Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called her “tireless efforts to advance the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people.”
But for many in the Bitcoin community, this victory has a different meaning, as Machado is more than just a democracy activist. She is also one of the few (but growing) world politicians who have openly embraced Bitcoin as a tool of resistance against authoritarianism.
The Nobel Committee described Machado, 58, as “a woman who continues to light the flame of democracy even as darkness deepens.”
It’s a description that applies not only to her fight against the current administration, but also to her larger vision of how technology and decentralized finance can empower citizens when governments fail.
“I’m shocked,” Machado said after the announcement. “I’m just one person. I never deserved this.”
“I dedicate this award to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump, who has steadfastly supported our cause,” she wrote to X.
Recognition for courage and persistence
Machado’s political story is one of tenacity under threat. Banned from running in last year’s presidential election, which international observers widely denied as fraudulent, she was forced into hiding but refused to leave Venezuela.
The Nobel Committee praised her as “an important figure in uniting a brutal dictatorship currently experiencing a humanitarian and economic crisis.”
The crisis is one that Machado has long sought to explain in international forums. She argues that Venezuela’s economic collapse was not an accident, but the predictable result of financial repression and state control of money.
And this is where her views intersect directly with Bitcoin.
Machado: Bitcoin is a “lifeline”
In an interview that first aired on Bitcoin Magazine last year, Machado spoke at length about Venezuela’s economic collapse and the role Bitcoin played in helping its people survive it.
“Venezuela’s bolivar currency lost 14 zeros,” she said, recalling how inflation once reached 1.7 million percent. “This financial repression, rooted in state-sponsored looting, theft, and unchecked money printing, has destroyed our economy despite our vast oil wealth.”
For many Venezuelans, Bitcoin has become the only option. This allowed families to store value outside of the collapsing bolivar, receive remittances without being confiscated, and even finance escapes abroad.
Machado described bitcoin as a “lifeline” for Venezuelans and a way to circumvent the government-controlled exchange rate. He proposed including Bitcoin in future national reserves as Venezuela seeks to recover stolen wealth and rebuild from dictatorship.
Machado also proposed including Bitcoin in Venezuela’s future national reserves as part of the country’s post-dictatorship recovery.
“We envision Bitcoin as part of national reserves that can be used to help rebuild what dictatorships stole,” she told Bitcoin Magazine.
Machado’s emphasis on transparency reflects one of Bitcoin’s core principles: a public ledger that is incorruptible by design. It is an idea that resonates with freedom and justice.
Source: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/maria-corina-machado-wins-nobel-peace-prize-could-she-become-the-first-bitcoin-nobel-winner
