{"id":25079,"date":"2025-07-03T12:38:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T09:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/how-crypto-is-saving-freelancers-and-entire-regions-opinion\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T12:38:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T09:38:47","slug":"how-crypto-is-saving-freelancers-and-entire-regions-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/how-crypto-is-saving-freelancers-and-entire-regions-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"How crypto is saving freelancers\u2014and entire regions \u2014 opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The real growth of Web3 is not in developed financial centres like San Francisco or Singapore but in regions grappling with economic pressure and the shortcomings of the traditional system, Ray Youssef, CEO of the P2P platform NoOnes, told ForkLog.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the driver is not technological hype but a matter of necessity. He noted that communities excluded from the global financial system are leapfrogging to decentralised alternatives.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Look to the streets of Lagos, the markets of Manila, the barrios of Buenos Aires and, yes, to freelancers from sanctioned Russia. The fastest Web3 growth is not happening in boardrooms,&#8221; Youssef said.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real-world examples<\/h2>\n<p>The NoOnes CEO stressed that Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and parts of Eastern Europe lead adoption. The reasons are financial isolation and currency devaluation, which demand practical solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Youssef cited specific uses of Web3 tools across regions:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Africa \u2014 amid high inflation, stablecoins such as USDT and USDC have become &#8220;digital lifelines&#8221;. Nigeria leads in crypto adoption not for speculation but because of their spread for remittances, payments and preserving savings;<\/li>\n<li>Southeast Asia \u2014 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, P2E games, AI wallets and DeFi applications aimed at young, unbanked users are gaining traction;<\/li>\n<li>Latin America \u2014 Argentines use cryptocurrencies to survive hyperinflation, and cross-border trade is thriving &#8220;on stablecoin rails that outpace SWIFT&#8221;;<\/li>\n<li>Russia and Belarus \u2014 digital assets have become a lifeline for freelancers, professionals and families facing blocks on international banking transactions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Key drivers: not technology for technology\u2019s sake, but economic reality, community resilience and ingenuity on the ground. These regions are rich in one vital asset the West often overlooks \u2014 human enterprise,&#8221; the NoOnes head emphasised.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eskom looks to mining for a lifeline<\/h2>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s state utility Eskom is contending with falling electricity sales and $22.7bn of debt. CEO Dan Marokein called the situation a &#8220;structural decline&#8221;.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Eskom, ?? South Africa\u2019s state power utility, is exploring Bitcoin mining to tackle rising debt and declining electricity demand.<\/p>\n<p>With a R403B ($22.8B) debt and falling sales, Eskom plans to use surplus energy for Bitcoin mining to generate revenue and create jobs. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3XtnMVIWWq\">pic.twitter.com\/3XtnMVIWWq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bitcoin News (@BitcoinNewsCom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BitcoinNewsCom\/status\/1940442755295318122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Eskom plans to repurpose surplus capacity for energy-hungry sectors such as artificial-intelligence data centres and bitcoin mining.<\/p>\n<p>The company is studying the United States, where miners sign agreements with grids to cut consumption at peak times. For example, Texas firm Riot Platforms received $32m for voluntarily powering down equipment during a heatwave.<\/p>\n<p>Eskom\u2019s plans contrast with present realities. The utility struggles to keep the lights on and leans on costly diesel generators to avoid rolling blackouts. It has already spent more than $245m on diesel this financial year.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Ethiopia\u2019s authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethiopian-authorities-to-raise-energy-tariffs-amid-mining-boom\">said<\/a> that demand for electricity from data centres for cryptocurrency mining in the country would reach 30% of total consumption in 2025. Against this backdrop, the government decided to raise power tariffs for businesses by 400% by 2028.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tether builds infrastructure in Zanzibar<\/h2>\n<p>While South Africa wrestles with power supply, stablecoin issuer Tether <a href=\"https:\/\/tether.io\/news\/tether-and-zanzibar-egovernment-authority-egaz-sign-mou-to-advance-digital-asset-education-and-blockchain-adoption\/\">signed<\/a> a memorandum of understanding with Zanzibar\u2019s eGovernment Authority. The aim is to advance crypto education and financial innovation.<\/p>\n<p>Tether will help organise educational programmes on blockchain, bitcoin and P2P technologies. The company will also consider integrating the USDT and XAUT stablecoins into the government payment gateway, Zanmalipo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;This partnership reflects our commitment to financial literacy and innovation in Africa. We are laying the foundation for a scalable and inclusive digital economy,&#8221; said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Zanzibar\u2019s authorities believe cooperation with Tether will help embed digital assets in the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Africa is already <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/africa-emerges-as-a-new-hub-for-business-process-outsourcing\">becoming<\/a> a hub for outsourcing business processes thanks to low labour costs, a young English-speaking workforce and government support. The sector is forecast to grow by 14% a year, nearly twice the global pace.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">People as infrastructure<\/h2>\n<p>Youssef argues that people create the core value in Web3, despite automation via smart contracts and DAOs. It is about building trust, understanding local context and applying emotional intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>He cited <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/distributed-energy-and-a-global-geodetic-network-what-lies-ahead-for-depin-in-2025\">decentralised physical infrastructure networks<\/a> as an example. Protocols run on code, but installing antennas, maintaining equipment or mapping routes requires people. The same holds for tokenised real-world assets \u2014 without human involvement, it is impossible to verify the asset and its documents.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russia as a special case<\/h2>\n<p>In Youssef\u2019s view, the human element in Russia has become pivotal. Under sanctions and restrictions, a new class of &#8220;Web3 freelancers&#8221;, P2P liquidity brokers and underground educators has emerged.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Stablecoin payments for cross-border work still rely heavily on trust between people, often coordinated through Telegram groups, local over-the-counter venues or P2P platforms. When the traditional rails are blocked, it is people, not protocols, who keep the system running,&#8221; he explained.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The NoOnes chief added that &#8220;a smart contract cannot explain the essence of bitcoin to a grandmother in rural Ethiopia, resolve a conflict in a DAO or build trust in a local market&#8221;. That takes community leaders, validators and educators.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;We should build technology not to replace people, but to empower them. Code can scale systems, but only people can build trust, resolve conflicts and develop culture,&#8221; Youssef concluded.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>ForkLog has <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/emerging-economies-turn-to-cryptocurrency-adaptation\">explained<\/a> why countries such as Bolivia, <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/crypto-bhutan-how-one-of-the-worlds-most-closed-countries-pioneered-green-mining\">Bhutan<\/a> and India have opted for crypto adoption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The real growth of Web3 is not in developed financial centres like San Francisco or Singapore but in regions grappling with economic pressure and the shortcomings of the traditional system, Ray Youssef, CEO of the P2P platform NoOnes, told ForkLog. According to him, the driver is not technological hype but a matter of necessity. He [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"","news_style_id":"","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1815,1138,1110],"class_list":["post-25079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-global-south","tag-opinions","tag-web-3-0"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"46","promo_type":"","layout_type":"","short_excerpt":"","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}