Live from Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte, El Salvador, I sat down with Matthew Sigel from VanEck for an eye-opening conversation about Bitcoin, ETFs, and the incredible economic transformation happening here in El Salvador. Matthew shared his journey from Bloomberg journalist to Bitcoin advocate, his take on El Salvador’s groundbreaking Bitcoin experiment, and how it’s reshaping tourism, crime, and foreign investment.

We dove into the hot topic of Bitcoin ETFs—why they matter for institutions, but also the risks of losing self-sovereignty—and got a behind-the-scenes look at VanEck’s approach to bridging Bitcoin with traditional finance. Plus, we talked about the U.S. election’s impact on Bitcoin policy, the potential for a U.S. Bitcoin reserve, and even the wild idea of Bitcoin-powered “freedom cities.”

This episode is packed with insights on sovereign adoption, the future of Bitcoin in traditional markets, and why Matthew keeps coming back to El Salvador to learn from the people and the policies shaping its Bitcoin revolution. Tune in to hear what’s really happening on the ground and how it could change the world!

- Mike

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Live From Bitcoin Beach