Interesting finds and insights for the future and how Tezos is ahead of the game.
DevConnect Argentina is a rare kind of gathering in the crypto space. It’s not a traditional conference built around announcements or marketing, it’s a week where builders, researchers, and protocol thinkers meet to compare notes and pressure test the direction of the entire Ethereum ecosystem. Being here gives you a real sense of where the industry thinks it’s heading, what challenges matter most, and what trade offs different communities are willing to make.
Even as a Tezos supporter, the value of this event is obvious. These environments allow you to take the pulse of the broader ecosystem and see where Tezos stands in relation to others. And to my surprise (or maybe not) the gap is becoming hard to ignore. Much of what’s being presented during the event as forward looking research for Ethereum is already live, tested, and proven on Tezos. I’ll dive deeper into all of this, so stay with me. There’s a lot to unpack, why Argentina has become such fertile ground for crypto, the renewed push toward coherent L1s, privacy finally making its way back into the conversation, Etherlink stepping up as a Pragma sponsor, and the Tezos side events that gave DevConnect its own special cultural energy.
Argentina: A Crypto-Friendly Frontier
While many blockchain events happen in familiar tech hubs (San Francisco, London, Singapore), DevConnect coming to Buenos Aires is symbolic. Argentina is not just a backdrop, it’s a live laboratory for crypto use cases, structural experimentation, and grassroots adoption.
Socioeconomic context: With persistent inflation, capital controls, and currency devaluations, Argentina has been fertile ground for crypto and stable coins usage for years. The population is already familiar with digital assets as tools of financial resilience, not just speculation.
Regulatory openness: Argentina has become one of the most pragmatic environments for crypto in the region, and Lemon Cash App is the best example of that openness. Clear tax rules, legal recognition of crypto, and the freedom to operate with stable coins allowed Lemon to launch crypto linked Visa cards and integrate smoothly with the traditional banking system. Regulatory sandboxes and a generally permissive stance toward innovation created a space where Lemon and many others could grow quickly without facing the usual barriers seen in other countries, even in the region.
Use case momentum: In Argentina, you can see real world crypto use beyond pure trading. From remittances, on-chain payments in retail and services, to tokenization of real assets (agri-commodities, real estate) and local defi experimentation. This means builders are not starting from scratch, they’re building in a region with existing demand and pain points.
Talent & innovation pool: Buenos Aires hosts a vibrant tech ecosystem, strong software talent, open to crypto and web3. Hosting DevConnect here means access to builders who understand local constraints and can iterate quickly, often under pressure unlike pristine Silicon Valley conditions.
Strategic timing: The fact that DevConnect selected Argentina now signals two things: a recognition that the “next frontier” lies in regions where crypto matters on the ground, and an opportunity for participants to engage with fresh perspectives and use cases that may become mainstream in other markets only later.
The Return to Coherent L1s: Watching Ethereum Move Toward Tezos X’ Path
From the very first day, one theme stood out: Ethereum is slowly pulling back from its L2 centric narrative (the fragmented version) and returning to the reality that the L1 must be strong, coherent, and efficient. Fragmentation, uneven security guarantees, and the complexity of relying on dozens of independent L2s are forcing a recalibration. This shift highlights something we’ve known for years in Tezos: a unified chain with native scaling, coordinated upgrades, and protocol level innovation avoids many of these structural problems from the start. Just to be clear, I don’t have an issue with L2s themselves. I only call them out when they stop being real L1 extensions and turn into separate islands with multisig control or their own token, splitting the ecosystem instead of keeping it unified.
Sitting in that room, it was impossible not to feel that Tezos chose the right approach to scaling early on: coherent, integrated, and built directly into the L1 protocol (Tezos X). DevConnect Argentina makes one thing clear: the future of scaling is moving toward ideas Tezos embraced years ago, and that put a smile on my face.
The Comeback of Cypherpunk Principles
One of the most refreshing undercurrents at DevConnect was the quiet but unmistakable return of privacy as a serious pillar of the ecosystem. For years it felt like the industry had drifted away from its cypherpunk roots, trading the original idea of user autonomy for convenience, hype, or regulator-pleasing compromises. This time, though, the mood was different. You could feel that people are finally acknowledging what many of us already knew: without strong privacy, the entire promise of crypto becomes fragile. New protocols, revamped primitives, and even big players were openly embracing the need to rebuild privacy into the foundations rather than bolting it on as an afterthought.
And of course, it was impossible not to think of Tezos in that context. The ecosystem didn’t wake up to privacy because it suddenly became fashionable, it introduced Sapling (Privacy Protocol) years ago, back when most chains were still debating whether privacy was even desirable. Today it continues to support that direction with initiatives like shieldbridge, pushing for practical, user-facing privacy tools instead of theoretical promises. Seeing the broader industry finally walk toward the direction Tezos committed to long ago felt like a welcome alignment. After being a lonely topic for quite some time, privacy is now back on the table, openly discussed, explored, and pushed forward. DevConnect made it clear that the space is circling back to the ideals that started all of this, and honestly, it was good to see the room finally catching up.
Etherlink Makes Its Mark as a Pragma Sponsor
Pragma at DevConnect brought together builders, researchers, and protocol teams for a day focused entirely on the technical side of EVM-aligned development. It wasn’t a hype event; it was a room full of people discussing rollup architectures, MEV, account abstraction, modular execution, cross-chain design, and the next wave of infrastructure that will carry the ecosystem forward. The tone was practical and engineering-driven, making it one of the most valuable stops during the week for anyone working on core tech.
Etherlink played a notable role as one of the sponsors, positioning itself clearly in front of an audience that cares about robust execution environments and credible neutrality. Several members of the Tezos Core Development group were on the ground as well, spending the day networking, answering questions, and helping teams understand how to build on Etherlink. Their presence wasn’t just symbolic, they were actively facilitating conversations around tooling, performance, interoperability, and real use cases that can benefit from Etherlink’s architecture.
Tezos side events at DevConnect Argentina
During DevConnect Argentina, two vibrant Tezos hosted gatherings showcased both the community’s collaborative spirit and its commitment to art. The Tezos Breakfast Club invited DevConnect participants to Café Nómada in Villa Crespo on 21 November. It was designed as an informal morning meetup featuring coffee, pastries, and networking. In Buenos Aires, this edition celebrated the creative energy emerging from Latin America by bringing together builders, artists, and innovators who are experimenting with Tezos. It aimed to connect local builders and curators, share stories from Tezos initiatives in the region and highlight how Tezos nurtures a sustainable, human centered blockchain culture. The relaxed atmosphere of conversation and croissants provided a welcoming start to the day, and the meetup was hosted by the Tezos Trailblazers Bosque Gracias, Lucasoxx who is part of Newtro Arts team.
The Art on Tezos: Buenos Aires gathering, held as a one‑day satellite event during DevConnect, was a pop up exhibition that celebrated a thriving network of artists and technologists building culture within the Tezos ecosystem. Visitors stepped into a space alive with creativity, conversation and connection, complete with projections, glowing installations, multimedia displays, food and drinks. The curatorial concept revolved around “artists curating artists” members of the Newtro collective each selected additional Tezos ecosystem artists, creating a network of works from different times, paths and contexts. This approach symbolised a living tree, whose roots represent the underground networks of collaboration and care. The event, underscored the collective’s mission to promote digital art across Latin America through workshops that have onboarded hundreds of artists to blockchain creativity.
Both events benefited from the broader ecosystem’s support. Tezos Trailblazers organised the Breakfast Club, while Newtro Arts curated the art exhibition. Together, the Breakfast Club and Art on Tezos showcase how Tezos aligned groups, and the ecosystem in general bring together global artists, builders and collectors under one roof, sharing a passion for art, culture, and blockchain innovation.
Being there was incredible, I’ve followed the Art on Tezos scene online for a while, but watching it unfold in real life was something else entirely. The room had the same energy I’d sensed on the screen, only amplified, and the dedication from the artists and organizers blew me away. I left both the Breakfast Club and the exhibition feeling thankful and energized, knowing that what I’d seen online was the real deal. Huge thanks to Tezos Commons for giving me the opportunity to witness this community up close.
DevConnect Refocused: Back to L1 Strength, Unified Ecosystems, and Real Privacy
DevConnect felt like a reset. The industry is slowly waking up to the idea that strong L1s and unified ecosystems matter again, and privacy is finally being treated as a real building block rather than a secondary thing. Etherlink and several members of the Tezos teams were everywhere: Events, hackathons, side conversations, showing developers and people in general why Tezos’ design might be exactly what their projects need if they want real scalability without sacrificing security.
And in the middle of all this technical intensity, the Tezos Art events brought a completely different energy. The Tezos Breakfast and the Art on Tezos gathering reminded me that this ecosystem isn’t only about code; it’s also about people, creativity, and culture.
DevConnect Buenos Aires 2025 was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
