Arbitrum Goes Big in LatAm with Hackathons, Ambassador Program, and Partnerships
Arbitrum has emerged as one of the leading blockchain solutions, offering technical scalability, security, and cost efficiency necessary to support the next generation of decentralized applications. With over 14 billion USD in total value secured, according to l2beat, and a thriving ecosystem of DeFi protocols, NFTs, and on-chain experimentation, Arbitrum’s technology has become a foundational layer for Web3 builders globally.
But beyond metrics and infrastructure, Arbitrum represents a broader vision: a decentralized, inclusive, and permissionless ecosystem where builders from all regions can meaningfully participate in shaping the future.
Latin America has been at the forefront of this vision. The region’s dynamic developer communities, early crypto adoption, and pressing need for financial and technological alternatives have made it a natural focus for Arbitrum’s growth. From pioneering programs in Mexico to expanding ambassador and content initiatives in Brazil, Arbitrum is not only investing in the region, it’s becoming part of its Web3 fabric, interwoven with the region’s distinctive culture of innovation and resilience.
This article outlines the multi-pronged approach Arbitrum is taking to strengthen its presence in Latin America, including community programs, builder-centric hackathons, innovative content incentives, and deeper localization efforts.
Ambassadors: Strengthening Grassroots Leadership Across LatAm
Arbitrum’s expansion across Latin America has been supported by the rollout of its Ambassador Program, starting with Mexico, extending to Brazil, and now arriving in Argentina.
In June 2024, the Arbitrum Foundation launched Phase 2 of its Ambassador Program in Mexico, alongside Nigeria and India. This new phase expanded beyond universities to embrace Web3 enthusiasts from all backgrounds, emphasizing content creation, events, and community engagement. Since the launch, Arbitrum has collaborated with regional communities such as Ethereum México, HerDAO, and ETH Cinco de Mayo, participating in in-person meetups, workshops, and events that have significantly strengthened local engagement.
This success established a model for community-driven growth and set the stage for further expansion across Latin America.
Building on the momentum from Mexico, the Ambassador Program expanded to Brazil in early 2025. Unlike Mexico, where the program leveraged established Web3 community collaborations, Brazil presented an opportunity to tap into a rapidly growing but less formally organized network of creators, builders and enthusiasts. The expansion to Brazil aimed to harness this organic energy by providing structure and support for content creation, meetups, and developer onboarding.
Localized content production has been a central pillar of this effort, with Portuguese-language content support enabling ambassadors to craft educational resources that resonate with Brazil’s rapidly evolving crypto landscape. The community engagement in Brazil has been particularly vibrant, focusing on a robust online presence through content & video creation, reflecting the country’s dynamic social culture and tech-savvy population.
In July 2025, the Ambassador Program officially launched in Argentina, further deepening Arbitrum’s commitment to Latin America. With Devconnect 2025 set to take place in Buenos Aires, the timing couldn’t be better. The initiative invites local leaders to educate, onboard, and activate their communities in a way that is both regionally authentic and globally aligned.
Through this multifaceted approach, empowering leaders, nurturing grassroots advocacy, and fostering regional pride, Arbitrum is not only reinforcing its presence in key Latin American markets but also cultivating the foundations for sustained ecosystem growth and deeper integration across the region.
MXNB Hackathon: Strengthening Builder Engagement Across the Region
Arbitrum’s strategy in Latin America does not stop at empowering local ambassadors; it extends further into creating meaningful, hands-on opportunities for builders to engage with the ecosystem directly. One of the most effective avenues for this has been through hackathons.
Hackathons are not just competitions; they are mechanisms for onboarding developers, fostering experimentation, and catalyzing the next generation of Web3 startups. For Arbitrum, they represent a strategic touchpoint to deepen its presence, enabling localized solutions while reinforcing its position as the ecosystem of choice for scalable and high-impact applications in emerging markets.
Building on successful collaborations in the region, like the Modular Carnival hackathon in Brazil, and ETH Cinco de Mayo Hackathon, Arbitrum has doubled down on this approach through the MXNB Hackathon, a key initiative co-developed with Bitso Business, Juno, Portal, and QED. The hackathon is designed to accelerate the adoption of MXNB as a leading stablecoin while also expanding Arbitrum’s relevance in cross-border payments and DeFi innovation. MXNB is issued natively on Arbitrum, leveraging the network’s low fees, scalability, and security to enable seamless and efficient payment solutions.
Developers are encouraged to explore solutions mainly across payments & DeFi integrations using MXNB, all within the Arbitrum ecosystem. Participants can benefit not only from prizes but also from technical mentorship, ecosystem support, and the opportunity to present at the Stablecoin Conference, one of the region’s most significant industry gatherings happening in August.
This initiative exemplifies Arbitrum’s broader commitment to cultivating a vibrant, builder-first community in Latin America, transforming hackathons from isolated events into strategic gateways for sustainable innovation and long-term ecosystem growth.
Kaito Yapper Challenge: Incentivizing Regional Content Creation
To further bolster its global presence, the Arbitrum Foundation launched in May the Kaito Yapper Challenge, a community campaign inviting creators, developers, and enthusiasts to produce content and compete for a share of a 400,000 ARB pool. The initiative introduces the Arbitrum Mindshare Leaderboard, a dynamic ranking system that identifies and rewards the most committed content creators, or “yappers,” within the global Arbitrum community.
It’s important to mention that 50,000 ARB is specifically allocated for non-English-speaking participants who make it into the Top 50 of the leaderboard, providing creators from Latin America and other regions with an extra incentive to contribute.
This initiative not only fosters global engagement but actively incentivizes regional creators, offering LatAm communities opportunities to grow their presence and influence within the Arbitrum ecosystem while they earn rewards.
Unlocking Global Opportunities for LATAM Builders
Beyond hackathons and community events, developers in the region now have access to a growing number of ecosystem programs focused on grants, technical support, and long-term success. These initiatives offer not just funding, but the technical and operational support necessary to take projects from idea to production.
One of the most impactful programs for LatAm teams is ArbiFuel, which allows developers to eliminate gas fees for users through Paymasters, a game-changer for those working on payments, onboarding flows, or user-friendly experiences critical for mass adoption in the region.
Another major opportunity is the Trailblazer 2.0: A $1M initiative from the Arbitrum Foundation that supports builders developing AI agents and onchain AI-native applications on Arbitrum chains.
Additional ecosystem programs open to builders in the region include:
Arbitrum Grants by Questbook: Delegated Domain Allocation 3.0 is a year-long, $6.75M grant program approved by ArbitrumDAO and run by Questbook, spanning five domains — New Protocols and Ideas, Dev Tooling, Gaming, Education + Events, and the new experimental Orbit domain.
Alchemy’s Arbitrum Grant Fund: $10M committed by Alchemy to support Arbitrum builders launching Orbit chains, offering up to $500K per project.
Arbitrum Gaming Ventures (AGV): Backed by 225M ARB from the ArbitrumDAO, AGV is a venture initiative aimed at funding and partnering with game studios and publishers building on the Arbitrum tech stack.
Onchain Labs: A joint initiative by Offchain Labs and the Arbitrum Foundation to accelerate onchain experiences. Early-stage teams expanding the Arbitrum application layer can receive product, IT, and GTM support directly from Offchain Labs.
Arbitrum Audit Program: A 1-year, 30M ARB initiative approved by the DAO to subsidize security audits for Arbitrum projects, ensuring that new projects meet high technical and safety standards.
The goal isn’t just to activate developers, it’s to keep them building, growing, and shipping real products that expand the Arbitrum ecosystem in meaningful ways.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Impact Across the Region
Arbitrum’s strategic presence across hackathons, ambassador-led initiatives, content incentives, and localization efforts signal a long-term commitment to Latin America. The region is not just a growing market but a vibrant engine of Web3 innovation. From empowering builders to amplifying local creators, Arbitrum is laying the groundwork for a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem that reflects the diverse realities and aspirations of Latin America’s Web3 communities.
Looking forward, Arbitrum is set to continue expanding partnerships, deepening educational initiatives, and creating more avenues for participation. The region will also host major upcoming events, such as ETH LATAM and Devconnect, where Arbitrum plans to maintain an active presence, which will be announced at a later date
This multi-faceted approach ensures that Latin America remains at the forefront of the global Layer 2 revolution, with Arbitrum poised not just to support but to help define the next chapter of Latin America in Web3.
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