Bitcoin and basic income come from different traditions, but share important ideas about individual freedom, financial autonomy and a more open financial system. This is the central argument of an event that will bring together people from both communities to explore where their ideas meet and how they can reinforce each other.
Bitcoin allows people to hold and transfer value without relying on traditional financial intermediaries. Basic income poses a different question: what if everyone received direct payments that provided a basic level of financial security?
According to the organisers, bringing the two approaches together opens up a new way of thinking about how income can reach people directly. The event will examine Bitcoin as infrastructure for direct income, the relationship between basic income and personal financial autonomy, and the “last mile” of delivering income directly to people. It will also discuss what Bitcoin can learn from basic income and vice versa, as well as practical experiments combining the two approaches. The idea is summed up as “Basic income the Bitcoin way” — individual financial freedom without needing permission, with a minimum level of security underneath.
The discussion will also include a presentation of an upcoming six-month pre-pilot programme, which will explore whether the Bitcoin ecosystem is ready to support a community basic income scheme. The long-term goal is an 18-month pilot. The announcement includes no details about the number of participants, the amount of income or the selection criteria.
Speakers include Håkon Sandbakken, president of the Bitcoin Policy Institute Norway (BPI) and senior adviser at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and Hilde Latour, co-founder of Mission Possible 2030 and former vice president of BIEN. The involvement of people from both fields suggests an intention to bridge two communities that often operate in parallel.
The initiative is interesting because, through an upcoming pre-pilot programme, it will explore whether the Bitcoin ecosystem is ready to support a community basic income scheme: can a decentralised monetary network serve as a channel for a social programme? The question touches on both Bitcoin's technical maturity and broader issues of trust, access and stability.
On the other hand, the announcement is vague and provides no information about the pilot's design, funding or expected outcomes. Readers looking for specific data will have to wait for further announcements.
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