Bitcoin Indonesia Runs 40 Meetups Monthly Across 40 Cities
Bitcoin Indonesia co-founder Dimas, a former materials science engineer, said the community operates across Indonesia's 17,000 islands serving 280 million people. The group runs 40 meetups per month in 40 different cities despite a government ban on using crypto as payment.
Key Takeaway
Indonesia's grassroots Bitcoin movement thrives despite a payment ban, leveraging currency instability to reach 55,000 users.
Bitcoin Indonesia organizes 40 meetups per month across 40 different cities, reaching an estimated 55,000 people in a country where cryptocurrency payments remain officially banned.
Co-founder Dimas, a former materials science engineer turned Bitcoin evangelist, said the community operates across Indonesia's 17,000 islands, home to 280 million people spread across 380 different tribes and cultures. Bank of Indonesia banned cryptocurrencies as payment instruments in January 2018, citing risks to financial stability, money laundering, and volatility.
Bitcoin Indonesia graduated 500 students from its My First Bitcoin certification program by 2025 and plans to double that number to 1,000 by the end of 2026. The education program, originally born in El Salvador, reached 700 middle school students at Taruna Bakti Foundation in Bandung in November 2024. The organization also manages a Fedimint Federation with an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 members using Fedi's Bitcoin ecash infrastructure alongside popular wallets like Blink and Wallet of Satoshi.
The group's comeback follows an earlier push in 2014 when Bitcoin Indonesia launched a "Bitcoin Island" adoption initiative in Bali. Dimas said hundreds of merchants accepted Bitcoin during the peak of that effort, including one luxury villa sale worth ₱28,830,106 ($500,000) or 800 BTC at the time. The initiative stalled after the 2017 government crackdown coincided with Bitcoin's bull market, when on-chain fees hit ₱2,883 ($50) and drove users away before Lightning Network offered a solution.
The Indonesian rupiah has collapsed 61% against the dollar over the past 30 years, creating natural demand for alternative currencies despite regulatory headwinds. Bitcoin Indonesia's social media presence includes over 3,600 Telegram members, 27,000 Instagram followers, and 10,000 TikTok followers as of February 2026.
This article was written based on reporting from Bitcoin Magazine.
