Buenos Aires has a unique energy. It’s not just a beautiful city with rich culture — it’s a place where economic reality is felt every single day. Inflation, currency instability, and financial survival are part of normal life here. That’s exactly why Devconnect 2025 being held in Argentina made so much sense.
In past crypto cycles, the industry often felt like a casino — full of hype, noise, and speculation. Prices mattered more than products. But Devconnect 2025 felt very different. The focus was no longer on fast money. It was on real infrastructure, serious building, and long-term solutions.
During the event, I followed insights from industry leaders like Arthur Firstov (Mercuryo), Vivien Lin (BingX), and Ivan Machena (8lends). One thing became very clear:
Crypto is growing up.
We are no longer building toys for traders we are building systems for the real world.
Privacy Is No Longer Optional
The strongest message from Devconnect 2025 was simple:
Privacy is now a requirement, not a feature.
In earlier conferences, privacy was just a side topic. In Buenos Aires, it was the main conversation. The industry has finally realized that without privacy, mass adoption is impossible.
Arthur Firstov explained this shift perfectly:
“At earlier events, privacy was just one track. In Buenos Aires, it was the main stage.”
A sentence repeated everywhere during the event was:
“If your wallet is not privacy-preserving by design, it’s already outdated.”
The goal now is to make privacy invisible built into wallets and apps by default. Users don’t want to learn complex cryptography. They just want their financial data to stay private.
The Big Debate: Hardware Trust vs Pure Cryptography
One of the most intense debates at Devconnect was about Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).
Some developers believe TEEs are necessary for:
Fast execution
Private trading
AI-based strategies
Others strongly disagreed, warning:
“If we replace banks with black-box servers, are we really decentralizing anything?”
This debate didn’t end with a clear winner, but it raised an important question:
How much trust are we willing to place in hidden hardware systems?
AI Is Becoming Part of Crypto Finance
Another major theme was Artificial Intelligence.
Vivien Lin shared how exchanges are changing fast:
“Exchanges are no longer just trading platforms. They are becoming full financial ecosystems.”
AI is now being used for:
Trading assistance
Risk management
Payments
Portfolio automation
The biggest question wasn’t can AI do this?
It was how much control should AI have?
Some developers want AI to trade independently. Others believe humans must stay in control. The general agreement was: AI autonomy is possible but only with strong security and clear limits.
Argentina Brought Everyone Back to Reality
Hosting Devconnect in Argentina changed the conversation completely.
For local builders, crypto isn’t a luxury or experiment it’s a necessity. Discussions focused on:
Stablecoin salaries
Protection against inflation
Mobile wallets for low-end phones
This led to an important realization:
There is no single “typical” crypto user.
Some users want high-speed trading. Others just want to protect their income. Both matter.
Where Builders Are Actually Building
According to Ivan Machena, developers are now choosing platforms with real users and real activity:
Base→ Easy onboarding for retail users
Arbitrum→ Strong DeFi ecosystem
Polygon→ Balanced infrastructure
zkSync & StarkNet → Long-term, advanced projects
Privacy-focused platforms like Aztec and Privacy Pools are also gaining attention, especially for compliance-friendly privacy solutions.
Looking Ahead to 2026
After Devconnect 2025, one thing feels certain:
❌ The “casino” phase of crypto is ending
✅ The “infrastructure” phase has begun
Arthur Firstov summed it up well:
“Crypto’s future story is about infrastructure, stablecoins, and privacy — not price speculation.”
Vivien Lin also believes the future is ecosystem-first, where AI, liquidity, identity, and execution all work together smoothly.