It’s Blockchain Rio this week, LATAM’s largest conference for all things web3. From RWAs to DeFi and Bitcoin to institutional finance, it’ll all be under the spotlight during the course of the two-day gathering at Expo Mag in Brazil’s most famous beachfront city. Under the watchful gaze of Christ the Redeemer, thousands of delegates will assemble to network, exchange ideas, and hear what the industry’s brightest minds have to say about the emerging narratives that will define blockchain into 2026 and beyond.
If you’re fortunate enough to be in attendance, the after-parties promise to be epic and so does the alpha you’ll catch during the course of the main events, side events, and networking opportunities that will abound. Even with the best will and most careful planning in the world, however, it’s impossible to take in everything that’s on your wishlist at a blockchain conference. Accept, then, that you will miss some events. But whatever you do, don’t settle for anything less than catching as much as possible of the following four at Blockchain Rio. They promise to be the highlights of a conference that won’t dip from the opening keynote to the last beat of the closing party.
There’s a major NEO vibe going down across both days of Blockchain Rio where ecosystem developer COZ will be out in full force. NEO’s smart contract chain has been undergoing a major renaissance this year, with use cases like AI agents and gaming featuring prominently. A host of treats is in store for gamers at the event since the COZ team is intent on dispensing exclusive Block Spirits merch and Flux rewards for onchain fighters. At Brazil’s flagship web3 conference, there’ll be a chance for attendees to utilize AeroGlyph cards to participate in real-time battles – all powered by smart contracts.
If you’re gonna be at the event, your starting point should be the ITEM Shop booth that COZ have set up – you’ll find it in the main conference walkway. It’s here that Block Spirits diehards can claim their AeroGlyph cards, onboard, and start taking on all comers. The physical cards connect players to dapps, each one infused with a soulbound Block Spirits character. Scan it with your smartphone and you’re good to go. This is frictionless web3 gaming, the way it’s meant to be, and it’s primed and waiting for you at Blockchain Rio.
No self-respecting web3 conference would be complete without a hackathon and Blockchain Rio naturally has its own eponymous event for up-and-coming devs. It’s a chance for small teams to showcase their skills, get noticed, and potentially gain the funding and ecosystem support they need to go from big idea to big deal. While the coding starts before the conference officially kicks off on August 6, the best teams will be appraised and the winners announced at the Expo Mag in front of up to 20,000 delegates.
Last year’s hackathon was co-hosted by the likes of Chainlink and XRP. This year’s naturally aspires to be bigger, beefier, and better. Aside from providing an opportunity for enterprising blockchain builders to get noticed, there’s also serious prizes on the line, providing an added incentive to go public with your killer dapp or game-changing onchain idea. While coding skills matter, vision and a willingness to learn matter more. As a result, new devs are as welcome as seasoned pros to show off what they got at Blockchain Rio’s 2025 hackathon.
Among the numerous blockchain teams descending on Rio, Starknet will be on hand to host a meetup that promises to be equal parts educational and entertaining. On Wednesday August 6, delegates are invited to hit up the free event where there’ll be snacks, drinks and exclusive gifts on offer – as if all the inside knowledge on EVMs, ZKPs, and L2s wasn’t enough to coax you along. Hosted in conjunction with OnlyDust and Mediolano, the event is geared towards all developers interested in building with open-source technology.
While the early part of the evening will see attendees dig into the serious business of tokenization and zero-knowledge proofs, later on there’ll be entertainment aplenty once DJ Lazy Eyes kicks off the party. Expect the drinks, beats, and bants flow till at least 11PM, after which there’s a good chance the party will continue elsewhere. Come for the knowledge. Stay for the tunes.
The trouble with attending a blockchain conference – much like attending a music festival – is that there are always events you want to see that clash. Modular House runs at the same time as Starknet’s Rio Meetup, but since both events last for seven hours and are held in the center of Rio, there’s nothing to stop you from RSVP’ing and making both. Problem solved. Modular House is a Brazilian-centered community meetup that enables localized blockchain groups to put faces to avatars. This is where digital assets meet physical interactions.
Organized by Modular Crypto, Modular House tours different Brazilian cities, connecting different builders and stakeholders within various onchain verticals. Representatives of various national crypto companies and projects will be in attendance including members of Scroll network and leaders of blockchain accelerators and influencers. Basically, if you’re Brazil-based and work in web3, this is the event you have to catch. There’ll be talks. There’ll be introductions. There’ll probably be punch and pies. You’ll have a blast and meet a bunch of fellow builders who speak your language, whether that’s Portuguese or Python.
There’s more going on at Blockchain Rio – a whole lot more, from the startup launchpad to the sponsor stalls. But if you can catch the four events featured here – plus a few of the keynotes and after-parties – your journey will not have been in vain. RSVP now and prepare to learn, network, and mingle in Brazil’s party center that for two days will form the center of LATAM’s burgeoning blockchain scene.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice
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