Introduction: Cryptocurrency strengthens foothold in the Caribbean

Hello guys, this is my first post on the HIVE blockchain, and I hope to enjoy my time here writing about cryptocurrency, making new connections, and discussing shared interests.

A little about myself

I'm a writer. Many moons ago, I freelanced as a journalist in my country, writing feature pieces and human interest stories and the occasional news updates. I later joined the corporate world where I continued writing and publishing for the better part of a decade.

I've been writing about cryptocurrency and digital assets for the past few months on read.cash and Publish0x where I write under the pen names Trifecta and I-HODL respectively. I learned of HIVE and LEOFINANCE from fellow writers on these platforms.

My introduction to the crypto-verse

Hailing from a fairly conservative community in the Caribbean, my path to the crypto-verse has been fairly circuitous.

I first interacted with cryptocurrency and created my first wallet after playing a mobile game which functioned like a faucet and payed tiny sums of Bitcoin and Ethereum to an account you were invited to open on Coinbase. And guys, in hindsight, I am not sure what the connection was here between the game developers and Coinbase, but I must say that this was a pretty clever initiative.

And to follow through on this, immediately after I opened the account on Coinbase, I was invited to learn about cryptocurrency and different projects with the chance to earn $3 for each exercise completed. Listen, I was sold.

From there, I was soon:

Setting up my own independent wallet
Researching various projects and independently swapping coins on Coinbase.
Joining other exchanges and increasing my overall exposure to this new and exciting digital world.

Why cryptocurrencies growth can benefit the Caribbean

Image courtesy Unsplash

There are many reasons why the growth of cryptocurrency markets can benefit the Caribbean, but for the purposes of this post, I'll focus briefly on just a few.

The economies of Caribbean countries are particularly vulnerable to economic shocks in the developed world. Inflation in larger, developed countries can have a trickle down and devastating impact on these smaller countries which are dependent on trade and tourism as major industries which are critical to their sustainability.
Many communities in the Caribbean are also sustained by remittances sent back home from economic migrants. The use of cryptocurrencies as a decentralized, near instant, electronic payment system also presents an advantage.

Mind you, growing up as I have in an era of leather wallets and cloth purses, the fact that the world has come a very long way is no lost on me.

Gone now are the days of:

Cash hidden in post cards and stuck in the mail for weeks
Long, anxious waiting lines at Western Union or MoneyGram
Days of anxious waiting on wire transfers and quivering for fear that the banks would block access to your funds
PayPal limiting your accounts or placing a hold on your funds.

Decentralized finance. This is certainly a new and exciting world that maybe governments may not be as excited about, but I am all for it.

Crypto Developments in the Caribbean

Today, developing economies in the Caribbean are waking up to the benefits of cryptocurrencies and digital assets.

Last year, Barbados became the first sovereign country to open an embassy on Decentraland's metaverse
Earlier this year, St Vincent and the Grenadines expressed interest in hosting Carnival on the metaverse.
Rolando Brison, Sint Maarten's MP has this month indicated that he will be accepting his salary in Bitcoin Cash.

This is just the beginning. I am excited to see what the future holds, not just for the Caribbean but for the world in general as cryptocurrencies continue to develop. These are certainly interesting times, and I am quite pleased to be positioned to share my commentary here on emerging developments, and key projects, etc.

And so, my friends, this is my introduction. I am honoured to be here. And now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, I invite you to please sit with me, let's chat, sip tea, and discuss the day's events. I'm sure there'll be lots to talk about.

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