The Interledger Community 🌱: Marian Villa 🇨🇴

Break the Pattern: IWD Medellín 2026

Marian Villa 🇨🇴 — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:40:56 +0000

There’s something we’re still not saying enough in tech:

The system works exactly as it was designed.

And if we want to change what we’re seeing, participating in the system isn’t enough.

We have to rewrite it.

Medellín: a fork in the system

IWD Medellín 2026 wasn’t just an event. It was a fork.

A moment where we chose not to follow the default flow.

Communities that usually operate in parallel decided to synchronize:

To build something together:

Resilient. Coordinated. Purpose-driven.

What we talked about

⚡ Technology as a tool for emancipation

Using tech not just to optimize processes, but to redistribute power.

⚡ Web + AI in production

The question is no longer “how do I build?”

It’s: how do I capture value in a system that’s already running?

The web has changed. If you don’t understand that, you’re building for a past that no longer exists.

⚡ AI in DevTools

Friction in development is shifting.
Debugging is no longer just reading logs.

It’s interacting with systems that understand context. That changes how we learn, iterate, and think about code.

⚡ Multi-agent systems (ADK)

We’re moving from applications to ecosystems of decisions.
Multiple agents that collaborate, negotiate, and execute.

This isn’t just technical. It’s a paradigm shift.

⚡ AI in HealthTech

This is where it gets real.

When AI enters healthcare, errors stop being bugs. They become consequences.

Break the Pattern (for real)

In this amazing celebration:

People showed up.
Speakers shared.
Communities collaborated.
Ideas emerged.

Break the Pattern isn’t an event. It’s what we do next.

Want to keep building with us?

If you're exploring how to design more open, inclusive, and interoperable systems, come join the conversation:

👉 Join the Interledger community: https://interledger.org/community
👉 Connect with builders around the world: http://bit.ly/ilfslackcommunity

Connectivity in the middle of Wayuu territory

Marian Villa 🇨🇴 — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:16:18 +0000

La Guajira is the northernmost tip of Colombia.
Desert. Wind and Salt Mines, and a sun that doesn’t negotiate.
It’s also home to the Wayuu people: resilient, rooted, and culturally powerful.

What made this project unforgettable:

We finally felt La Guajira: Its heat, its winds, its colors, and its rhythms.
We connect deeply with the Wayuu, one of the largest Indigenous communities in South America, whose culture and resilience are as strong as their traditional Wayuunaiki language.
We witnessed history and reality at the same time: A culture that has survived colonialism, extreme climate, and economic neglect, yet still holds onto identity and pride.
We saw firsthand the contrast between La Guajira’s breathtaking nature and ongoing challenges: Like limited infrastructure, access to water, and investment needs that communities are still working through.

This story is about setting up satellite internet in the middle of sand dunes and goats crossing the road… or not…

How did this actually happen?

A year ago, a Wayuu woman, Rina Plata, imagined something bigger than herself.

Today, she is a software engineer working with JavaScript and .NET. She lives in Medellín, builds digital products, and navigates the tech world with confidence. But her story did not begin in a city. It began in Resguardo Curari, a Wayuu reservation 40 kilometers from Riohacha in La Guajira.

She learned Spanish, but like many Indigenous children, she grew up navigating two worlds: her ancestral roots and the broader Colombian society. That dual perspective would later become her strength.

When she moved to Medellín, she didn’t just search for professional opportunities. She searched for belonging. She connected with the local tech community. She attended meetups. She learned, built, and grew. She immersed herself in software development, yet kept thinking of home.

Dreaming about Inclusion & Connection to the world

She began imagining what long-term transformation could look like:

A community library.
A shared kiosk for learning and gathering.
Internet access in a place where connectivity had never existed.

She understood something fundamental: education today is inseparable from connectivity. Without internet access, students are locked out of opportunities that the rest of the world takes for granted.

The initiative was named Ancestral Guardians (Guardianes Ancestrales). The name carried intention. Progress should not erase culture. It should protect it. Strengthen it. Expand it.

Technology was not about replacing tradition; it was about empowering it.

This amazing project is a bridge between Medellín’s tech ecosystem and La Guajira’s ancestral land. It represents what happens when education, technology, and cultural identity are not seen as opposites, but as allies.

Why Latin America Matters in the Future of Value Exchange

Latin America is not a peripheral market. It is one of the most dynamic regions in the world for value transactions, including remittances, cross-border payments, informal economies, mobile adoption, and entrepreneurial resilience.

Colombia alone moves billions in remittances annually. Rural economies, artisans, social projects, and independent workers operate every day in systems that are often fragmented, expensive, or exclusionary. This is precisely why Interledger’s commitment to Latin America, including Colombia, is strategic.

The region is not just a beneficiary of innovation. It is a powerhouse of value movement. Supporting rural communities, artisans, and social initiatives is not philanthropy; it is central to the Interledger Foundation's purpose.

To build an open, interoperable payment infrastructure that allows money to move as easily as information.

What could the next dream be?

When a community connects to the internet, something shifts. Information flows. But value still struggles to move.

Because digital inclusion is incomplete without financial interoperability. In places like Curari, that is not theoretical.

It means:

A Wayuu artisan selling handmade mochilas to someone in Europe and receiving payment instantly.
Micro-donations flow directly to community initiatives without intermediaries absorbing value.
Developers building digital services and getting paid across borders.
Aid and grants are distributed transparently and efficiently in the territory.

Connectivity enables participation. Interoperability enables prosperity.

It is about designing systems in which historically excluded communities are not passive recipients but active participants in the global digital economy.

When one person gains access, an entire community can move forward.
When connectivity meets interoperable payments, opportunity becomes scalable. And that is where the real transformation begins.

Full recap of PixelPioneers 2025

Marian Villa 🇨🇴 — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:39:48 +0000

Pixel Pioneers Bristol: From Accessibility and Performance Debugging to an Agentic Web Future

Adi Boros ・ Jul 22

Antioquia Fintech Forum 2025 - Colombia

Marian Villa 🇨🇴 — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:38:17 +0000

On June 10, Medellín once again solidified its position as a Latin American leader in digital innovation and transformation, hosting the Antioquia Fintech Forum 2025. The event, organized by MeF (Mujeres en Fintech) and led by the Medellín Chamber of Commerce with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Medellín and other strategic ecosystem allies, brought together top leaders, innovators, and key players from Colombia’s financial and tech ecosystems. It marked a significant milestone in the country’s digital evolution.

The mission was clear: bring fintech solutions to Colombia’s regions and foster their adoption across users, businesses, and institutions. The forum blended forward-looking insights, financial infrastructure analysis, inclusion-driven experiences, and a critical look at the role of women in the sector.

From the Chamber of Commerce auditorium, we explored the present and future of fintech with a regional, inclusive, and disruptive lens. With over $600 billion in digital transactions and a projected market of $3–4 trillion, the discussion centered on understanding where the digital economy is headed.

👩 Panel: The Role of Women in Colombia’s Fintech Ecosystem

The event kicked off with the launch of a national report on Women in Fintech, presented by three prominent Colombian leaders:

Pamela Hollmann – CEO of ACERTIJO GESTION EMPRESARIAL and co-founder of #MeF
Maria Fernanda Galeano Rojo – Secretary of Economic Development, Mayor’s Office of Medellín - Alcaldía de Medellín.
María del Mar Palau – Executive President, Chamber of Commerce of Cali - Cámara de Comercio de Cali.

The report surveyed over 100 C-level executives and revealed data that calls for urgent action:

Only 4% of startups in LATAM are founded exclusively by women.
Just 0.2% of VC capital reaches all-women teams.
Women have lower default rates but significantly less access to formal credit.

Key findings included:

Exponential growth: Colombia now has ~394 fintech companies, a +387% increase since 2017.
Regional concentration: LATAM has over 3,000 fintechs across 26 countries, with Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia accounting for 57% of the total.
Leadership profiles: Most women in executive roles are aged 35–44, with 10+ years of experience, and 60% hold a master's degree, indicating strength but also a notable generational gap.
Talent pipeline: Only 3% of female leaders have <1 year of experience.
Entrepreneurial drive: 45.5% of respondents have founded a fintech, significantly above the LATAM average (7–11%), yet they still face challenges in VC fundraising.
Representation vs. power: Despite a high female workforce presence (over 50%), only 19% of companies report having over 10% of women in strategic roles.
Networks matter: 71% participate in formal networks, and 37.6% in informal ones, highlighting the power of structured community.
Well-being matters: 71.9% consider mental health spaces the most valuable form of support.
Visibility fuels growth: 36% say media visibility is key for career advancement.
Access to capital remains the most significant challenge, highlighting the need for funds tailored to women-led ventures.
Global benchmarks: In Spain, women represent 45% of the fintech workforce, with an average age of 37 years, supported by early mentorship practices.
Data transparency: Regularly publishing diversity and performance data can build trust and attract investment.

The panel made one thing clear: investing with a gender lens isn’t charity, it’s innovative business. According to UN Women, companies in emerging markets with diverse workforces report a 13% higher internal rate of return (IRR).

🚀 Fintech Beyond Earth: Space Currency & Low Earth Orbit Economies

One of the most anticipated talks came from Ivan Rodriguez, CEO of Glocal Advantage and a board member at NASA’s Space Center Houston. His session, "Space Currency and How Technology is Transforming Global Finance", blended science fiction with real-world strategy.

Key insights:

Low Earth Orbit Economy: Space stations are now leasing modules and office space for business operations.
Tokenization of Space Assets: From Satellites to Asteroid Rights.
New financial dynamics: Including interplanetary insurance, latency issues, and infrastructure adapted for off-world contexts.

💡 If we’re building financial systems for the Moon and Mars, how can we not achieve inclusion and efficiency here on Earth?

💳 Payment Infrastructure: Is Colombia Ready for Bre-B?

A highly technical panel led by Camilo Zea, CEO of PRONUS S.A.S, introduced Bre-B, a next-generation real-time payments architecture based on international standards like ISO 20022, already adopted in Brazil, India, and China.

Challenges discussed:

Only 40% of Colombians have access to formal credit.
Transactions are not settled in real-time, but in cycles through the central bank.
The current system is tied to a “closed club” of traditional banks.

In contrast, Brazil’s Pix processes $5 trillion annually, with full interoperability and instant support for P2P and P2M payments. Bre-B aims to position Colombia as a transparent, inclusive payments hub with immediate settlement capabilities.

📈 Panel: Digital Financial Solutions for Individuals and Businesses

The panel on “Fintech Financial Solutions for Individuals and Companies” focused on the challenges and opportunities surrounding digital credit solutions in Colombia.

Moderated by:

Andrés Arias, Manager of the Digital Business Cluster at the Medellín Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia.

Panelists:

Cristian Castillo, Head of Sales, DataCrédito Experian
Mariana Galeano, Business Lead, Finaktiva
Mónica Saavedra, Co-Founder & Head of Products, Plurali

This session brought together key voices from the digital finance space to analyze how fintech is reshaping access to capital. While there was consensus on the sector’s role in democratizing credit, speakers emphasized the structural barriers that persist, as well as the high transactional costs associated with micro-investments.

The discussion also covered how alternative data and personalized scoring models are enabling new financing products tailored for unbanked or underbanked populations. The panel emphasized the importance of collaborative models between traditional institutions and emerging fintech players in sustainably bridging these gaps.

📈 Payment Systems for Business Productivity Panelists:

This panel examined the evolution of digital payment systems to meet the increasing demands for efficiency, transparency, and trust in Colombia’s business sector.

Panelists:

Adriana María Ovalle, Vice President of Legal Affairs, Asobancaria
Adriana Avellana Ángel, Business Development Manager, Mercado Pago Colombia
Juanita Rodríguez Kattah, Country Manager, Bitso

From regulatory frameworks and legal infrastructure for interoperable payments to advancements in crypto, digital wallets, and instant payments, panelists shared real-world insights on driving adoption across enterprises.

They addressed key challenges such as:

The fragmentation of the payments ecosystem
The urgent need to adopt international standards like ISO 20022
And the positive impact of payment digitalization on the productivity and formalization of SMEs

Closing Reflections

The Antioquia Fintech Forum 2025 was more than just a conference—it was a manifesto for financial innovation. A call to imagine new financial futures, build inclusive technological infrastructure, and place gender equity at the heart of sector growth.

From low-Earth orbit economies to the last unbanked pocket on Earth, this event demonstrated that Colombia has the talent, vision, and commitment to lead the next chapter in Latin America’s fintech revolution.