Developers across Latin America are building on established chains like Ethereum and Polygon rather than launching new base-layer protocols, a Sherlock Communications report shows.
The findings cover June 2024 to June 2025 and come from a survey of developers in Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil and Peru. They said they favour transparency, ease of use and regulatory alignment.
As a result, teams pick networks with strong documentation, intuitive tooling and proven track records instead of creating fresh layer one platforms.
Developers stick with proven platforms
The survey asked 85 local developers about their platform choices, and most said they prefer chains that are easy to work with. They want clear documentation and developer tools that just work.
That makes Ethereum and Polygon natural choices, and Luiz Eduardo Abreu Hadad, a blockchain researcher at Sherlock Communications, said the region shows “strong technical maturity.” He added that local teams are solving practical problems and often choose to build inside trusted ecosystems.
Onchain activity supports the view
Sherlock looked at 697,000 transactions tied to Latin American wallets. More than 75% of that activity was on Ethereum between June 2024 and June 2025.
The numbers back what devs say in interviews, like big, active networks attract most of the action. That matters because liquidity, user bases and tooling all follow usage.
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Local projects still emerge
The report notes that Latin America can also build homegrown infrastructure. Projects such as Brazil’s Núclea Chain and RBB were cited as examples of regional platforms with potential.
These efforts show local talent can design national or global systems. But the report suggests that many teams choose to first grow inside established ecosystems before attempting an independent layer one.
Pay and core developer strain
Another study raised concerns about pay for core developers, and protocol Guild surveyed 111 contributors and found median base salaries around $140,000. That is roughly 50% to 60% lower than offers seen in the private sector, which average about $359,000 for similar roles.
The gap points to a funding challenge for projects that rely on volunteer or underpaid maintainers while the networks they secure grow in importance.
User adoption trends
Crypto use in Latin America keeps rising. Bitso data in the report showed a 12% increase in regional users in 2024. Investors are also changing how they hold crypto, and now, 38% of users keep at least 3 different tokens in their portfolios.
Stablecoins are gaining ground, too, as they made up 39% of crypto purchases, up from 30% the year before. Bitcoin’s share slipped to 22%. The shift suggests more people seek stable stores of value amid local economic ups and downs.
What exchanges and firms are doing?
CoinW and other exchanges are pushing harder in the region. The report notes CoinW’s efforts to tailor trading and onboarding for local markets. That includes easier account setup and localised support.
The note about Guoxiong Capital earlier shows some investors are setting aside serious sums for Web3 and crypto plays in China. That international interest can pull in talent and projects to Latin America as well.
The Sherlock report paints a picture of a region that is practical and seasoned. Developers want networks that make life easier, and they want to ship products and reach users quickly.
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