Lea Petrášová

Lea Petrášová is the co-founder of Vexl, a mobile app that helps people buy and sell Bitcoin peer-to-peer without abiding by know-your-customer (KYC) policies. In 2025, she stood out because she kept pushing for Bitcoin tools that are private, hard to censor, and built around community, not platform rules.

Origin and Background

Petrášová helped lead Vexl from its inception onward, and became known in the Bitcoin scene for focusing on privacy and security. She’s also active in the cypherpunk world, which is a community that cares a lot about protecting people’s freedom online.

Vexl’s goal is simple: make peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading feel safe without forcing users into a centralized company that can track or otherwise control their finances. 

Key Highlights

• Helped build Vexl as a KYC-free peer-to-peer bitcoin trading app.
• Supported the “Web of Trust” idea: you trade through social connections (friends, friends-of-friends), not random accounts.
• Helped grow Vexl to 17,000+ users, with millions of trust connections across countries. 
• Backed expansion into places where Bitcoin is used day-to-day, including parts of Africa and Latin America.
• Helped the project earn support from Bitcoin-aligned funders like Human Rights Foundation and OpenSats grants.
• As (former) President of the Vexl Foundation, pushed “freedom tech” work like the Freedom Store to reduce reliance on Apple’s App Store. 

Impact on the Industry (2025)

In 2025, Petrášová’s work mattered because it showed a different path from “crypto as finance apps.” Vexl focuses on person-to-person trading that keeps people in control, even as rules, surveillance, and platform gatekeeping keep growing. Petrášová stepped down from Vexl’s CEO role in November 2025.

Looking Ahead (2026 and Beyond)

Vexl says it is redesigning the app for a broader audience and rolling out major updates in Spring 2026. Petrášová has also said she’s staying involved as a strategic partner as leadership shifts toward scaling. The big question for the next phase is whether Vexl can grow fast while staying true to its privacy-first mission.