Argentinian President Javier Milei mentioned it will be “an honor” for Argentina to host the following version of Devconnect, a gathering of impartial occasions that foster the expansion of the Ethereum ecosystem.
Milei made the assertion in response to Vitalik Buterin’s reward of Argentina’s Ethereum neighborhood. He mentioned the power and dedication of builders based mostly within the nation are actual and the occasion must be held there.
The Ethereum co-founder assessed that the latest LIBRA memecoin scandal shouldn’t be seen as a cause to cease believing in crypto however as a motivation to unfold training.
He added:
“I proceed to be very optimistic about Argentina and Latam’s contributions and function within the area.”
In one other X publish, Buterin advised that the following version of Devconnect must be hosted in Argentina. He mentioned this may very well be a “nice alternative” to showcase good examples of crypto utilization to the Argentinian neighborhood after which tagged Milei within the publish.
Milei responded by way of social media:
“THANK YOU VERY MUCH VITALIK BUTERIN FOR YOUR WORDS ABOUT ARGENTINE TALENT!!! It will be an honor for Argentina to host Devconnect. I agree that it will be an ideal alternative for our nation.”
Based on Chainalysis’ “2024 Geography of Crypto Report,” Argentina has the Fifteenth-largest crypto adoption index and leads Latin America in crypto worth acquired, at an estimated $91.1 billion between 2023 and 2024.
LIBRA controversy
The interactions between the Argentinian President and the Ethereum co-founder come within the backdrop of great controversy. Milei endorsed the memecoin LIBRA on Feb. 14, saying the token was a solution to fund Argentinian ventures.
The token reached a $4.5 billion valuation earlier than crashing 95% over the weekend. A report by Nansen estimated that 86% of merchants misplaced $251 million, and 70% of wallets buying and selling the token over the weekend endured losses.
Hayden Davis, a key determine behind LIBRA, mentioned in an interview that Milei had no monetary stake within the token after the fiasco. Davis reportedly claimed to affect the Argentinian President by paying Milei’s sister.
Notably, Milei mentioned he didn’t intend to advertise the token and solely shared it on social media as a gesture of excellent religion towards the business.