Originally published by The Weekly Journal on Dec 22, 2021
Web 3.0 is arriving whether you’re ready or not. The defining characteristics of the new internet are: decentralization, trustless and permissionless (without authorization from a governing body), machine-learning, and increased connectivity in which blockchain is a foundational component. The Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association (PRBTA) is leading the Web 3.0 revolution on the island.
Anyone can join a free four-week introduction to Blockchain course presented by the PRBTA in collaboration with the Blockchain Education Network (BEN). The course “CryptoCurious” is offered in English or Spanish. Over four weeks, participants learn about Blockchain and major cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and NFTs.
In an interview with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL, PRBTA Executive Director Keiko Yoshino described the organization’s goal as “…to build an inclusive and accessible crypto-community in Puerto Rico among locals, so they too can learn the technology.”
Of the past blockchain seminar, taught by Puerto Ricans to fellow Puerto Ricans in Spanish, Yoshino said it “…drew people in who love community and are eager to build up a change in narrative about what newly arrived Puerto Ricans [returning from the diaspora] want to contribute to [to the island],” and was attended by “…old men, mothers, Uber drivers – a beautiful melting pot of people came out, interested.”
PRBTA also recently hosted the first Puerto Rico Blockchain Week, which ran from Dec. 6 through Dec. 12 and included conferences on the benefits of relocating to Puerto Rico, NFTs, and international blockchain investing trends.
The organization advocates for friendly blockchain legislation primarily by educating people, governments, and businesses on how blockchain works and how can improve their operations. They are trying to form a committee of subject-matter experts to address the necessary questions to create a favorable regulatory environment for crypto and blockchain in Puerto Rico.
Keiko Yoshino left Washington D.C. last year, leaving behind a fast-paced career in the public-sector, to take a chance on Puerto Rico and its opportunities for growth. Like many of those who have arrived on the island, drawn by the natural beauty and tax incentives, Yoshino was received with skepticism by some.
The benefits of the tax-haven acts supposedly contribute to the growth of the island, but instead of socioeconomic improvements to the island, what many see occurring instead is a concentration of high-income expats in the metro area, who contribute little to communities in need across the island, and who often don’t take part in becoming culturally or linguistically literate to their new “home”.
Yoshino isn’t a crypto-bro and she isn’t crypto-rich, but she does understand the impending necessity of being able to work with these new technologies. For her, the island’s major draws are its knowledge sharing economy –the entrepreneurs and small businesses – and its small-town feel. After visiting for a week in early 2021 and having a conversation with, now PRBTA General Counsel, Giovanni Méndez, she found a reason to relocate – expanding Blockchain Exchange Network’s programs to Puerto Rico.
The island, she says, has “… the feel of a small-town, with family values.” Conversely, in Washington DC, from where she relocated, people “… don’t know your name, and only want to know who you work for and what you can do for them.”
Yoshino described Puerto Rico as a “…critical mass –another beautiful thing about Puerto Rico – it’s a big enough island for growth, but small enough to still be like a family.” She hopes to build long-term relationships with universities to develop blockchain curriculums and prepare the next generation of students so they don’t have to leave the island to find rewarding careers in leading fields.
