Key facts: Isabella Santos moved to Isla Mujeres to promote bitcoin adoption. The plan consists of five phases that cover businesses, taxis and tours. In a bold bet, influencer Isabella Santos Ghia launched a project to turn Isla Mujeres, a tourist paradise in Mexico, into an epicenter of bitcoin (BTC) adoption. The initiative promoted by the co-founder of the company “Get Based” seeks not only to implement educational courses in cryptocurrencies, but also aims to transform the local economy and empower its inhabitants with a view to financial freedom. The proposal of «BTC ISLAND” started on April 3, with the first students interested in learning about transactions based on Bitcoin technology and basic economics topics.
From his social networks, Santos Ghia published: “With approximately 2-3 classes a month, we have graduation scheduled for the last week of June or the first week of July! We only have 4 more classes left, and soon our first class of graduates will be bringing the orange pill to the island for themselves»
One of those attending Santos' educational proposal highlighted the initiative: “This day's lesson was about the question “What is money?” with a beautiful story and decisions that led us to where we are now. “The students wanted to know exactly where and how to get their first bitcoin,” the user wrote. Robin Heester. The project goes far beyond training. The entrepreneur developed a plan of five clearly defined phases, which included organizing the first fan meetings on Isla Mujeres with the aim of adopting bitcoin payment technology on a commercial level.
The site chosen to conduct the training Source: BTC Isla by Satoshi's Legacy Some of the highlights of their proposal: Finding people willing to be educated and ready to “stop being slaves to the system” (Phase 1) Getting a restaurant started to accept bitcoin (Phase 2) Start the first class for teenagers and adults (Phase 3) Get 20 restaurants and businesses to integrate the cryptocurrency (Phase 4) Get another 50 restaurants and businesses (Phase 5) Try to get “the taxi drivers union to join join the course or accept bitcoin” (Phase 5) That the tours on the island accept technology (Phase 5) Find farmers markets that join (Phase 5)
One of the classes organized by Santos Ghia Source: BTC Isla by Satoshi's Legacy “My goal is to transform this island and give its people back the freedom that has been taken from them. And to lead this 'Bitcoin revolution', I will need a lot of help. Because, until now, it is me against the island,” the influencer challenged on her blog. Isabella Santos is known for her social impact initiatives. The entrepreneur left her conventional job in March 2023 to fully embrace the bitcoin paradigm.
A trip to Peru, which took her to film a documentary about the impact of cryptocurrency on impoverished communities, marked a crucial turning point in her life. Motivated by that experience, she made the decision to abandon her life in Miami and move to Isla Mujeres in February 2024. The archipelago is a well-known tourist destination internationally, where only 22,000 people live. The town became the setting for her vision: to create a bitcoin citadel or circular economy that frees its inhabitants from “corrupt systems and will provide new opportunities for prosperity,” Santos defined.
The influencer Isabella Santos Ghia Source: BTC Isla by Satoshi's Legacy
Women's interest in cryptocurrencies grows
Like Isabella Santos, other women in Mexico are feeling attracted to the “crypto revolution.” The company Azte.co, specialized in the exchange of BTC through vouchers in supermarkets, revealed that the percentage of Mexicans interested in acquiring this cryptocurrency reached 40% in 2024. The percentage represents an increase of 5% annually. “In 2023, more than 50% of people interested in acquiring bitcoin were men, while women barely represented 35 percent. On the other hand, as of March 2024, the gap between both genders decreased 5 percent,” he commented to the newspaper Milenio. Tania Lea, director of Azte.co for Latin America. Azte.co vouchers work in the same way as digital gift cards or prepaid refills. According to Tania Lea, half of the women interested is in a range of 20 to 40 years of age. “This percentage shows that women are leading at a technological level«We hope that it will reach 50 percent by 2026 or 2027, considering that they represent a little more than half of the population,» concluded the business leader. A year ago, the trend was different. As reported by BitcoinDynamic, the Central Bank of Mexico had reported that the interest of the public in that country in bitcoin was falling.