Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🚨 REGISTER FOR THE LIVE WEBINAR HERE: thebitcoinway.com/webinars/the-architecture-of-sovereign-money?utm_source=partner-bitcoin-layer&utm_campaign=260622-nik-bhatia-webinar
In this episode, Nik welcomes Tony Yazbek, co-founder of The Bitcoin Way, for a conversation on why owning bitcoin yourself is the whole point. Tony argues that bitcoin is money rather than an investment, and that anything wrapped in legacy finance, from ETFs to exchange balances, is not the same as holding it directly. He recounts surviving Lebanon's 2019 banking collapse, when he woke up homeless with about $75 after the banks confiscated everyone's savings, and how it shaped his conviction. Tony and Nik also dig into what self-sovereignty does for people, how to think about hardware and air-gapped storage, the volatility myth, and jurisdictional sovereignty, with Tony drawing on 30 years in cybersecurity throughout.
Get Nik's weekly bitcoin and macro research: thebitcoinlayer.com/subscribe
The Bitcoin Layer is proud to be sponsored by The Bitcoin Way. Most people know how to buy bitcoin, but few know how to truly secure it. The Bitcoin Way offers one-on-one, white glove self-custody training so you can take full control of your bitcoin wealth with zero counterparty risk. They never touch your bitcoin. From air-gapped hardware to inheritance planning to node running, they handle the full stack. They also offer personal cybersecurity services and Plan B residency in Panama for those seeking jurisdictional sovereignty. Book a free consultation today: thebitcoinway.com/tbl
Timestamps:
00:00 Institutions, ETFs, and what self-custody really means
00:58 Why bitcoin is the only money the world will trust
02:41 The dollar as a credit system and bitcoin as digital gold
04:43 What self-sovereignty does for you
07:04 How fiat funds war, taxation, and control
08:33 The Bitcoin Way and the free June 22 webinar
11:07 Why Tony started The Bitcoin Way
13:13 Choosing hardware: air-gapped, open source, bitcoin only
14:57 Lebanon's collapse: waking up homeless with $75
17:19 Survival, barter, and finding Andreas Antonopoulos
20:30 Why volatility keeps new people away
21:54 The volatility myth and bitcoin as money
24:17 Why ETFs and exchanges aren't owning bitcoin
26:40 The signal from Bitcoin Prague
27:13 Building a blended path out of fiat
29:27 Income, homes, and bitcoin's relative value
32:16 Webinar details and where to find Tony
📊 The Bitcoin Layer is a bitcoin and global macroeconomic research firm.
▶️ Subscribe and turn on notifications for TBL on YouTube.
🎙 Subscribe to The Bitcoin Layer on your favorite podcast platform.
🐦 Follow TBL on X: /thebitcoinlayer
Nik Bhatia's Twitter: /timevalueofbtc
Researcher Demian Schatt's Twitter: https://x.com/demianschatt
Lead Statistician Augustine Carrasco Twitter: https://x.com/AugustineCarrB
🚨 REGISTER FOR THE LIVE WEBINAR HERE: thebitcoinway.com/webinars/the-architecture-of-sovereign-money?utm_source=partner-bitcoin-layer&utm_campaign=260622-nik-bhatia-webinar
In this episode, Nik welcomes Tony Yazbek, co-founder of The Bitcoin Way, for a conversation on why owning bitcoin yourself is the whole point. Tony argues that bitcoin is money rather than an investment, and that anything wrapped in legacy finance, from ETFs to exchange balances, is not the same as holding it directly. He recounts surviving Lebanon's 2019 banking collapse, when he woke up homeless with about $75 after the banks confiscated everyone's savings, and how it shaped his conviction. Tony and Nik also dig into what self-sovereignty does for people, how to think about hardware and air-gapped storage, the volatility myth, and jurisdictional sovereignty, with Tony drawing on 30 years in cybersecurity throughout.
Get Nik's weekly bitcoin and macro research: thebitcoinlayer.com/subscribe
The Bitcoin Layer is proud to be sponsored by The Bitcoin Way. Most people know how to buy bitcoin, but few know how to truly secure it. The Bitcoin Way offers one-on-one, white glove self-custody training so you can take full control of your bitcoin wealth with zero counterparty risk. They never touch your bitcoin. From air-gapped hardware to inheritance planning to node running, they handle the full stack. They also offer personal cybersecurity services and Plan B residency in Panama for those seeking jurisdictional sovereignty. Book a free consultation today: thebitcoinway.com/tbl
Timestamps:
00:00 Institutions, ETFs, and what self-custody really means
00:58 Why bitcoin is the only money the world will trust
02:41 The dollar as a credit system and bitcoin as digital gold
04:43 What self-sovereignty does for you
07:04 How fiat funds war, taxation, and control
08:33 The Bitcoin Way and the free June 22 webinar
11:07 Why Tony started The Bitcoin Way
13:13 Choosing hardware: air-gapped, open source, bitcoin only
14:57 Lebanon's collapse: waking up homeless with $75
17:19 Survival, barter, and finding Andreas Antonopoulos
20:30 Why volatility keeps new people away
21:54 The volatility myth and bitcoin as money
24:17 Why ETFs and exchanges aren't owning bitcoin
26:40 The signal from Bitcoin Prague
27:13 Building a blended path out of fiat
29:27 Income, homes, and bitcoin's relative value
32:16 Webinar details and where to find Tony
📊 The Bitcoin Layer is a bitcoin and global macroeconomic research firm.
▶️ Subscribe and turn on notifications for TBL on YouTube.
🎙 Subscribe to The Bitcoin Layer on your favorite podcast platform.
🐦 Follow TBL on X: /thebitcoinlayer
Nik Bhatia's Twitter: /timevalueofbtc
Researcher Demian Schatt's Twitter: https://x.com/demianschatt
Lead Statistician Augustine Carrasco Twitter: https://x.com/AugustineCarrB
