Profile

Miguel Couto de Almeida

Software Engineer

I’m a software engineer, passionate about creative ideas and innovative approaches.
In addition, I consider myself very proactive, communicative, efficient, and driven to learn and improve.
With experience developing scalable full-stack applications. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive innovation.

Experience

Staff Consultant / Full-Stack Software Engineer

EY – Lisbon, Portugal

Contributed to the development and implementation of enterprise software solutions for financial institutions, focusing on KYC/AML platforms, digital transformation, and distributed systems.

  • Implemented EY’s in-house KYC/AML platform for an overseas banking client, contributing to backend services, system integration, and production deployment.
  • Participated in a consulting engagement advising one of Portugal’s largest banks on the adoption of digital signature solutions.
  • Developed and maintained EY’s internal KYC/AML platform, building REST APIs and event-driven microservices using Java, Spring Boot, and Kafka.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, cloud-native applications in an Agile environment.

Technologies and Tools: Java 21/25, Spring Boot, REST APIs, Kafka, React, TypeScript, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, MySQL, Kubernetes, Lens, Azure DevOps, Docker

May 2025 - Present

Software Development Trainee

Infinera – R&D Department, Lisbon, Portugal

Contributed to a large-scale, microservices-based platform for planning, real-time control, and monitoring of multi-layer communication networks used by telecom operators.

  • Implemented testing strategies (unit, integration, end-to-end), improving reliability across distributed services.
  • Developed and maintained backend services using Java, Spring Boot, gRPC, and Kafka.
  • Diagnosed and resolved software defects, improving system stability and performance.
  • Authored technical documentation to support onboarding and cross-team collaboration.

Technologies: Java 17, Spring Boot, gRPC, Kafka, Docker, OracleDB, JPA, Hibernate

Sept 2023 - Jul 2024

Co-Founder & Host

Aceita Bitcoin – Portugal

Co-founded Aceita Bitcoin, an initiative focused on advancing Bitcoin education and adoption in Portugal through content, community, and technical experimentation, reaching over 2,000 users.

Exploring the platform as a foundation for a “network state” model built on a Bitcoin standard, integrating technology, governance, and digital community building.

Recognised by the Portuguese Mises Institute and featured in Região de Leiria journal for contributions to discussions on Bitcoin economics.

Technologies: Svelte, Rollup, Javascript, NPM

Jan 2020 - Present

Education

ISEL

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science and Engineering

Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa - Lisbon, Portugal
Sept 2019 - Jul 2023
Externato Dom Fuas Roupinho

High School Diploma - Science and Technologies

Externato Dom Fuas Roupinho - Nazaré, Leiria, Portugal

Skills

Languages
  • Java
  • Kotlin
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • Python
  • SQL
Backend & Systems
  • Spring Boot
  • NodeJS
  • gRPC
  • Kafka
  • REST API
  • OpenAPI
  • Protobuf
Frontend
  • React
  • Svelte
  • JetPack Compose
  • Bootstrap
Cloud & DevOps
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Lens
  • Azure DevOps
  • Nginx
  • Linux
Databases
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • Elasticsearch

Interests

Beyond my work as a Software Engineer, I’m passionate about Austrian Economics and enjoy contributing to open-source projects that make a real impact.

I’m also eager to take on new challenges and plan to learn how to sail a Laser boat in the near future.

In 2020, I co-founded "Aceita Bitcoin" in Portugal with a group of Software Engineers. This project, now featured by the Portuguese Mises Institute, includes a podcast where we’ve had the privilege of interviewing prominent voices across various fields, from engineers to economists and university professors.

Projects

Document Workflow Platform
DWP

Document Workflow Platform

Full-Stack Web Application for document workflow that provides users a permission-based and signature-oriented platform to ease multiple processes.

2023 More
Landmarks App
Landmarks App

Landmarks App

Distributed system for submitting and executing cloud computing tasks, with the ability to adapt to load variations (elasticity), with the intent of processing images to detect and verify the existence of monuments or famous landmarks, using integrated services from the Google Cloud Platform, for storage, communication, and computation.

2023 More
Battleships App
battleshipapp

Battleships App

Full-Stack Web and Mobile Application (Android) that allows multiple players to play the classic Battleships game online and cross-platform.

2022 More
Task Managment App
Task Management App

Task Management App

Task Management App with Bootstrap and Javascript, Kotlin with Http4k and JDBI with Postgres

2022 More
Roulette Game
Json Parser Library

Json Parser Lib

Json Parser Lib with Kotlin Reflection API and bytecode generation for JVM

2022 More
Borga
Borga

Borga Web App

Web Application for User Managed BoardGame Groups from Board Game Atlas Website and API using Handlebars, ExpressJS and Elastic Search

2022 More
Chess 4 Desktop
Chess 4 Desktop

Chess 4 Desktop

Desktop Chess App using Kotlin and Desktop Jetpack Compose and MongoDB

2022 More
Roulette Game
Landmarks App

Roulette Game

Roulette Game using Java, UsbPort, CUPL for ATF750C, LCD Display and 4x4 Keyboard Module

2021 More

Speaking Engagements

Speaker

Bitcoin Atlantis Conference – Funchal, Madeira

As the Co-Founder of our Bitcoin Education Project, I had the unique opportunity to take the lead in planning and arranging an entire day of educational content for the Portuguese audience at the Bitcoin Atlantis Conference in Funchal, Madeira, in March 2024. With more than 3,000 attendees, invited by André Loja, the founder of FREE Madeira, I organised a comprehensive series of lectures and workshops designed to deepen understanding and practical use of Bitcoin, such as:

  • Defining the Problem and Designing the Solution with Bitcoin
  • How Bitcoin Works and The Bitcoin Standard
  • On-Chain and Lightning Network Usage for Merchants and End Users
  • Self-Custody, Security, and Privacy Concerns
  • Bitcoin Inheritance Solutions
Mar 2024

Speaker

Futuro Bitcoin - Lisbon/Porto, Portugal

Delivered talks on Social and Technical Scalability in Bitcoin and the intersection of Software Systems and Economic Design, to an audience of 75+ attendees.

  • Presented alongside Prof. Dr. Renato Amoedo Nadier Rodrigues and Prof. Dr. Guilherme Villela de Viana Bandeira in a multidisciplinary setting combining engineering, law, and economics.
  • Contributed to thematic sessions covering Bitcoin layers, mining and energy production, and long-term technological development.
  • Participated in workshops on self-custody and Bitcoin inheritance, helping bridge technical concepts with practical user adoption.
May 2025

Interviews

Donations

Lightning Donation

Support my work using Bitcoin Lightning Network.

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