The newly established Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) needed a secure way to receive donations and membership fees that fund the organisation's work. Enogtjue delivered a tailored, efficient payment solution that keeps the funds stored securely.
The Bitcoin Policy Institute was established in January 2025. The organisation is led by bitcoin expert and technology researcher Svein Ølnes, with the goal of spreading knowledge and building a better understanding of bitcoin through fact-based information and education.
Membership is open to everyone, and individuals, businesses and organisations can apply to become members. Members pay a membership fee that helps run BPI Norway, and the fund is held in bitcoin to underline the organisation's purpose and values.
Putting a sound, secure technical solution in place for membership fees and donations was high on the priority list when the organisation was founded. To achieve this, BPI needed a partner with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects of the Bitcoin protocol.
The choice fell on Enogtjue, a service from Schjønhaug AS that makes it easy for individuals and businesses to benefit from Bitcoin technology. Enogtjue can provide professional advice, strategy development and practical solutions adapted to each customer's situation and wishes.
Enogtjue's managing director, Andreas Schjønhaug, has long been engaged with Bitcoin. His specialist knowledge of the Bitcoin protocol made it possible to develop an efficient, secure payment solution tailored to BPI's needs and goals as an organisation.
With Enogtjue's help, BPI set up payments through BTCPay Server, a self-hosted open-source project for cryptocurrency. It is secure and private, without high fees or a third party involved. Svein is very pleased with the solution, which he describes as "best in class". "This is the best and safest method available today," he says.
Openness and transparency are core values for the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and a public overview of membership numbers and donations received is updated on an ongoing basis. At the time of writing, BPI Norway has received more than 1.5 BTC in membership fees and donations, worth more than NOK 1.5 million. The operating fund finances measures that advance the organisation's goals, so a sustainable donation model was important.
According to Svein, BPI hopes the fund can double, and security is a high priority for the organisation.
When it comes to sums of this size, it is of course important that we have a safe way to store them, and we are glad to have achieved that
– Svein Ølnes.
Svein describes an efficient collaboration that worked well because of specialist expertise and a strong ability to explain. "Andreas was excellent in every way. He has very strong competence in this area — simply top-notch," says Svein. "He explained everything so well that the process of setting up the solution became easy to understand."
Bitcoin represents both technological and economic innovation and has changed how many people think about money and value. It has opened the door to debate and new thinking about the role cryptocurrency can play in societal development.
Even though bitcoin is a well-established currency, Svein sees a good deal of ignorance and confusion around cryptocurrency among the public. For many people, bitcoin and other digital currencies still appear unknown and unsafe. BPI wants to share knowledge, build confidence and increase awareness and understanding of digital currency among both the public and policymakers.
Bitcoin is developing in exciting ways worldwide, and BPI wants to make sure Norway keeps up. BPI has ambitious goals for developing cryptocurrency's role in Norwegian society, with a particular focus on promoting sound regulation of bitcoin use, saving and bitcoin mining in Norway, and on exploring Bitcoin's potential to contribute to better solutions in economics, energy and technology.
"It has been incredibly exciting to follow bitcoin's development from the beginning," says Svein. "In the short term, bitcoin's future in Norway is first and foremost as an investment, and we are keen to explore the many opportunities it can offer."
