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As someone who's travelled to about 30 countries in the last 2 years, I used to dismiss until I went to Turkey few months ago. It is the only country I've been

As someone who's travelled to about 30 countries in the last 2 years, I used to dismiss until I went to Turkey few months ago. It is the only country I've been to where there are BTC ATMs and signs everywhere. At the Airport there are bitcoin company logos on hangars, and in the terminal. On the streets you see the bitcoin logo everywhere. It's very useful for Turkey as it has 100% inflation yearly and the ATM fees are 10-20% to withdraw money. Apparently (from other travellers), it's very useful for the Russians to withdraw money in Turkey as well.

monero-xmr 2y ago
This has been happening for many years. There is a lot of commerce in Lebanon and Argentina conducted in crypto, usually USDT or USDC (dollar-backed stablecoins). At this point to argue crypto has no utility with a straight face is just being willfully blind.
- aforwardslash 2y ago
  "commerce". There is a reason why its performed in cryptocurrencies
- antoniuschan99 2y ago
  How does that work? It seems to make a lot of sense in Lebanon as they were freezing or only allowing $150 a month withdrawals. Do people really self custody their funds? When they need local currency they just go to the bitcoin atm’s to withdraw? Also fees would be somewhat high so do they use something Monero?
Arainach 2y ago
>it's very useful for the Russians to withdraw money in Turkey as well. "This product makes it easy to illegally bypass international sanctions" is not the compliment you think it is.
- trappist 2y ago
  Do you think that the world is a better place if ordinary Russians can't access their own money?
  - nerdwaller 2y ago
    Just wait until their home banks interrogate them about how they want to spend their local currency they wish to withdraw or banks shut off withdrawals entirely due to systemic issues. Bitcoin may not be the end all solution, but it's a great current option.
  - nullityrofl 2y ago
    This is the entire premise of sanctions, yes.
    - grishka 2y ago
      To punish people for someone else's decision?
      - scrollaway 2y ago
        I wish to remind you that many everyday Russians participate in the war in a variety of ways, from diffusing propaganda, to a variety of associations with the Russian military complex, to being on the frontlines themselves. Those many everyday Russians punish people (Ukrainians mainly, Europeans in general) for someone else’s decision (Putin’s power trip). I also wish to remind you that hardship in Russia does not compare to hardship in Ukraine right now. I say this as someone with relatives in both countries today.
      - pokepim 2y ago
        [dead]
      - mopsi 2y ago
        Someone else's decision, and you are just following the orders? It doesn't work that way. Putin is not working in a factory building tanks and artillery shells. He is not in an office programming which cities ballistic missiles will hit. He is not piloting bombers or manning guns shooting at Ukraine. He is not sitting in tanks ravaging through Ukrainian countriside, he is not in cellars raping and torturing civilians, he has not personally committed any of the tens of thousands documented war crimes in Ukraine. Millions upon millions of "ordinary Russians" choose to do this every day. Without the majority of Russian society actively working to carry out Putin's ideas, or passively sitting on their asses and trying to pretend they have nothing to do with it, Putin would be just a raving madman without any influence on the world like Hitler in his final days. USSR collapsed when "ordinary Russians" simply stopped following orders. They were told to go there and do this, and they said NO in large enough numbers that the leaders were simply unable to do anything, because eventually even police and military stopped listening them. Russia has not yet reached this breaking point, and millions upon millions remain Putin's willing executioners, and bear the guilt that comes with it. Every day, Ukrainians put their lives on the line, and hundreds die, in a desperate attempt to stop the curse on the world that Russia has become, while "ordinary Russians" are unwilling to even stage a large protest.
lazyasciiart 2y ago
An interesting story on bitcoin in Turkey that I just read: https://www.wired.com/story/faruk-ozer-turkey-crypto-fraud/ https://www.wired.com/story/faruk-ozer-turkey-crypto-fraud/

monero-xmr 2y ago

This has been happening for many years. There is a lot of commerce in Lebanon and Argentina conducted in crypto, usually USDT or USDC (dollar-backed stablecoins). At this point to argue crypto has no utility with a straight face is just being willfully blind.

aforwardslash 2y ago
"commerce". There is a reason why its performed in cryptocurrencies
antoniuschan99 2y ago
How does that work? It seems to make a lot of sense in Lebanon as they were freezing or only allowing $150 a month withdrawals. Do people really self custody their funds? When they need local currency they just go to the bitcoin atm’s to withdraw? Also fees would be somewhat high so do they use something Monero?

Arainach 2y ago

>it's very useful for the Russians to withdraw money in Turkey as well. "This product makes it easy to illegally bypass international sanctions" is not the compliment you think it is.

trappist 2y ago
Do you think that the world is a better place if ordinary Russians can't access their own money?
- nerdwaller 2y ago
  Just wait until their home banks interrogate them about how they want to spend their local currency they wish to withdraw or banks shut off withdrawals entirely due to systemic issues. Bitcoin may not be the end all solution, but it's a great current option.
- nullityrofl 2y ago
  This is the entire premise of sanctions, yes.
  - grishka 2y ago
    To punish people for someone else's decision?
    - scrollaway 2y ago
      I wish to remind you that many everyday Russians participate in the war in a variety of ways, from diffusing propaganda, to a variety of associations with the Russian military complex, to being on the frontlines themselves. Those many everyday Russians punish people (Ukrainians mainly, Europeans in general) for someone else’s decision (Putin’s power trip). I also wish to remind you that hardship in Russia does not compare to hardship in Ukraine right now. I say this as someone with relatives in both countries today.
    - pokepim 2y ago
      [dead]
    - mopsi 2y ago
      Someone else's decision, and you are just following the orders? It doesn't work that way. Putin is not working in a factory building tanks and artillery shells. He is not in an office programming which cities ballistic missiles will hit. He is not piloting bombers or manning guns shooting at Ukraine. He is not sitting in tanks ravaging through Ukrainian countriside, he is not in cellars raping and torturing civilians, he has not personally committed any of the tens of thousands documented war crimes in Ukraine. Millions upon millions of "ordinary Russians" choose to do this every day. Without the majority of Russian society actively working to carry out Putin's ideas, or passively sitting on their asses and trying to pretend they have nothing to do with it, Putin would be just a raving madman without any influence on the world like Hitler in his final days. USSR collapsed when "ordinary Russians" simply stopped following orders. They were told to go there and do this, and they said NO in large enough numbers that the leaders were simply unable to do anything, because eventually even police and military stopped listening them. Russia has not yet reached this breaking point, and millions upon millions remain Putin's willing executioners, and bear the guilt that comes with it. Every day, Ukrainians put their lives on the line, and hundreds die, in a desperate attempt to stop the curse on the world that Russia has become, while "ordinary Russians" are unwilling to even stage a large protest.

lazyasciiart 2y ago

An interesting story on bitcoin in Turkey that I just read: https://www.wired.com/story/faruk-ozer-turkey-crypto-fraud/ https://www.wired.com/story/faruk-ozer-turkey-crypto-fraud/