☀️ Lighting the Way for UK Businesses

Happy Friday, In A Nutshell this week:

• ☀️ Lighting the Way for UK Businesses

• 🇮🇷 Freedom Tech, Out of Necessity

• 🥇 Gold… Meet Digital Gold

• 🇸🇻 The “Bitcoin Country” Passport

• 🚫 Trump Shuts SBF’s Door

• …and much more

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 🚀⏰ Today’s news should be a ~4.37-minute read (692 words).

🧠 Quote Of The Week

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

— African proverb

☀️ Lighting the Way for UK Businesses

The Bitcoin Collective has launched the Bitcoin Business Network (BBN) to help UK businesses protect what they’ve built and turn Bitcoin into a competitive advantage.

Technology is transforming how we live, work, and build businesses. In that environment, standing still is falling behind. BBN is for UK leaders who think in years, not weeks.

Whether you’re a founder, entrepreneur, or executive, BBN is a place to connect with others who are taking action: holding Bitcoin on the balance sheet, accepting it as payment, or simply learning what’s coming so you can make smarter decisions for your company.

Kicked off on 14 January 2026 with 50 founding members across 20+ sectors, the network brings together like-minded leaders to drive positive change across the UK in the years ahead.

🇮🇷 Freedom Tech, Out of Necessity

With nationwide internet shutdowns in Iran, citizens are turning to “freedom tech” tools to stay connected, including Bitcoin-adjacent apps like Bitchat and local fork Noghteha.

At the same time, the local currency the Rial has slumped to record lows (≈96% down against the US dollar), driving more people to consider Bitcoin as a parallel option when the local currency fails.

Together, blackouts and currency stress are pushing Iranians toward open networks for communication and value transfer that don’t rely on state-controlled rails. Bitcoin and decentralised tools can provide a lifeline.

🥇 Gold… Meet Digital Gold

21Shares has launched a physically backed exchange-traded product that combines Bitcoin and gold (BOLD), now trading on the London Stock Exchange.

The product carries a 0.65% fee, is FCA-approved, and blends the two assets using a rules-based allocation in a single regulated wrapper.

It gives UK investors a simple, listed way to hold both hard assets without managing them separately, reflecting growing mainstream access to Bitcoin in traditional portfolios.

🇸🇻 The “Bitcoin Country” Passport

El Salvador has unveiled a “Bitcoin Country” passport that offers up to 10% savings at hotels and other merchants that accept Bitcoin, aiming to boost tourism and everyday BTC use.

It is not a travel document but a branded membership ID for perks, with early participation focused on hotels, restaurants and tourism services.

Officials have not published a full vendor list yet, but the scheme could nudge more businesses to accept BTC and normalise spending with it.

🚫 Trump Shuts SBF’s Door

President Trump told the New York Times he has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud.

Speculation had swirled after Trump showed leniency to Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht and other crypto-linked figures, but this shuts the door for SBF as his appeal continues.

The stance signals a line between broader crypto policy shifts and high-profile fraud cases, with no political rescue on the table for SBF.

Many Bitcoiners still hope the Samourai Wallet developers are pardoned, arguing they wrote non-custodial privacy software rather than running a fraud scheme.

🔥 What else have you missed?

1. Scott Bessent calls the Federal Reserve "the engine of inequality."

2. Andreas M. Antonopoulos awarded the Finney Freedom Prize for educating millions about Bitcoin

3. The Smarter Web Company announces its intention to list on the London Stock Exchange

4. Coinbase "can't support" the crypto market structure legislation as currently written

5. Strive approved to acquire Semler Scientific, increasing Bitcoin holdings to Nearly 13,000 BTC

6. U.S. mortgage lender Newrez will accept Bitcoin for mortgage qualification

7. Carefour offers Bitcoin-paying customers a 20% discount

8. Bitdeer overtakes MARA as largest Bitcoin miner by 'managed hashrate'

9. Dartmouth College (via an ETF) bought $10M worth of Bitcoin

10. Ledger rolls out a 'BTC yield' product

🍾 Friday Fun!

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