ETH Canal Hackathon 2025: A resounding success that consolidates Panama as a regional technology hub
From April 22 to 25, 2025, the ETH Canal Hackathon demonstrated Panama's innovative potential by bringing together more than 800 teams of local and international developers in the country's most ambitious blockchain event to date.
The hackathon, organized by Innovation Smart District (ISD) in collaboration with BlockDag Network and Panama Blockchain Week, surpassed all expectations with a massive participation that included virtual teams from around the world and local teams who proudly represented Panamanian talent.
Outstanding results of the event:
- 9 winning teams with a total pool of more than 40,000 USDT in prizes
- Successful hybrid participation based in the Panama City International Cultural Center
- Innovative solutions developed in the five strategic areas: transport and logistics, finance, tourism, digital identity and real estate
- Massive support from visionaries, creators and future leaders of Web3
An Unparalleled Collaboration Ecosystem
The event was attended by national authorities such as Julio Germán Arias (Secretary of Innovation of the Republic of Panama) and Adolfo Fábrega (National Authority for Government Innovation), together with a panel of world-class judges and mentors including Alex Marroquín, Marcos Allende, Patricia Carrillo, Glenn Tjon, Anastacio Gianeras, Rolando Gittens, Michael Hanono and Juan Manuel Sobra.
The active participation of students of the ITSE and other educational institutions strengthened the connection between academia, business and innovation, fulfilling the objective of creating multidisciplinary teams.
Strategic support that makes a difference
The success of the hackathon was possible thanks to the support of strategic allies committed to the vision of turning Panama into a regional technology center:
Main Sponsors: Centralink, Blerify, Ovnicom, Tecology, CasaCasco, Encrypta Law, REDLINE LAB, Towerbank International Inc., ETH Canal, BlockDag Network, ITSE Panama, International Cultural Center, Mayor's Office of Panama and La Manzana Panama.
“This event marks the beginning of a new phase for Panama as a technological hub. The results show that when the right platform is created, local and international talent connects, creates and scales solutions with global impact”, highlighted the ISD team.
Impact and future projection
The ETH Canal Hackathon 2025 not only fulfilled its objective of positioning Panama as a benchmark in blockchain development, but it also established a precedent for future innovation events in the region. The solutions developed during the hackathon have the potential to be adopted by companies and institutions in the country, generating a real impact on key sectors of the Panamanian economy.
ISD's initiative to create a real platform for talent to connect and scale solutions demonstrates the country's commitment to technological innovation and the development of the Web3 ecosystem in Latin America.
