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Mapping the trends and the future of the internet in Latin America
A horizon scanning of the Latin American Web3 ecosystem: nearly 80 signals of change distilled into 11 emerging trends, so international cooperation can anticipate opportunities and risks across the region.
Partner
FCDO · UK Government · Frontier Tech Hub
Year
2022 · Latin America
Services
Horizon scanning · Strategic foresight · Signal analysis
CHALLENGE
Latam is adopting Web3 faster than anyone can understand it: inequality, inflation and institutional mistrust are fuelling experimentation. What opportunities and challenges do Web3 technologies in Latam present to international development institutions?
APPROACH
Horizon scanning with the Pluriversa team —designers, researchers, philosophers and lawyers— gathering evidence across six dimensions: political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal. Signals → trends → scenarios.
IMPACT
11 emerging trends with a maturity radar (act, get ready, watch closely) and actionable recommendations on five fronts to guide cooperation investment and policy in the region.
Eleven trends already moving the region
Each trend is composed of strong and weak signals backed by evidence: news, cases, solutions and disruptors across Latin America.
A
The rise of a common ethics
New governments and regional ethical frameworks are redefining what is good and what is harmful in the digital society.
B
Advanced food production
Blockchain, AI and IoT connect small farmers to credit, supplies and fair markets.
C
Measuring nature
Carbon, waste and energy verified on-chain to meet climate commitments.
D
Accelerating regeneration
Web3 incentives for those protecting and restoring the continent’s key ecosystems.
E
Blockchain-powered GovTech
Governments explore Web3 against corruption and for institutional trust.
F
Supply chain disruption
Producers and consumers connected without intermediaries: social justice through traceability.
G
Blockchain-powered companies
DeFi and data ownership redefine finance in a region of low banking access.
H
Normative tension
Technology moves faster than the law; poor regulation —or none— also causes harm.
I
Increased social unrest
Social movements are awakening; Web3 can channel them while guaranteeing rights.
J
Nationalizing crypto
From the Petro to the Bitcoin Law: states embrace —or ban— cryptocurrencies.
K
New technology, same crimes
Laundering, scams and legal loopholes migrate onto the blockchain.
The Trends Radar
We placed each trend by its maturity —act, get ready or watch closely— and its proximity to the report’s three fronts: tech, social and climate.
The radar: where to act today and what to watch tomorrow to impact the Global South.
«We live in increasingly uncertain times. For many, this is a source of fear; for others, it is a source of inspiration.»
Horizon Scanning Web3 Latam
Pluriversa, 2022
Separating attention from intention
A horizon scanning looks for the early warning signs of change before they become evident. We classified each signal as strong or weak according to the evidence backing it, and wove them into affinity maps around pivotal signals: that is how trends emerge.
Interpreting the environment before deciding upon it. The result is strategic intelligence for public and private organisations to explore new opportunities and detect hidden disruptors in the region.
11
emerging trends
~80
signals of change
6
dimensions analysed
3
fronts: tech, social, climate
Findings for cooperation
From the 11 trends we distilled recommendations on five fronts to help international cooperation guide its investment and policy in the region.
Legal & regulatory
The most urgent and least discussed legislation is not about cryptocurrencies: it is the one linking Blockchain to the region’s food security.
Economic
With abundant renewable energy, Latam can be a key player in securing the Bitcoin network; adoption across the South anchors the global price.
Ethical
Central bank digital currencies from the Global North risk repeating colonial domination. Recognising nature as a subject of rights points to planet-centred design.
Environmental & social
The guardians of the territory need resources, tools and privacy: protecting them is a condition for any just transition.
Education & cooperation
Investing in technology education and new relationships with Mother Earth: moving from ego-systemic to eco-systemic thinking.
Our North is the South
In 1943, Joaquín Torres-García drew Inverted America: the map of South America upside down, with the South on top. Every map is a construct that orders what matters and what does not. Reading Web3 from the South changes what it is possible to see: where others see speculation, we see territories testing futures.
Anticipate change from your organisation
Horizon scanning, signal analysis and strategic foresight to explore opportunities and detect hidden disruptors before anyone else. What comes next is designed by talking: 30 minutes, no slides, no commitment.