Summary of my Journey
Token Economics & Governance Research Specialist
Research Evolution
From Early ReFi Design to Regulatory Validation (2021-2025)
My Web3 research journey began with the initial design of ReFi Spring, focusing on audience projection, grant allocation systems, and allocation tracking. Meanwhile, I accumulated articles and research on the intersection of blockchain and international development at Impact Plus.
Returning to Brazil, I founded ReFaz0x, served as a judge at the hackathon organized by SERPRO in partnership with Brazil's Ministry of Economy to tokenize all federal real estate assets, and contributed to the Blockteam which won awards in two of the five tracks of the Brazilian National Treasury debt tokenization challenge.
Through ReFaz0x, we started participating in Ekonavi where, as head of research, I led the tokenomics design and the product presented in the LIFT Labs program. Ekonavi validated its thesis for impact asset modeling in Brazil, becoming one of the finalists of the program that also gave rise to PIX, Brazil's largest payment system.
My latest research adventure was an analysis of stablecoins USDC, DAI, and Bread, along with experimenting with stablecoin designs for RWA, and finally, modeling attacks on DeFi protocols.
Research Trajectory: ReFi Design → International Development Research → Judge (Government Tokenization) → Hackathon Awards (National Treasury) → Regulatory Validation (Central Bank LIFT Labs) → Stablecoin & DeFi Security Research
Core Research Competencies
Token Economics & Governance Design
- Quadratic funding mechanisms and public goods allocation
- Token distribution models and incentive design
- DAO governance structures and decision-making frameworks
- Voting systems and consensus mechanisms
Research Methodologies
- Comparative institutional analysis
- Ecosystem mapping and stakeholder coordination
- Product validation through prototyping
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis
Cross-Cultural Research
- Global North/South coordination dynamics
- Localized Web3 adaptation frameworks
- International community building methodologies
- Multi-stakeholder coordination
Technical Research Areas
- Decentralized funding platforms (Gitcoin, Giveth)
- Blockchain-based transparency systems
- Tokenization economics & RWA frameworks
- Stablecoin mechanisms & regulatory compliance
Academic Credentials
Focus: Institutional mechanisms and governance structures. That was done in UFRJ, one of Brazil's oldest and most traditional universities.
Research Publications & Outputs
USDC, DAI and $BREAD Analysis (2025)
- 2025 — Comparative Analysis of Stablecoins ReFaz0x
- 2025 — USDC Analysis ReFaz0x
- 2025 — DAI Analysis ReFaz0x
- 2025 — BREAD Analysis ReFaz0x
Stablecoin Design Experiments
- 2025 — Concordia & $DUX - Geopolitics and Creator Economy ReFaz0x
DeFi Attack Modelling & Simulations
- 2025 — Attack Modeling & Simulations ReFaz0x
Opinion (2021-2022)
- Nov 2021 — Descentralização como passo definitivo para o microcrédito (Prensa.li)
- Jan 2022 — O que é populismo financeiro? (Prensa.li)
- Mar 2022 — Tokenização faz sentido para pequenos negócios? - Parts I, II, III (Prensa.li)
- 2024 — Celo's Transition to an Ethereum Layer 2: What Changes (CeLatam)
Regenerative Finance - History & Ecosystem Mapping (2022)
- Jan 2022 — O que são as Finanças Regenerativas (ReFi)? - Parts I & II (Prensa.li)
- 2024 — Bioeconomy and Blockchain in Brazil (Medium)
- 2022 — "ReFi Spring 2022 Retrospective" - 27 events, ~2,500 attendees, 20+ countries (ReFi DAO Blog)
- Dec 2022 — The Brazilian Ecosystem of Regenerative Finance - Parts I & II (ReFi DAO Blog)
- 2023 — The ReFi Ecosystem in Suriname (ReFi DAO Blog)
Political Research (2022)
- Oct 2022 — Elections in Brazil: The Origins of Polarization (Catalonia Global)
Capital Allocation (2024)
- The Challenge of Impact Capital Allocation - Parts 1 & 2 (CeLatam)
- From Chapada to Recôncavo: When Clean Energy Hurts (CeLatam)
- Blended Finance: Impact Capital Allocation in Chapada Diamantina (CeLatam)
Regenerative Finance - Products (2023-2025)
- Dec 2023 — Sistema de Classificação de Impacto para os Títulos Soberanos Sustentáveis (National Treasury Hackathon)
- Nov 2025 — Modelling of Financial Assets for Sustainable Development
Relevant Project Experience
CeLatam — Researcher & DAO Member
Started as Researcher (February 2024), invited to become DAO Member (April 2025). As research lead, produced insights and reports, managed website, translated Startup Pathway to Portuguese, connected CeLatam to academia. Recent contributions include articles on impact capital allocation and creation of usebalaio.com.
UNESCO-SOST Transcriativa — Board Member (Membro do conselho consultivo)
Using research background to connect UN Sustainable Development Goals with Brazilian entrepreneurship. Advisory work on sustainable development and impact measurement for non-profit and for-profit Brazilian initiatives.
General Magic — Grant Manager
Managed Web3 grant processes for clients including Giveth and ecosystem projects. Fundraising for 7 clients building public goods, contributing to team that raised $3.5M USD in one year.
ReFaz — Co-Founder
Founded consultancy supporting regenerative initiatives in Brazil. Connected academic research with practical blockchain implementation. Provided strategic guidance on tokenomics, governance design, and Web3 implementation. Blockchain na Escola was one of our products.
Ekonavi — Research Lead
Designed tokenomic models and documentation, led research during LIFT LAB program by Brazilian Central Bank (finalist selection). Product also won G20 Hackathon organized by Brazilian Central Bank with Bank of International Settlements. Worked directly with regulatory bodies to validate tokenized financial products.
Blockchain na Escola — Founder
Educational initiative bringing Web3 to Brazilian public schools. Delivered large volume of on-chain certifications. First Web3 education program in Brazilian public schools. Winner of Blocknews Prize as best Web3 educational project in Brazil 2025.
ReFi DAO — Core Team Contributor, Community Lead - First Cohort of Local Nodes
Set up research methodology for 29 local ReFi nodes across multiple countries. Launched and supported first cohort internationally. Published ecosystem mappings for Brazil, Suriname, Cameroon, and several articles. Successfully completed mission, establishing framework for decentralized community coordination.
ReFi Events / ReFi Spring — Co-Founder, Community Builder and Grant Manager
Co-founded international ReFi community reaching attendees across 20+ countries. Organized 27 events across multiple continents. Built systems for decentralized event coordination. Mission-based initiative exceeded target of 50+ events, merged with ReFi DAO.
ImpactPlus.io — Research Officer
Researched Web3 applications for social development and multilateral organizations. Analyzed supply chain decarbonization using blockchain transparency systems. Evaluated international development scenarios in low-trust environments.
Token Engineering Academy — Host of the Token Engineering Academy Course
Hosted Brazilian Token Engineering educational groups. Taught governance models and incentive programs for blockchain organizations. Introduced Token Engineering concepts to Portuguese-speaking audiences.
Prensa.li — Content Creator
Created content on tokenization economics, DeFi mechanisms, and regenerative finance. Published first ReFi articles in Portuguese, exploring how Web3 tools could serve Latin American communities.
Languages
Research Philosophy
I'm interested in how decentralized technologies can solve real problems while respecting local contexts and autonomy. My work has moved from theory (writing about ReFi concepts) to practice (coordinating international communities) to validation (testing products with central banks). I combine research skills with hands-on coordination experience and can explain complex Web3 concepts to different audiences—which is what you need for building token and governance systems that actually scale.