Interview with Brayan Flores. Bitcoin Beach leader

The Face of Bitcoin Adoption in El Zonte, El Salvador
Nestled along El Salvador’s Pacific coast, the small surfing village of El Zonte—better known around the world as Bitcoin Beach—has become one of the most famous experiments in real-world Bitcoin use. Black-sand beaches, perfect point breaks, and the constant sound of waves provide the backdrop for a community where buying a pupusa, renting a surfboard, or paying the barber can all be done in sats. At the center of this living laboratory stands 23-year-old Brayan Flores, educator, marketer, and one of the most recognizable leaders of the Bitcoin Beach movement.
Brayan was born and raised in El Zonte, a tight-knit town of just a few thousand people. Like most families here, his never had a bank account, credit card, or easy access to traditional financial services. Cash was king, and saving for the future felt almost impossible. “Before Bitcoin,” Brayan often says, “cash was our only option, and it disappeared fast.”

Everything changed in 2019 when an anonymous Bitcoin donation landed in the community through local nonprofits. A small group of residents, including Mike Peterson and Roman “Chimbera” Martínez, decided to put the funds into circulation by paying local youth in sats for beach clean-ups and community projects. What started as an experiment quickly snowballed: merchants downloaded Lightning wallets, tourists began tipping in Bitcoin, and a true circular economy was born.
Brayan was part of that very first group of teenagers earning and spending sats. Almost overnight he went from never having saved a dollar to stacking small fractions of Bitcoin every week. “Bitcoin made me think long-term for the first time,” he says. “I started to see a future I could actually plan for.”

That personal transformation turned him into one of the project’s most energetic educators. Today, as a core member of the Bitcoin Beach team, Brayan spends his days teaching communities how to receive payments on their phones, helping new shops set up Lightning nodes, and welcoming visitors who fly in from every continent just to see the phenomenon for themselves. On any given Saturday you’ll find him at the Bitcoin Bazaar, the weekly beachfront market where everything from smoothies to handmade jewelry is priced and sold in Bitcoin.

His reach now extends far beyond El Zonte’s palm trees. On X (Twitter) his account @SoyBryanF is a nonstop stream of memes, invitations, and updates that have attracted tens of thousands of followers. He’s traveled to conferences in Argentina, Spain, and across Latin America to share the story of how a tiny surf town became a global proof that Bitcoin can work at the community level. When major creators or companies express interest in El Salvador, Brayan is often the first person they message.

Even after El Salvador’s nationwide Bitcoin legal-tender law was repealed in early 2025 under international pressure, daily life in El Zonte barely skipped a beat. Over 500 local merchants still accept Bitcoin, tourism continues to grow, and new businesses open with Lightning payments built in from day one. Brayan and the Bitcoin Beach team have also expanded their focus: free Bitcoin classes at the Bitcoin Beach House, skatepark sessions and public infrastructure projects funded directly by the community wallet.

For Brayan, the mission has always been simple: show the world that Bitcoin isn’t just for traders and tech enthusiasts—it’s a tool that can improve lives in places the traditional financial system forgot. “We’re not waiting for permission,” he likes to say. “We’re building the example so others can copy it.”