1/ Driving real world impact with Ethereum in LatAm, a guest thread by 0xcush

In a region marked by financial exclusion, corruption and poor governance, Ethereum is paving the way for a more prosperous future for the region.

Ethereum is the world computer. The universal platform for cryptocurrencies, blockchain apps, stablecoins, and decentralized technologies.

2/ In LatAm, many people face political and monetary struggles—unstable currencies, high inflation, limited financial access, and dependence on remittances.

Making a living means dealing with salaries that lose value overnight and few to no opportunities to earn yield on savings.

3/ With over 140M unbanked people in LatAm, more than 40M have turned to crypto for financial access. It's the world’s second-fastest-growing region, with adoption up 42.5% YoY. Centralized exchanges process 68.7% of local crypto transactions, with stablecoin-based remittances gaining traction.

4/ Where traditional systems fall short, Ethereum steps in. Stablecoins hedge against inflation, DeFi unlocks yield and credit access, remittances cut costly middlemen, and DAOs allow new governance models—driving freedom and transparency in LatAm.

Now, let’s see the real impact:

5/ Agriculture, the backbone of LatAm’s economy, needs credit—but loans are scarce. @ethichub is leading a real solution connecting small coffee farmers to fair lenders onchain, turning their crops into a global, community-backed asset.

📸 A look behind the scenes at EthicHub: green coffee bags, the tangible result of our collective investments. 🌱☕

This isn’t just coffee; it’s real assets born from the collaboration between farmers and our impact community. 💚

#DeFiRevolution #BlockchainForGood https://t.co/bEzUZZEvwr

EthicHub(🌱, 🌱)| Blockchain | Café ☕

Connecting people, harvesting wealth
Connecting yield farmers with actual farmers
Since 2017 paving the way for the ReFi movement

5/ Agriculture, the backbone of LatAm’s economy, needs credit—but loans are scarce. @ethichub is leading a real solution connecting small coffee farmers to fair lenders onchain, turning their crops into a global, community-backed asset. https://x.com/EthicHub/status/1862470300140482868

6/ Aside from being scarce, loan interest rates can be predatory—even for the basics. So I used DeFi to buy a car, and it worked! I took out a 0.5% interest rate loan (vs. 24% APR best bank rate) against my ETH using @liquityprotocol. Here’s how:

summary_large_image

Interest rates for car loans in Guatemala (and much of the global south) are too damn high (20%+)!

I used DeFi to buy a car to both get a better loan and showcase the power of DeFi in Latin America to bring forth more financial freedom in the region 🌎

https://t.co/vEuyxi4WzE

cush

Be $BOLD • The best way to borrow with (staked) ETH • liquity.org

6/ Aside from being scarce, loan interest rates can be predatory—even for the basics. So I used DeFi to buy a car, and it worked! I took out a 0.5% interest rate loan (vs. 24% APR best bank rate) against my ETH using @liquityprotocol. Here’s how: https://x.com/0xcush/status/1653822501133099008

7/ Meanwhile, @MountainUSDM, built by LatAm founders who truly understand the struggle, offers a yield-bearing stablecoin solution designed for local realities—access to USD savings is tough, and earning yield is even harder.

1/ The Mountain Protocol team is excited to start 2025 and committed to keep supporting the digital assets ecosystem through our flagship product: USDM.

USDM is the first regulated, permissionless, yield-bearing stablecoin, proudly backed by @multicoincap, @CastleIslandVC,… https://t.co/w2E90GBUht

Mountain Protocol

8/ In a region where political instability can put personal data at risk, decentralized identity is key. Built on Ethereum and @zksync, QuarkID gives Buenos Aires residents control of their identity, reducing reliance on centralized entities and enhancing privacy.

8/ In a region where political instability can put personal data at risk, decentralized identity is key. Built on Ethereum and @zksync, QuarkID gives Buenos Aires residents control of their identity, reducing reliance on centralized entities and enhancing privacy.
https://x.com/zksync/status/1757423423129526609

9/ Millions in LatAm rely on remittances, which exceed 20% of GDP in some countries. Local crypto companies like @bitso enable cheaper, faster and inflation-resistant transfers. Bitso processes 10% of flows across the U.S. to Mexico.

9/ Millions in LatAm rely on remittances, which exceed 20% of GDP in some countries. Local crypto companies like @bitso enable cheaper, faster and inflation-resistant transfers. Bitso processes 10% of flows across the U.S. to Mexico. 
https://business.bitso.com/hubfs/BITSO%20-%20BLOG%20(V1)/FROM_BARRIERS_TO_BRIDGES_How_Blockchain_Can_Reshape_Cross-Border_Payments_in_Latin_America.pdf

10/ Crypto adoption is high in LatAm, but barriers remain. That’s why traditional players matter. Nubank, the first local bank to enable Ethereum transfers, is bringing  millions closer to self-custody, transparency, and DeFi—unlocking financial freedom.

10/ Crypto adoption is high in LatAm, but barriers remain. That’s why traditional players matter. Nubank, the first local bank to enable Ethereum transfers, is bringing  millions closer to self-custody, transparency, and DeFi—unlocking financial freedom.
https://international.nubank.com.br/company/nubank-announces-sending-and-receiving-cryptocurrencies-directly-through-the-platform/

11/ In Argentina, where 8.6M out of 45.8M people use crypto amid economic instability, Lemonapp is leading adoption. With 2M users, it enables buying, selling, and earning yield. And now, with Lemon Card, crypto spending keeps growing, bringing blockchain payments into daily life.

12/ LatAm isn't just using Ethereum—it’s building on it. @odisealabs (which I am a part of), Crecimientoar and other grassroots movements are accelerating teams, educating developers, and onboarding users, making crypto adoption a reality in the region with an open, decentralized ethos.

12/ LatAm isn't just using Ethereum—it’s building on it. @odisealabs (which I am a part of), Crecimientoar and other grassroots movements are accelerating teams, educating developers, and onboarding users, making crypto adoption a reality in the region with an open, decentralized ethos.
https://x.com/odisealabs/status/1862189192194703710

13/ That’s a wrap for this thread, but things in Latin America are just getting started. It’s been a pleasure, amigos.

The region is moving fast, and there’s plenty more to come. Let us know below the use-cases you’re excited for in the region.

latam/acc

7/ Meanwhile, @MountainUSDM, built by LatAm founders who truly understand the struggle, offers a yield-bearing stablecoin solution designed for local realities—access to USD savings is tough, and earning yield is even harder. 
https://x.com/MountainUSDM/status/1879893965811376177

Doesn't this require you to have access to enough money to buy the ETH collateral to begin with? 

Most people need to use the car, itself, as collateral for the loan, and the higher interest rates reflect the risk the lender takes on for a quickly-depreciating asset.

Feels like we still need a system that doesn't require a car's worth of ETH to truly fix this particular problem.