₿itcoin Pizza Day 🍕
Does Bitcoin represent the same values as in 2010?
Bitcoin Pizza Day is celebrated every year on May 22. If you didn’t know, it’s about two pizza being bought for 10,000BTC, marking Bitcoin’s first real-world transaction. This was a major milestone because it established Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, it showed that it can be used as currency, for purchasing goods and services, and it can function as “real money”.
Bitcoin Pizza Day's now a massive thing. Crypto people everywhere throw parties and chat online about it. It brings together both newcomers and veterans, reminding everyone how Bitcoin started small before becoming huge.
Today, a small number of people and businesses use Bitcoin for everyday purchases. You can buy clothes at Nike, electronics at Best Buy, grab coffee at some Starbucks locations, and book travel through platforms like Travala. Some streaming services take Bitcoin for subscriptions, while gamers can use it on PlayStation Store. Even physical stores are adding crypto payment options at registers.
We moved a long way since those two pepperoni pizzas were bought, and we now refer to Bitcoin as “store of value” and “digital gold.” We pay intense attention to BTC price movements and use it for speculative transactions, especially in the western world. But how is Bitcoin used beyond the hype? This and many other questions go through my mind sometimes. I ask myself if BTC should be politicised, and if I’m still aligned with the direction in which Bitcoin community is going.
And then I realised one thing: Bitcoin has not changed, it still represents the values I saw when I got into it in the first place: the ability to send money from one person to the other without an intermediary, the ability to use it even if you’re not part of the main financial systems of the world, even if you don’t have a bank account, even if some deem you unworthy of one.
Bitcoin processes about half a million transactions daily, but most aren't people buying things. The bulk of these transactions are people moving Bitcoin between their own wallets or exchanges, or traders making deposits and withdrawals. Only a small portion involves actual purchases from merchants.
However, Bitcoin shines in two important areas: remittances and activism. For families sending money across borders, Bitcoin offers a way to avoid high fees and long delays of traditional money transfer services. And in places where governments restrict financial freedom, Bitcoin provides a critical tool for activists to receive support without censorship or account freezes.
For example, Bitcoin helps business owners in places like Nigeria access global suppliers directly, bypassing paperwork and delays. Women across Africa are gaining financial independence through Bitcoin Dada, which teaches cryptocurrency skills and builds supportive communities, despite being excluded from traditional banking.
Bitcoin has become especially important for activism and aid. When Nigerian EndSARS protesters were blocked from regular payment systems, Bitcoin became their only way to receive support, allowing their work to continue despite government opposition.
In Argentina, with the peso in free-fall and inflation going crazy, Bitcoin's become a lifeline. When your local currency loses value faster than you can spend it, having some BTC lets regular people protect what little they've saved. It's not about getting rich, it's about not getting poor overnight when the government messes up the economy again.
In Venezuela, when the banking system is broken and cash is worthless, Bitcoin lets aid flow directly to families without government or middlemen taking cuts. Regular Venezuelans can now receive support from anywhere in the world when their own systems have completely failed them.
When communities start using Bitcoin among themselves, not just holding it, but actually spending it at local shops, paying each other, and keeping value flowing within their neighbourhood, they create a Bitcoin Circular Economy (BCE). When people buy groceries, pay rent, and save in Bitcoin without ever touching fiat, they've built something that works even when banks and governments don't. This is what Bitcoin was always supposed to be: people handling their own money without asking permission. And there are several BCEs in the world, starting with El Salvador and ending up in Lugano, Switzerland (Lugano Plan ₿)
So, when we celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day this May 22nd, we’re not just marking the first time someone bought pizza with Bitcoin. We’re recognising how that simple act sparked a much wider shift. What began as a small, quirky transaction has become a symbol of something deeper: people building new ways to exchange value, create opportunity, and take control of their financial lives. From community-led Bitcoin initiatives to city-level adoption plans like Lugano’s, to people in underserved areas using Bitcoin for real-world needs, this day reminds us that change often starts with one small step.
Bitcoin has changed for some, but at its core, it still stands for freedom of choice, financial access, and ownership without gatekeepers. It belongs to no state, no bank, no political party. It doesn’t care about your passport, gender, or income. Bitcoin Pizza Day reminds us that money, too, can be reimagined.
PS: Algarve Blockchain Community (ABC) is celebrating Bitcoin Pizza Day