Economy

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Machado Champions Bitcoin as Venezuela’s Economic Savior

Nobel laureate Machado supports Bitcoin, calling it resistance against Venezuela’s economic woes and autocracy.

October 11, 2025, 6:01 PM

Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia wave the national flag at a rally, surrounded by supporters.

Opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia are enthusiastically raising the Venezuelan flag while addressing a massive crowd of supporters during a campaign rally. By Jonathan Mishkin / Shutterstock.com.

Executive Summary

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado supports Bitcoin as a “vital means of resistance” against autocracy and economic collapse in her country.

Machado views Bitcoin as a critical instrument for Venezuelans navigating a failing economy and envisions its integration into Venezuela’s national reserves for economic reconstruction.

The crypto community has lauded Machado’s stance on Bitcoin, recognizing her as potentially the first “Bitcoiner” to win the Nobel Peace Prize amidst Venezuela’s ongoing political and economic challenges.

The Story So Far

Venezuela is experiencing a severe economic crisis characterized by hyperinflation, currency controls, and state-sponsored financial repression, which has led its citizens to adopt cryptocurrencies as a means of survival. This economic turmoil is compounded by an autocratic political environment where opposition leaders, such as Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado, are barred from participating in elections, prompting her to advocate for democratic rights and a peaceful transition from dictatorship. Consequently, Bitcoin has become a vital tool for resistance, helping Venezuelans navigate the failing economy and serving as a critical instrument against political and financial repression.

Why This Matters

María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win, combined with her public endorsement of Bitcoin as a “vital means of resistance” against autocracy and economic collapse, significantly elevates the cryptocurrency’s profile as a tool for financial freedom and human rights. This high-profile recognition could further legitimize Bitcoin’s role in challenging repressive financial systems and aiding economic reconstruction in nations facing similar crises, potentially inspiring broader adoption and advocacy in geopolitical contexts.

Who Thinks What?

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado views Bitcoin as a “vital means of resistance” against autocracy and economic collapse, helping Venezuelans navigate a failing economy and potentially aiding in national economic reconstruction.

Figures within the crypto industry, such as Jeff Park and Bradley Rettler, lauded Machado for understanding Bitcoin’s potential as “resistance money” and recognized her as the first Nobel Peace Prize recipient to be a “Bitcoiner.”

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, has publicly expressed her support for Bitcoin, describing it as a “vital means of resistance” against autocracy and economic collapse in her country. Machado, 58, was awarded the prestigious prize on Friday for her advocacy of democratic rights and her efforts towards a peaceful transition from dictatorship in Venezuela.

Bitcoin as a Tool for Resistance

Machado articulated her views on Bitcoin in a September 2024 interview with Bitcoin Magazine, highlighting its role in helping Venezuelans navigate a failing economy. She noted that the cryptocurrency has transitioned from a humanitarian tool to a critical instrument of resistance.

In the interview, Machado criticized Venezuela’s financial repression, which she attributed to state-sponsored looting, theft, and uncontrolled money printing, despite the nation’s vast natural resources and past oil price booms. She also expressed a vision for Bitcoin to be integrated into Venezuela’s national reserves to aid in economic reconstruction.

Crypto Community Praises Machado

Following the announcement of Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win, figures within the crypto industry lauded her stance on Bitcoin. Jeff Park, Chief Investment Officer at ProCap, remarked on X that it was the first time a Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to a “Bitcoiner.”

Bradley Rettler, director of the University of Wyoming’s Bitcoin Research Institute, similarly praised Machado for understanding Bitcoin’s potential as “resistance money.”

Machado’s Nobel Recognition and Venezuelan Context

The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized Machado for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela, and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” This recognition comes amid a political climate where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has barred Machado from participating in the 2024 presidential elections, with international observers questioning the democratic integrity of Maduro’s subsequent victory.

Venezuela has a history of its citizens adopting cryptocurrencies to circumvent hyperinflation, currency controls, corruption, and U.S. sanctions, which have severely impacted the national bolívar. Despite being largely dollarized informally, the country continues to face one of the world’s highest inflation rates.