Bitcoin’s open‑source ecosystem only thrives when contributors are supported not just to learn, but to stay, grow, and lead. In 2026, we’re evolving Btrust Builders into a scaled, high‑quality contributor pipeline designed for long‑term impact. This year’s program builds directly on the insights from our 2025 Builders experience, with clearer structure, stronger systems, and a deeper commitment to sustained open‑source contribution. Check out the article to learn more: x.com/btrust_builders/status…

Today is the day we premiere our Bark integration for BTCPayServer. This will allow any merchant to start accepting lightning payments, store them as VTXOs on disk, and withdraw their earnings to onchain. Ark solves the inbound liquidity problem.

We're heading to Nairobi 🇰🇪 for @btcplusplus open source edition, happening June 17–19. We're excited to join developers, contributors, and builders from across the global Bitcoin ecosystem for three days of talks, workshops, hackathons, and networking. If you'll be in Nairobi and would like to attend the conference, we're giving away a number of tickets. Here's how to participate: • Join the @BitDevsNBO or the @btrust_builders Discord • Check the general channel for the giveaway details We'll be selecting a few community members to receive conference tickets. See you in Nairobi! 🚀

Is there a better way to wrap up the amazing @BTCPrague than with a BTCPay Day? 💚 We start at 12:00, Hotel Duo. Online tickets are sold out, but we will have some at the door, so feel free to drop by! Check the agenda and the full lineup at day.btcpayserver.org

RECAP: 🧵Nairobi is hosting bitcoin and the Bitcoin Nairobi Conference in the same ten-day window, East Africa’s biggest Bitcoin moment yet.🇰🇪 bitcoin Nairobi (June 17–20) brings protocol developers and open source contributors from across Africa and the globe. The Bitcoin Nairobi Conference (June 24–26) follows with policymakers, builders, and users exploring real-world adoption. 👇Scroll down. 1/7

Alby Hub represents a "third way" to integrate Bark into your wallet apps and services, alongside the Bark SDK and barkd.

Yesterday, we concluded what was the biggest Lightning Developer Bootcamp we’ve hosted to date in Kisumu, Kenya. It was an incredible week of learning, building, and collaboration. We wrapped up the bootcamp by exploring the importance of open source development, how contributors can get involved in Bitcoin and Lightning projects, and why open collaboration remains at the heart of Bitcoin’s success. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the hackathon. After just a few days of intensive learning, participants formed 16 teams and built 16 different projects, alongside an impressive solo project. Watching developers progress from learning the fundamentals of money, Bitcoin, and Lightning to presenting working solutions in less than a week was truly inspiring. The project presentations showcased creativity, technical talent, and a strong understanding of how Bitcoin and the Lightning Network can be used to solve real world problems. The energy, enthusiasm, and quality of the demos made it clear that the future of Bitcoin development in Africa is in good hands. A huge thank you to every participant who dedicated their time, pushed themselves to learn, collaborated with others, and brought their ideas to life throughout the week. Special thanks to our instructor, @dzeg5, for sharing his knowledge and guiding participants every step of the way. We’re also grateful to @Zone01Kisumu and @LakeHub for providing outstanding spaces for learning, innovation, and community building. Thank you to every guest, mentor, speaker, and ecosystem builder who stopped by throughout the week to share their experiences and inspire participants. Your contributions helped make this bootcamp even more impactful. A special shoutout to our planning and organizing team, @IamWhiteSarah and @megasley, for the countless hours of work behind the scenes that made this event possible. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of @btrustteam, @HRF, @Tether_Africa, @afribitcoiners, and @planb_network. Thank you for investing in the next generation of Bitcoin and Lightning developers across Africa. From 99 participants on Day 1 to 17 project presentations on the final day, Kisumu delivered an unforgettable bootcamp experience. 🚀⚡ The builders are here. The future is being built.

Won 1st place at the Kisumu Lightning Developer Bootcamp Hackathon! Built **SatGate** a Lightning-powered contact form reducing spam & message spoofing with tiny paid submissions. Big thanks to my teammates, mentors & organizers. @FreeRoutingAf @megasley @afribitcoiners @Zone01

Week 3 genuinely blew my mind. Implementing transaction serialization, CompactSize encoding, and parsing raw transaction data completely changed how I see Bitcoin, and all thanks to @btrust_builders and @StephTitcombe Every week peels back another layer of the protocol for me.

Great catching up with @r0ckstardev at the @BtcpayServer booth at @BTCPrague.💚 Open-source Bitcoin is powered by people, and conferences like these are a reminder of how connected the ecosystem really is.

1/ Bark is now a Lightning backend option in Alby Hub. @getAlby built the integration on the Bark SDK in record time, just days after our mainnet launch. You can now enable Lightning payments in your hub with no Lightning node, channels, or liquidity to manage.

Bitcoin Optech newsletter #409 is here: - describes a draft BIP to replace the testnet4 test network with a successor - Optech Newsletter #409 Podcast bitcoinops.org/en/newsletter…

This year, we're shouting Bitcoin is money to everyone who walks by our booth! Come party with BTCPay crew @BTCPrague, booth #49! 🇨🇿

✅ Day 4 of our Lightning Developer Bootcamp in Kisumu, Kenya. After spending the previous days understanding Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, today was all about building on top of Lightning. With the help of our instructor, @dzeg5, we explored the tools, protocols, and infrastructure that enable developers to create real world applications powered by instant Bitcoin payments. From wallets and APIs to Lightning integrations and payment flows, participants got a closer look at what it takes to bring Lightning powered products to life. Most importantly, the developers got their hands dirty. Participants spent the day building, experimenting, and turning concepts into working solutions. It was exciting to watch ideas take shape as developers moved from learning the technology to building with it. Tomorrow, we'll dive into open source contributions and wrap up the bootcamp with a hackathon. We can't wait to see what these builders create. Special thanks to @btrustteam, @HRF, @Tether_Africa, @Zone01Kisumu, @LakeHub, @afribitcoiners, and @planb_network for making this experience possible. #Bitcoin #LightningNetwork #KisumuLNBootcamp

Kisumu developers are a different breed. They’re some of the most committed and eager to learn developers we’ve met. Punctual, consistent, curious, and so dedicated that many spent the entire night at @LakeHub working on their hackathon projects. The future is bright. 🚀

The "ever hardworking" title comes with no days off apparently 😅 Had a great time sharing the stage with you, @BrindonMwiine ! Loved the conversation and the perspectives from the grassroots. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and contributed. Onward to building stronger Bitcoin communities across Africa!

Today's X Space was phenomenal! ⚡ A big thank you to @StephTitcombe, @BrindonMwiine, and a special shoutout to @proofofpaul for sharing valuable insights on building and sustaining Bitcoin communities across Africa. One key takeaway: strong communities are the foundation of long-term Bitcoin adoption. Thank you to our amazing community and listeners for showing up and contributing. The future of Bitcoin in Africa will be built by people, one community at a time.🚀

Join us for The State of Bitcoin Communities in Africa Stokked to share stage with the ever hardworking @StephTitcombe from @btrust_builders

🏗️ @RajarshiMaitra took the stage at @BTCPrague to share the story behind @bitshala_org and the work they’re doing to grow Bitcoin’s open-source development ecosystem. Through structured cohorts, study groups, local meetups, BitDevs, fellowships, and grant programs, Bitshala is helping developers move from beginners to active contributors across the ecosystem.

We're back with our 12th Socratic Seminar! 🚀 This time, we'll be exploring solutions and exchanging ideas with fellow FOSS developers. Join us for an engaging discussion on open-source innovation, collaboration, and building technology that creates real impact. #FOSS