2026 - Clown World Intensifies. Got Bitcoin?
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If you were hoping for a gentle start to 2026, you're likely feeling a bit disappointed. We're only three weeks into the year, and clown world has already erupted into chaos, everywhere you look.
Like bearing witness to a car crash, you’re powerless to stop it, but it’s impossible to look away.
As the fiat monetary system continues its solemn march towards inevitable collapse, the second order effects are becoming more noticeable, more frequent, and more intense. Tensions are rising, fraud is rampant, and governments are becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous.
If you feel like the world is spiralling out of control, don’t worry. You’re not the only one.
Unfortunately, most people are still unable to connect the dots and realize that most of the chaos they’re experiencing is the result of a failed monetary experiment built on theft, coercion, and debasement.
They don’t recognize that Socialism and Keynesian economics aren’t solutions to their problems, they’re the root cause.
Until society manages to wake up from this fiat-addled stupor, the beatings will continue. As life gets harder, people will demand even more government intervention and handouts, not realizing it will only make the situation worse.
And politicians of course, will be more than happy to oblige. With access to an infinite money printer, they can appease the baying masses with bribes and short-term fixes. Who cares if it makes things worse? You can just leave the inevitable consequences to the next administration…
$1,200 stimmy check anyone?
It would be nice if society could change course through rational debate and education, but it doesn’t seem likely. Most people still think they can vote their way out of this, or that new economic policies might somehow fix everything.
Unfortunately rather than accept reality, most people will choose to learn the hard way that “nothing stops this train”.
That means that for the time being, we’re stuck with the status quo, and there’s no telling what kind of madness to expect next. If we’re judging by first three weeks of the year, it looks like we’re in for a bumpy ride.
2026 has barely started, but the circus is already in full swing.
The World is a Circus
Shakespeare is famous for the quote “the world is a stage”, but he would have been more accurate had he described it as a circus. Especially given that most of the performers are total clowns.
Just take a look at some of the madness already unfolding in 2026:
Trump Vs Maduro
Trump started the year with a literal bang when he ordered the US military to infiltrate Venezuela, extract President Maduro and his wife, and fly them back to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
(News of the operation broke early on January 3rd, but details about why they flew with Ryanair remain unclear).
This unexpected move by the Trump administration has divided global opinion.
The UN along with most Latin American leaders condemned the actions, with notable exceptions coming only from Argentina’s Milei, and El Salvador’s Bukele, who were both in full support.
Russia and China, who represent more than 90% of Venezuela’s oil exports, were also not happy. By assuming control over Venezuela’s vast stockpile of natural resources, Trump has disrupted some of their key supply chains and significantly diminished their influence in the region.
Regardless of the position you take on Trump’s intervention in Venezuela, there’s no denying that it’s going to have serious geo-political implications. Nation states are starting to take more aggressive postures, and the rules of engagement are starting to change.
Starmer Vs Free Speech
While the US President started the year by reasserting America’s influence across Latin America, the UK leader Kier Starmer, a man who incidentally has a lower approval rating than Maduro, stopped posting on X for a few days because his lies kept getting exposed, and everyone was making fun of him.
Poor bloke.
His solution to the problem? He wants to ban X.
He claims the potential ban is due to the AI tool Grok, which recently sparked a trend where users create images of others wearing bikinis without their consent, sparking fears of online bullying and potential exploitation.
Skeptics however have been quick to point out that even though AI tools on other platforms create the same kind of images, Starmer’s actions have only been targeted at X, calling into question his true motives.
Is he really trying to ban X to protect people? Or is this just the latest maneuver in his ongoing crusade against free speech?
Given Starmer’s tyrannical tendencies, his actions are likely nothing more than a feeble attempt to limit British citizen’s access to information he can’t control. Nothing more than a desperate attempt to avoid scrutiny as he steadily drives the UK into the ground with insecure borders and a decidedly communist approach to taxation.
(If you’re reading this newsletter from the United States, please let President Trump know that things aren’t so great over here in the UK, and we would gladly welcome his swift intervention).
A Canadian Real Estate Crisis
Over in Canada, things aren’t looking much better. The Canadian real estate market is suffering a severe downturn, with steep price declines and transactions at multi-decade lows.
The situation has become so dire it triggered a liquidity crisis in private real estate funds who, citing the need to avoid forced asset sales amid surging redemption requests, have imposed "gating" to restrict cash distributions and client withdrawals.
Leading funds including Romspen, Hazelview, and Trez Capital have frozen a combined C$30 billion in ordinary investor’s funds, leaving them receiving minimal income while their investment capital is trapped, causing widespread anger and panic.
Canada's real estate crisis risks slowing the countries’ GDP growth by as much as 0.5–1% annually, and rising unemployment could potentially trigger a recession due to job losses in construction and related sectors.
Overall, things don’t look promising. Upcoming mortgage renewals at higher rates could lead to a spike in delinquencies, and frozen funds could result in liquidity issues and a stagnant market.
A lot of Canadian real estate investors are going to be wishing they were holding Bitcoin instead.
Chaos in Iran
The chaos isn’t just confined to the West. Tensions in the Middle East are rising too with widespread protests erupting across Iran in response to soaring inflation, economic hardship, and the catastrophic collapse of the Iranian Rial.
Demonstrations quickly spread to over 60 cities, with extreme violence erupting between protestors and national security forces in the deadliest unrest seen in the nation since the 1979 revolution.
In response, the Iranian regime engaged in a brutal crackdown that imposed an internet blackout, and led to 18,000 arrests and thousands of protester deaths at the hands of state security forces.
Amidst the chaos, reports are now circulating that five Iranian banks are on the brink of collapse, including Bank Sepah, the primary bank for the Iranian military.
Things are not looking good in Iran and there is even growing talk of potential US intervention if the regime continues to commit human rights abuses.
The only thing in Iran that isn’t on the brink of collapse right now is Bitcoin.
Escape Clown World with Bitcoin Self-Custody
Perhaps the wildest thing about the start to 2026 is that the stories above are just the tip of the iceberg. We didn’t even mention treasury yields spiking in Japan, the New York City Mayor rug pulling a shitcoin, or Trump’s ambitions to acquire Greenland!
Clown world really is intensifying!
Every week it’s something new, and trying to make sense of the chaos as we get bombarded with propaganda and AI slop has become a full-time job. So much so that prediction markets have even turned it into an entirely new way to gamble!
Anyone fancy a flutter on the likelihood of WW3?
It’s in times like these that Bitcoin becomes more than just a better form of money. It becomes one of the last remaining things you can truly rely on.
When you can’t trust politicians, the media, or even your favorite influencer, at least you know you can rely on Bitcoin to process a new block of uncensorable transactions roughly every ten minutes.
No clowns, no drama. Tick tock, next block…
If you’re wise enough to hold Bitcoin in FULL self-custody rather than rely on any trusted third parties, then you can fully extricate yourself from the circus. No matter what mad antics your government or financial institutions get up to, you will remain completely immune to the chaos.
Bitcoin in full self-custody offers you something that treasury stocks, ETF shares, and paper promises never can. Zero counterparty risk and complete peace of mind.
It’s time to evolve beyond seeing Bitcoin as just another investment and realise that it’s the only way out of the madhouse, and self-custody is the key.
When the shit eventually hits the fan, and the US dollar goes the same way as the Iranian Rial, you’re not going to want to be holding dollar denominated treasury stocks or ETF shares, and relying on financial institutions to help look after your Bitcoin leaves you needlessly exposed to insane governments and a corrupt financial system.
Leaving one foot inside the circus only increases your chances of ending up with custard pie on your face.
Clown world still has many more victims to claim. Exchanges will fail, honeypots will get hacked, and once the penny finally drops, the state will go to increasingly extreme lengths to appropriate any Bitcoin it can get its grubby little hands on.
The solution is obvious. If the clowns aren’t going to stop performing, you need to leave the circus.
Exit the Circus – The Bitcoin Way
If you’re done clowning around and want the peace of mind of knowing you’re the only one with access to your wealth, the fruits of your labour, and your children’s future, then it’s time to master self-custody.
Yes, the world might be scary and unpredictable right now, but if you put the work in and learn the right skills, you can still come out on top.
We’re here to help you win. Our services are designed to guide you on the path to full self-sovereignty and make sure you know how to properly secure your wealth, your data, and your privacy.
You’re only a few training sessions away from gaining the skills and the confidence to take matters into your own hands. All you have to do is book a free 30-minute call with one of our experts and take the first step. We’ll be there to guide you through the rest.