoin as a tool for remittances to his experimental work on decentralized voting systems, this conversation explores how sovereign technology can empower individuals globally. Whether you are interested in the technical mechanics of the Lightning Network or the humanitarian impact of Bitcoin, this episode offers a deep dive into the tech that is actually changing lives on the ground.

Timestamps:

0:00 Highlight

0:38 Introduction

2:38 Discovering Bitcoin

6:00 Francisco Starts Working on Bitcoin/Lightning

8:41 Building LNP2P Bot

12:59 Building Mostro

17:25 Where Mostro Is Used

19:19 How Mostro Utilizes Nostr

21:42 Who Mostro Was Built For

25:20 Can Mostro work with Ecash?

27:29 How big can Mostro get?

34:29 Perspective on Countries in Crisis

37:38 Maduro's Capture and the Current State of Venezuela

43:39 The Open-Source Future Is Bright

49:23 Closing