Summary
El Salvador is one of the most advanced countries in Latin America in terms of digital asset, stablecoin, and AI regulation. Its legal framework allows for compliant issuance and experimentation with RWAs, tokenized securities, and blockchain financial infrastructure.
Ethereum Volcano is a non-profit organization based in El Salvador, dedicated to education & frontier technology, and aligned with Ethereum’s vision as the Infinite Garden and the World Computer.
Our recently approved proposal under the Arbitrum Education, Community Growth, and Events 3.0 Domain program, allows us to establish ArbitrumDAO as the official blockchain sponsor of Fintech Forum El Salvador 2025 (and the only DAO represented at this event), the country’s premier financial summit. The initiative is structured around two complementary pillars: first, a strong institutional presence and high-impact engagement at the Fintech Forum itself; and second, the launch of the first-ever Arbitrum Bootcamp in El Salvador, designed to onboard developers, founders, builders, fintech teams, policymakers, digital asset legal professionals and university students into the Arbitrum ecosystem.
This proposal represents a hybrid initiative that combines regional marketing efforts with the groundwork for subsequent business development and growth opportunities, both for Arbitrum and the broader Central and Latin American ecosystems. It is worth highlighting that the largest stablecoin and blockchain technology company operating in the space is already based in El Salvador, leveraging the country’s advanced regulatory framework, one that is increasingly seen as a reference model for the rest of the world
This is the first milestone report. Following a strategic revision of the original proposal, the execution sequence was adjusted to prioritize community activation and a strong institutional presence at the Fintech Forum, alongside the launch of the Bootcamp application process. The second phase will focus exclusively on the implementation of the Bootcamp.
ArbitrumDAO @ El Salvador Fintech Forum 2025
We successfully executed the Arbitrum presence at Fintech Forum 2025, held in San Salvador, in collaboration with the Ethereum Volcano team and local Arbitrum contributors.
✨🌋 Team Volcano en el #FintechForum2025 organizado por @asafintech 🇸🇻
— Ethereum Volcano 🌋🦄 (@ethvolcano_) June 24, 2025
- Así vivimos el evento que posiciona a El Salvador como hub regional de innovación financiera + tokenizacion.
Traído a ustedes con el apoyo de:@arbitrum @arbitrum_esp @arbitrumdao_gov
Video Recap👇 pic.twitter.com/ruNLrGYjme
Sponsor Booth — ArbitrumDAO Presence at Fintech Forum
We hosted an Arbitrum-branded booth, coordinated by Ethereum Volcano and staffed by local ambassadors and community leads. The booth served as a direct point of contact for developers, founders, regulators, and fintech professionals interested in the Arbitrum ecosystem. Activities included:
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Technical and Regulatory Onboarding:
We answered a wide range of questions from participants about Arbitrum’s infrastructure, how it operates, and its relevance within the broader Ethereum and Layer 2 ecosystem. Special attention was given to explaining the role of ArbitrumDAO in ecosystem governance, decentralization, and innovation pathways. -
Ecosystem Engagement and Institutional Outreach:
Key figures from the Salvadoran fintech, legal, and digital asset communities were actively onboarded and introduced to ArbitrumDAO as a model for decentralized governance. In particular, we emphasized how Arbitrum’s permissionless and modular architecture offers an ideal testing ground for innovative solutions within regulatory sandboxes, especially in regions like El Salvador, which is currently pioneering comprehensive frameworks for blockchain and AI experimentation in Latin America. -
Social Media & Merch Dynamics:
We launched an ArbitrumDAO branded giveaway campaign during the event. Participants were invited to engage through fun social media dynamics, including posting event photos, tagging ArbitrumDAO, and referring peers to apply for the Bootcamp. Winners received exclusive and beautiful merchandise, helping amplify awareness and community-driven momentum.
Extra Deliverables - Community Activations & Arbitrum Engagement
In addition to the original plan, we conducted the following community and ecosystem activations:
IRL Office Hours — Strategic 1-on-1 Onboarding Sessions
In the lead-up to our participation at the Fintech Forum, and during the event itself, several companies operating in the digital asset space, including firms focused on tokenization, asset structuring, and regulated financial services, proactively approached the Ethereum Volcano team with interest in learning how to integrate with the Arbitrum ecosystem.
To address this interest in a meaningful and professional way, we organized targeted 1-on-1 sessions under the format of IRL Office Hours.
These sessions served as an entry point to introduce Arbitrum’s infrastructure, Orbit architecture, and DAO governance tooling. Beyond basic onboarding, we facilitated exploratory conversations around how Arbitrum could serve as the foundational layer for tokenization processes, custom wallets, or as the base layer for broader fintech platforms operating under local regulatory frameworks.
As a result of these meetings, several reputable companies with a solid user base have expressed formal interest in building on Arbitrum or integrating its tech stack into their infrastructure. These conversations have continued beyond the event and are now progressing into the next phase, with deeper technical and strategic engagement.
We are also coordinating direct touchpoints between these entities and the Arbitrum Foundation for potential long-term collaboration and strategic alignment, including commercial partnerships, technical integration, and co-sponsored initiatives. While we fulfilled our role as ecosystem connectors and facilitators, the next steps are being shaped based on mutual interest and ongoing dialogue with the involved parties.
Ecosystem Activations
We organized additional activations to drive engagement and awareness:
Global Pizza Party
Casual community gathering with builders and ecosystem friends.During the event, we introduced our local community to the project we’re currently building with support from ArbitrumDAO, and shared details about the upcoming bootcamp, what to expect and why it’s an important opportunity for the region.
UCA x Ditobanx Hackathon
University + fintech event introducing Arbitrum to local dev talent.
DAS Builders Dinner
Private dinner with ecosystem contributors and regulators.- Web3 MasterClass
We conducted a 0-to-1 Masterclass session on Web3, Ethereum, and Arbitrum, designed to activate interest and engagement ahead of the upcoming Bootcamp. - Twitter Space with Arbitrum en Español
We joined a public Space with the Arbitrum en Español team to share our vision and promote both the Forum presence and Bootcamp. The session was attended by Spanish-speaking contributors from across Latin America.
About the Fintech Forum 2025 – Press Release
With over 600 attendees, the El Salvador Fintech Forum 2025 took place on June 12 in San Salvador, reaffirming the country’s growing interest in financial innovation. Organized by the national fintech association and an international consulting firm, the event featured a forward-looking agenda covering topics such as artificial intelligence, instant payments, financial regulation, and asset tokenization.
Following the success of its first edition in 2024—which brought together over 400 participants and more than 35 partner institutions—the forum returned with an even more robust program. The event aimed not only to showcase innovations, but also to foster meaningful interactions and real business opportunities within the region’s fintech ecosystem.
Among the featured sessions was a “Fire Chat” focused on successful use cases of generative AI, featuring leaders from the tech and software development sectors. Another standout was a panel on Bitcoin in El Salvador, which reflected on the lessons learned, milestones achieved, and upcoming developments in the country’s unique approach to Bitcoin adoption.
In the realm of payments, participants explored the evolution of the instant payments ecosystem across Latin America, with insights from key payment infrastructure providers and regional fintech platforms. The regulatory landscape was addressed in a panel titled “Regulation with Purpose,” which brought together legal and compliance experts as well as representatives from the financial services industry.
A session on asset tokenization—centered around liquidity, transparency, and new investment models—highlighted the perspectives of professionals in the fields of digital asset structuring, capital markets, and fintech innovation. The event was also covered by local media outlets and featured contributions from journalists specializing in digital finance.
Final Comments
This milestone solidified Arbitrum’s position as a credible infrastructure for compliant blockchain innovation in Latin America. The interest from institutional actors, fintech teams, and developers showed the region’s readiness to build and launch real-world use cases on Arbitrum.
We’re now moving into Milestone 2, focused entirely on delivering the Arbitrum Bootcamp in El Salvador. With over 125 applicants and 59 participants accepted, we expanded the program to meet demand by adding two introductory online sessions, followed by four in-person modules. The curriculum covers Arbitrum’s ecosystem in practice—including Orbit chains, tokenization, DAO governance, stablecoin infrastructure, and regulatory design for compliant blockchain innovation.
Details regarding participating entities and additional quantitative outcomes will be included in the final report following the last in-person bootcamp session.
Huge thanks to the Arbitrum ecosystem for all the support! 