CORVA: Want Greater Bitcoin Adoption? Use it to fix problems.

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Bitcoin will not become more widely adopted as a result of intellectual curiosity or because it is theoretically the best form of money ever. Instead, people will start using it because it solves pressing problems in their lives.

So if you want to promote greater adoption of Bitcoin, show someone how they can use Bitcoin to solve a problem they are facing.

Hermann Vivier, co-founder of Bitcoin Ekasi, a Bitcoin circular economy in South Africa, received this advice from Mike Peterson, director of Bitcoin Beach, the world’s first Bitcoin circular economy, and it continues to inform his work.

The larger problem that Bitcoin solves for disadvantaged South Africans is that it gives them a means to save in an environment where many do not trust banks or have too much access to other investments. Part of the reason they don’t trust banks is that they are often charged hidden fees from both banks and local merchants.

Vivier told Bitcoin Magazine that many in the community often buy goods through layaway programs (buy now, pay later) and are often fooled by the fine print of the offers.

“You can go in and buy something today, pay nothing, take it home, and then the merchant starts charging you after the second or third month,” Vivier explained.

“These lending schemes are quite exploitative. The fees would increase over time as interest accrues and residents give the company the right to withdraw the money from their bank accounts, but buyers do not understand what they are signing,” he added.

“After a year, they’re still seeing money coming out of their account, but in their mind, they’re already done paying for this thing, but they’re still paying for it, and I don’t know why.”

Vivier went on to explain that the simple fact that money cannot be automatically withdrawn from a Bitcoin wallet like it can be from a bank account gives members of the Bitcoin Ekasi community more of a sense of control over their funds.

Rich Swisher, the founder of Motiv, an NGO that develops circular Bitcoin economies and helps members of unbanked communities in Perú become more financially independent, also uses Bitcoin to help the financially disadvantaged gain more control over their money.

Swisher told Bitcoin Magazine that residents of the communities Motiv works with can’t save money in their homes because of the high likelihood of being robbed. And many don’t use banks because they charge fees that these residents can’t afford (that’s if banking is available at all.) Bitcoin gives them a way to bank themselves, which serves as a financial basis to pay them . start their own businesses.

“With Bitcoin, they can start a small business that they can get out of the house and run away from the phone,” Swisher told Bitcoin Magazine.

“Over time, they see that they can be financially independent. Then, they start to see that not only do I have a good way to go right now, but if everything was taken from me tomorrow, I have the know-how to rebuild it,” he added.

“None of this happens without Bitcoin.”

So does that mean you need to run out and start a full Bitcoin circular economy in a serviced community if you want to see more Bitcoin adoption? Absolutely not.

But how hard would it be to show your friend who runs a non-profit organization how to accept bitcoin for international donations so you can save on wire transfer fees, or show a family member how to send an international remittance using Bitcoin instead of Western Union which charges high fees for its service? Not that hard.

If you want to see more people using Bitcoin, stop telling people how great it is and start showing them what problems it solves.

This article is a Take. The opinions expressed are entirely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.