Argentina Local Node - Regional Evaluation

General
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As per the Local Nodes framework, the present post stands as a regional evaluation submission for the development of a Scroll local node in Argentina. If approved, a subsecuent proposal will be posted with the detail initiatives and scope of the local node.

Overview

Argentina’s Web3 landscape, particularly cryptocurrency, is currently shaped by economic needs, regulatory developments and an immense human capital. Along the past years, high inflation and currency controls have set the conditions for the crypto industry to flourish, which is now translating into increasing adoption, with stablecoins playing a key role for savings and remittances.

Due to this increasing activity, regulations are now becoming stricter, with new rules for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), potentially impacting mainstream adoption but, despite challenges, the ecosystem is vibrant, with active communities and recurrent events that keep pushing the ecosystem forward and positioning Argentina as a worldwide crypto capital.

Argentina’s selection for Devconnect shows its immense potential for Ethereum-aligned builders and the broader blockchain industry. This recognition not only highlights the nation’s dynamic tech environment but also paves the way for enhanced collaboration, accelerated innovation, and transformative growth in decentralized technologies.

1. Web3 Adoption

Argentina’s engagement with Web3 technologies, particularly cryptocurrencies, reflects a dynamic interplay of economic necessity, regulatory evolution, and community-driven innovation.

Argentina has emerged as a leader in Web3 adoption, particularly in cryptocurrency, driven by economic instability. Research from Chainalysis 2024 LATAM Crypto Adoption Report indicates that between July 2023 and June 2024, Argentina received $91.1 billion in cryptocurrency value, surpassing Brazil and ranking 15th globally in the Global Adoption Index. Another report shows Argentina as the leader in adoption in Latam, with 19% of the population using Blockchain technology.

Stablecoins, such as USDT and USDC, account for 61.8% of trading volume, significantly above the global average of 44.7%, reflecting their use as a hedge against inflation. A report from Crypto Adoption in Argentina: Everything To Know projects 11.01 million crypto users by 2025, highlighting widespread use for savings and remittances, especially given strict currency controls since 2020. This adoption is particularly notable per capita, with 2.5 million users on top exchanges out of 130 million global visitors, as noted in Buenos Aires Times | Argentina is a record cryptocurrency adopter.

2. Regulatory Landscape

The regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in Argentina is evolving, with a focus on compliance and oversight.

As of March 2025, the Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) introduced a resolution formalizing regulations for Providers of Virtual Asset Services (PSAVs). The document itself mandates registration for individuals, domestic firms, and foreign entities, with requirements for cybersecurity, anti-money laundering (AML), and asset custody. Additionally, an ongoing asset regularization program, or “blanqueo”, allows individuals to declare previously undeclared crypto assets with tax. This aligns with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, aiming to mitigate risks like money laundering.

Although this tightening regulatory environment may pose challenges to mainstream adoption it does showcase that cryptocurrency regulation is highly present within the public agenda.

3. Adoption Challenges

Despite robust adoption, several challenges persist. Economic instability, particularly high inflation (276% annually by 2024), and currency devaluation, drive crypto use but also create volatility. Strict currency controls limit access to dollars, pushing reliance on stablecoins, yet regulatory uncertainty, with new VASP rules, may deter some users.

Additionally, potential lack of financial education, especially in rural areas, could limit broader adoption. Lot of people (mostly in rural areas) struggle to connect with other builders and get their hands on educational resources. You can see this linked with the need for financial alternatives. Despite this, with over 40% poverty rates, this technology continues to fuel growth

4. Centralized Exchanges

A comprehensive list of CEXs operating in the country are:

These CEXs play a big role in Argentina’s crypto trading volume, 60% of which is composed of stablecoins.

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5. Local Ecosystem & Existing Communities

With equally high doses of talent and resilience, Argentina has been the birthplace of some of the most renowned projects in the space, which have not stopped growing since the first ETHGlobal hackathon, held in the city in 2018. Some of these are: OpenZeppelin, Hardhat (Nomic Foundation), Decentraland, POAP, Balmy (former Mean.finance), Aligned Layer (by Lambda Class), Mimic, Wonderland, Belo, Ripio, Lemon, BuenBit, SenseiNode, Kleros, Democracy Earth / Proof of Humanity, Mountain Protocol (USDM), Num finance, Muun, Beefy Finance, Exactly Protocol, BootNode, CoinFabrik, Karpatkey, OpenVino, SimpleFi, Forta and SatoshiTango, among others.

Several communities make up for this vibrancy, driving initiatives all along the funnel to keep pushing the ecosystem forward. Some of the most active communities in the Web3 Argentina landscape are:

6. Crypto-Friendly Businesses

The adoption of crypto by businesses is gradually increasing, with retail merchants starting to accept cryptocurrencies as payment methods. For example, SimpleFi onboarded +30 merchants during Aleph pop-up city in August 2024, by launching the $MORFI token for Aleph citizens to exchange at lunch. This trend was maintained, and with this strategy, multiple stores now support payments through stablecoins, natively.

7. Leadership

At SEED Latam, we are applying to be the coordinator of this initiative because we have a track record of community building and we are highly aligned with the Scroll ecosystem. Our experience comprises logistics, operations, comms, promotion, outreach, and attracting new communities to join the local node.

For over 4 years, we´ve been hosting IRL Community Events, attracting top talent in the industry and creating memorable experiences. We took part in big events such as LaBitconf, Aleph or Ethereum Argentina. Also, made direct contact with builders through social hangouts and meetups. We gained experience organizing events & crafting logistics.

We are now organizing the Gira SEED, a series of meetups across multiple cities in Argentina, designed to drive blockchain and Web3 adoption. Each stop focuses on networking, sharing knowledge, and onboarding new members into the Web3 ecosystem. We already went to our first stop and hosted Blockchain Patagonia, a multiple-day event with activities for people in the region to engage with. Now we are planning our next stop, looking for more builders across the country.

Going to a more technical scope, we can mention 2 main topics. Nodes Club (the biggest Nodes community in LatAm) and Technical Workshops, focused on Blockchain-specific content. What identifies our community is the high concentration of technical profiles, bringing constant in-depth debates.

Also, our involvement with Scroll dates back to its inception, with Spanish documentation translations, as well as researching and publishing several articles on the behind-the-scenes technology in order to contribute to early expansion, also backed with workshops destined to the Spanish-speaking community. We are active delegates on Scroll governance and part of the Top 10 VP holders, keeping high commitment and participation with DAO-led initiatives that drive and work towards Scroll’s success.

Naturally, doors are open to collaborate with other local organizations and communities further in the development of the local node.

8. Events & Hackathons

Some of the highlights of the never-ending list of events hosted in Argentina are:

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Scroll had an active presence in the Argentina landscape. Taking part in conferences like Ethereum Argentina, SEED Latam meetups, Ethereum Latam 2022 & muBuenos.

Hackatons

Hackathons occur frequently in Argentina. During the Aleph event, at least four hackathons were hosted, and numerous side projects also organized their own. It is common to find at least one hackathon occurring every two months. These events attract significant attention from builders and developers, making them an effective way to attract talent to the region.

9. Why your region

We believe that Argentina’s case for running a Scroll local node is compelling. The economic adversities have forged a sense of resilience and innovation within the community that is now recognized globally within the crypto industry. Also, this exceptional pool of blockchain talent, passionate set of Web3 communities and successful crypto-driven businesses has yet room to grow based on ongoing real-world demands and yet- to- be found use cases.

We’d like to see Scroll take an active role in this momentum the country is living and benefit from all the synergies that on-the-ground presence brings. To that end, we’re currently developing a proposal for a comprehensive local node within the shared guidelines, focusing on builders, founders and the Scroll Open ecosystem as

Reports & Documentation

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At Ethereum Argentina, we fully support the establishment of a local node in our country.

The SEED team has done an excellent job outlining the many reasons why Argentina is a great fit for expanding Scroll’s presence.

As you may already know from our interactions in this governance, our focus is always aligned with identifying founders and builders for Scroll. That’s our top priority in any Scroll DAO-related matter.

That’s why we’d like to highlight the hackathon organized last year as part of Ethereum Argentina: Level Up by Scroll.

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The hackathon gathered over 300 participants and was the very first brand edition of this program powered by Scroll.

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Level Up Hackathon was a great success, with many of its winners still actively building their products.

Why do we bring up this event? To highlight that Scroll already has a strong presence in Argentina, and with the creation of a local node, we can build on that existing awareness to double down on efforts to attract builders to an ecosystem that has already shown strong commitment to our country.

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With Devconnect taking place in Argentina in just seven months, there’s no better place to be than here. This presence will allow the DAO to connect with a developer community not only from our country and Latin America, but from all over the world.

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SEED Latam and Ethereum Argentina teams,

Thank you for your comprehensive Regional Evaluation Proposal for establishing a Scroll Local Node in Argentina. Your submission highlights the immense potential Argentina holds within the Web3 and Ethereum ecosystems, and we are excited to move forward with the next steps toward the establishment of this node.

Observations:

  • Argentina’s Competitive Position: Argentina is undeniably one of the most competitive regions for Ethereum and the broader Web3 ecosystem. The country boasts a rich talent pool of builders, founders, and established projects that have set the foundation for continued innovation.
  • Building Hype and Attention: There is a growing momentum in Argentina, particularly since the launch of initiatives like Crecimiento and Aleph, which have driven significant attention. With Devconnect coming to Buenos Aires later this year, there is no better time to solidify Scroll’s presence and further engage with this vibrant community.
  • Early Engagement and Relationships: Our involvement in Argentina dates back to the very first ETH Latam. We recognized the country’s importance early on and worked to lay the groundwork for deeper relationships that continue to bear fruit today.
  • Thriving Ecosystem and Community: Argentina is home to a thriving ecosystem of Web3 communities that are continuously finding new ways to keep people engaged and educated on the strengths of blockchain technology. The work these communities do in educating the broader population is critical for sustained adoption.
  • Talent Pool: Argentina has been a fertile ground for some of the brightest talent in the blockchain space, particularly in Solidity and Zero Knowledge (ZK). This level of talent positions Argentina as a leader in developer capacity within LATAM.
  • Level Up Hackathon: The Level Up Hackathon was a key moment for our efforts in Argentina. It was a clear signal to Argentine developers that Scroll had a place for them. We envisioned that the winners of this hackathon would continue to build with us in the Scroll Ecosystem.
  • Chatterpay’s Success: We are thrilled to see Chatterpay, a winner of the Level Up Hackathon, selected as one of the 10 projects for Open Campus in Malaysia this May. This is a direct result of the strong showing they had at the hackathon and their continued commitment to building their product within the Scroll ecosystem.
  • Building on the Momentum: This is an exciting time to continue harnessing the momentum created by these initiatives and bringing more projects into the Scroll ecosystem, particularly through the Open Economy initiatives. Scroll should be positioned within Argentina as the leading platform for developers to build the open economy, with a community-first focus that has been central to our mission over the years.
  • Scroll Open in July: As we look toward Scroll Open in July, we are eager to see more Argentine projects making their mark. We hope that Argentina’s strong dev community will continue to make waves, with even more projects participating and advancing to future Open Campus editions.
  • Leadership in the Proposal: Two of the strongest communities in Argentina, SEED Latam and Ethereum Argentina, are leading this proposal. We believe these teams have the necessary capacity to plan, execute, and iterate on a successful Local Node proposal.

Recommendations and Next Steps:

  • The priority for this Local Node should remain on sourcing and supporting founders who are building within the Scroll Ecosystem.
  • With Scroll Open coming up in July, a strong showing from the Argentine dev community should be a key target for the initiatives to be planned as part of the Local Node.
  • We are ready to move to the next stage of the Local Nodes Framework and collaborate with the involved communities to create a detailed Local Node Proposal for Argentina.
  • The draft version of the proposal must be posted on the forum as part of the voting cycle, receiving feedback from delegates and requiring at least 3 endorsements for the proposal to move forward in the next voting cycle.
  • If the goal is for the proposal to be voted on in the May cycle, we highly encourage the Argentine teams to post a draft on the forum no later than April 23rd, 2025 to ensure ample time for feedback and endorsements in time for the May 1 voting cycle.
  • We would like to emphasize that the Regional Evaluation stage is intended to show support for the creation of a Local Node in Argentina rather than endorsing or approving the specific team to lead or execute the proposed initiatives. The team responsible for operating the Local Node, as well as the specific initiatives it will undertake, will be decided separately during the Local Node proposal stage. This will be a distinct process, and the final decision will be made by the DAO to ensure that the most capable team is selected to drive the Local Node’s success.

Conclusion:

Scroll Foundation fully supports the creation of a Local Node Proposal for Argentina. We are excited about the potential for collaboration and growth in Argentina, and we look forward to seeing the proposal move forward and become a vital part of Scroll’s global expansion.

Juan Molina
Community Lead
Scroll

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Appreciate the positive feedback and excited to push this initiative forward! We’ll work towards the set timeline and recommendations in order to see the proposal live.

Thanks Juan and team! :argentina: :scroll:

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