The Unexpected Gift of the Ethereum Diaspora for Latin America

The article argues that recent departures and reorganization at the Ethereum Foundation (EF) — while a governance shock — create a structural opportunity for Latin America. As EF talent disperses, developers and researchers are likely to join startups, DAOs and Layer-2 projects or relocate to lower-cost Latin American hubs, enabling a “brain gain,” stronger local governance participation, and more on-the-ground Ethereum use cases (stablecoins, remittances, digital identity). Funding is shifting from centralized EF grants toward decentralized mechanisms (Layer 2 grants, Gitcoin, DAOs), which favors execution-focused teams in the region. Risks include losing EF-supported translation and education resources unless regional communities and governments build replacement infrastructure. Market impact: deeper Latin American adoption and developer decentralization could increase real-world demand for ETH and Layer-2 services, supporting medium-term network utility and institutional interest in ETHUSD.