Rurbit Now Lets Burundians Cash Out Bitcoin to IBBM+ Agents by USSD on Any Phone
Bitcoin Out, Cash In, No Internet Required
Rurbit, the USSD-based Bitcoin platform operating in rural Burundi, has added IBBM+ as a Bitcoin off-ramp. Users can now send Bitcoin over Lightning to an IBBM+ account and cash out at IBBM+ agents across the country, all through USSD on any basic phone without an internet connection. The integration was announced on October 10, 2026.
This matters because Burundi is one of the most financially constrained countries on the continent. Banking penetration is extremely low, internet access is unreliable outside urban centres, and the options for converting Bitcoin into local currency have been close to nonexistent. Rurbit already solved the receiving side by letting users get Bitcoin via Lightning through USSD. The IBBM+ integration now solves the spending side: a user who receives sats can walk to an IBBM+ agent and walk away with Burundian francs.
Built on Top of an Existing Circular Economy
Rurbit operates within the ecosystem built by BTC Shule, the Burundian Bitcoin community founded by Belyï Nobel Kubwayo. BTC Shule has already established a circular economy in Winteko village where 14 merchants accept Bitcoin through offline Cashu and Lightning, and is building the Nakamoto Hope Center as a permanent physical hub for tech training and Bitcoin education. The IBBM+ off-ramp extends the practical reach of that ecosystem by connecting it to Burundi’s existing agent banking network, giving users a path from Bitcoin to cash without needing a smartphone, an internet connection, or a bank account.