This week delivered a rich blend of narratives: technical innovations in scaling and privacy advanced further with Layer 2 developments and protocol upgrades; institutional adoption deepened as treasury companies and corporate strategies mature; mining innovations intertwined with energy sovereignty amid geopolitical tensions; and regulatory challenges continue to shape Bitcoin’s permissionless ethos. Our dialogue explores how these threads connect, revealing Bitcoin’s evolving role as a bastion of sovereignty, a strategic financial asset, and a catalyst for global empowerment. Featuring content from .