Key facts:
In Argentina, the vast majority know about cryptocurrencies.
Now it is possible to access credits backed by bitcoin in Chile.
Bitcoin in Spanish speaking is a weekly newsletter from CriptoNoticias in which we review the most important news related to bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and blockchains in the Hispanic world.
The last week was less hectic than usual. However, among the few news generated there were important news, such as the arrival of services with bitcoin (BTC) to Bancolombia or the new product of the Buda.com exchange in Chile: credits backed by BTC.
Meanwhile, Honduras and Uruguay add Bitcoin ATMs, Venezuelan soccer has a new sponsor from the world of cryptocurrencies and Paraguay has great events related to this industry.
To learn more about the most recent events in Spanish-speaking countries, here is the weekly summary of CriptoNoticias:
Argentina
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are already universal knowledge. Visa reached this conclusion after seeing the results of a survey it conducted in eight countries, among which Argentina stands out. According to the study, a massive 94% of respondents know about cryptocurrencies, while 62% increased its use during this year.
With that level of knowledge about cryptocurrencies on the part of Argentines, it is not by chance that there are contests and various initiatives to promote projects that involve these assets or the use of a blockchain. Such was the case of the Startup Competition, which awarded the equivalent of $ 2,500 to a company dedicated to collecting tokens for charitable causes.
Meanwhile, Argentine artists continue to approach collectibles on blockchains, the already popular globally non-fungible tokens (NFT). The last to do so was the Babasónicos group, with a collection of works eponymous to their most recent single, “La Left de la Noche.”
chili
The bitcoin-backed loans arrived in Chile, thanks to the local exchange Buda.com. Users of this platform can opt for credits of 50% of the funds they leave as collateral in BTC, in a service that the exchange plans to expand to other countries where they operate in the near future.
Today is a great day for @BudaPuntoCom
We launch credits backed by #Bitcoin, so you can use your hodleo to pay the bills while continuing to invest.
I am very proud of the team and happy for the industry.
It is enabled for some accounts. Join the waiting list pic.twitter.com/MjYxofqBEw
– Guillermo Torrealba (@Guilletorrealba) December 9, 2021
Colombia
The trend of banks providing services related to bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is present in Colombia. This occurs thanks to the alliance between Bancolombia, one of the most important banking institutions in the South American country; and the Gemini exchange. Besides BTC, bank clients will be able to trade ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC) and bitcoin cash (BCH).
Cuba
Cuba moves more and more in the world of cryptocurrencies. After we have reviewed the growth of businesses that accept payments with bitcoin, this week CriptoNoticias reported that a company is offering scholarships from the popular play-to-earn game Axie Infinity.
The Savior
This week the eight winners of the El Salvador Mortgage Bank hackathon were announced. During the event, projects in five categories were awarded and the institution has an undefined period of time to evaluate the viability and final development of the awarded products.
Bitcoin Beach, a project that inspired the adoption of BTC as legal tender in the country, you will have a bank in the future. This was commented to CriptoNoticias by the founder of the American company Galoy, in charge of the development of the Bitcoin Beach Wallet. The project is already under development and will see the light of day in early 2022.
Spain
The Bitpanda exchange, based in Austria and also present in Spain, will invest about 10 million euros to create a technology hub in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The company expects to allocate most of the funds to hiring specialists, with the goal of having about 100 employees at the technology center by the end of 2022.
Honduras
There are already two Bitcoin ATMs in Honduras. Both machines are in the capital, Tegucigalpa. The new equipment was installed this week at Casa Quinchon, a historic downtown building used by entrepreneurs and remote workers.
The new Bitcoin ATM is located in the center of Tegucigalpa. Source: Google Maps.
Paraguay
Paraguay, a country that is increasingly related to cryptocurrencies (especially as a destination of interest for Bitcoin mining), had its first major event related to this world this week.
It’s about the Southern Crypto Summit, an event that seeks to become the meeting point of preference for the Paraguayan community of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, which is rapidly growing.
Uruguay
Another country that begins to add Bitcoin ATMs is Uruguay. As we learned this week, the first of these teams in the South American country will be installed at the beginning of next year in the town of Punta del Este.
Venezuela
Venezuelan soccer has a new face related to bitcoin. Specifically, with the mining of this cryptocurrency. Cripto Ávila, a company dedicated to the sale of mining equipment which has a museum on the history of this industry, became an official sponsor of the Venezuelan professional football league, whose tournament had the Grand Final this weekend.
Venezuelan soccer fans flocked to buy their tickets for the Grand Final at the headquarters of Cripto Ávila. Source: courtesy of Cripto Ávila.
A group of Venezuelan artists decided to enter the world of NFTs with force, with the creation of their own exhibition. The Tokenía gathered for two days the enthusiasts and artists of this industry, who sell their works on the Objkt.com market, which runs on the Tezos blockchain.
Events of the week
Among the events related to bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and blockchains in the region for this week, the following stand out in the CriptoNoticias calendar:
Monday, December 13: «Digital currencies», organized by Web3 Latam.
Tuesday, December 14: “Free Workshop: Bases of trading on the Binance platform”, event organized by LaBitConf.
Wednesday, December 15: «NFT’s». Organized by web3 Latam.
Thursday, December 16: “Introductory talk to Bitcoin and Blockchain”, by the NGO Bitcoin Argentina.
Friday, December 17: «Blockchain x Social Impact», by Web3 Latam.
Merchants that accept cryptocurrencies in Spanish-speaking countries
Do you know or do you have a small business that accepts bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for its products and services?
We invite you to share the information with us through editor@criptonoticias.com. We will report on the adoption of cryptocurrencies of that business in any of the Spanish-speaking countries.