Thomas Daniels
Latin America’s developer community is increasingly gravitating toward established blockchain ecosystems such as Ethereum and Polygon rather than launching new base-layer protocols, according to a recent report from Sherlock Communications.
The study—based on qualitative interviews with 85 developers from Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru—reveals that builders in the region prioritize transparency, governance coordination, and regulatory compliance. They favor intuitive tooling, strong documentation, and networks with proven operational histories—qualities that make Ethereum and Polygon especially attractive.
Luiz Eduardo Abreu Hadad, blockchain consultant and researcher at Sherlock Communications, told Cointelegraph that Latin American developers demonstrate “strong technical maturity” with an emphasis on tangible, real‑world applications. While he acknowledges the region has the capacity to build new platforms, Hadad emphasizes that “the current reality” is that Latin America will serve primarily as a hub for development and adoption within existing blockchain ecosystems.
On‑chain transaction data corroborates this pattern. An analysis of 697,000 blockchain transactions tied to Latin American‑based wallets between June 2024 and June 2025 showed Ethereum accounted for over 75% of activity in the region; during the same period, Polygon contributed roughly 11%. Notably, Polygon’s share nearly doubled to 20% by June 2025, underscoring accelerating adoption.
That said, local initiatives suggest the potential for new platforms. Tokenization projects and national blockchain infrastructures—such as Brazil’s Núclea Chain and RBB—indicate both regional ambition and capability for creating novel ecosystems.
Looking ahead, the next generation of Latin American developers—including students and hackathon participants—is directing attention toward decentralized applications (DApps) and real‑world asset (RWA) tokenization. Areas like supply chain transparency, DePIN, trust, usability, and economic sustainability are emerging as focal points. Hadad notes that these developers seek stable ecosystems, intuitive tools, and sustainable incentives to address issues of trust, transparency, and practical usability in blockchain technology.
