A scene on the streets of Tehran says it all: an elderly man holding a thick stack of banknotes, yet unable to afford a single meal. This is not a joke, but the reality happening now.

In October 2025, the Iranian parliament just passed a currency reform—removing four zeros from the Rial. It sounds like a financial surgery, but in reality, it’s a helpless compromise in response to economic out of control.

Buying a cup of coffee costs 100,000 Rials? Buying a bag of flour costs several million. Bank ATMs frequently malfunction due to large denominations, and financial staff even have to use calculators for basic addition. This is not a joke; this is Iran’s daily life.

The numbers are even more heartbreaking: over the past 40 years, the Rial has depreciated by 95%. Around 1979, 1 USD exchanged for 7 Rials; by September 2025 on the black market, 1 USD exchanged for 1.42 million Rials. You read that right, one hundred forty-two thousand.

What’s the root cause? Oil exports have been blocked, foreign exchange reserves have plummeted. Without foreign currency, goods cannot be purchased; when goods are scarce, prices skyrocket; the black market exchange rate collapses, and people’s wages turn into worthless paper. This vicious cycle has been fully closed.

Statistics show that Iran’s CPI soared by 42.4% year-on-year in August 2025. The price of one kilogram of lamb? Equivalent to a full 25 days’ wages for an ordinary worker.

In such a desperate situation, young Iranian programmer Ali found another way. He collects project payments from foreign clients via Bitcoin wallets, completely bypassing the collapsing financial system. His words are straightforward: "Bitcoin is not an investment asset; it’s a tool for us to survive."

When fiat currency loses its credibility, when the banking system becomes untrustworthy, and every banknote accelerates in devaluation—cryptocurrency assets go from a concept to a necessity. This is not the idealism of some crypto enthusiasts; it’s the choice of ordinary people pushed to the brink.