Although the financial market has always been considered an environment with a strong male presence, female participation has grown significantly in recent years. Women are increasingly present in all segments, including in the area of cryptocurrencies.
The trend is even confirmed by research. In 2020, a report released by CoinMarketCap showed that, in the first four months of the year alone, the number of women in the market increased by 43%. In addition, in December, a Grayscale survey found that they represent 43% of investors interested in bitcoin.
Characteristics such as greater flexibility, ease of communication and skills to form communities are among the competences that, in a way, explain the increase in the female presence in the sector. But, of course, that’s not all! “I was never told that I couldn’t,” says Helena Margarido, a specialist in cryptocurrencies and technology. Get to know the story of her and other women who occupy prominent positions in the market!
Technology has no gender
Lawyer with a master’s degree in law, Helena Margarido is a specialist in cryptocurrencies at Inversa Publicações. Her lectures have already taken her to events on the subject at the National Congress, in China and even at the United Nations (UN).
Helena Margarido
“I started to be interested in this market between 2011 and 2012, when I attended, in my law firm, a startup that already dealt with this. A customer asked if I knew bitcoin and it piqued my curiosity. I went to read about the topic and fell in love ”, she says. “In the beginning, I looked at cryptocurrencies from the point of view of technology, after I understood better. In 2012, I became an enthusiast ”, she says.
According to Helena, at the time the market was still in its infancy. However, she saw its potential. “This has a social impact, as it makes things cheaper by eliminating intermediaries,” she explains. The motivation to better understand the segment, in addition to her own investments, led her to leave the law area and dedicate herself to the sector.
“I have always believed that men and women are equal, technology is not gendered – although in math professions, there is a predominance of men,” she says. For her, the increase in female participation in the crypto industry is natural, as women are better than men when dealing with multitasking. “In addition, women tend to study more and have greater patience when dealing with adversities”, she highlights, stressing that 1% of her performance was fortunate, but 99% were the result of much study.
No fear of exposure
Solange Gueiros, a specialist in Blockchain (architecture and development), focusing on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Smart Contracts and Hyperledger, says that she started to become known by doing a workshop in the Blockchain arena of Campus Party. “A speaker on the last day was unable to attend and I asked to make a keynote. I had nothing prepared, but I went on stage with my material and taught how to create a cryptocurrency. The other participants said it was the best talk, ”she says.
Graduated in computer science and pedagogy, in addition to specializing in coaching, with a focus on financial, business and career coaching, Solange confirms that the business environment is, in fact, masculine. “If I stop to look around me, I really see that there are only men. But I never paid any attention to that. I have always pursued my goals without paying attention to this difference. I don’t see men and women, I see brains and intelligent people, ”she says.
Solange Almeida
But the expert highlights a “feminine” moment in Blockchain: “from what the community says, I was the first woman from Brazil to publish a smart contract on Ethereum’s Mainnet , in 2018”.
Solange says that starting in 2018, she gave workshops all over Brazil. “Everything I gained that year, I invested in international trips to the major conferences and hackathons in the world, to bring more knowledge to the country. At the end of 2018, I was also a speaker at international conferences ”.
I was the first woman to publish a smart contract on Ethereum’s Mainnet from Brazil, in 2018.
Asked about the reasons for the recognition of the market, Solange says that one of the reasons is not to be afraid to expose herself. “It’s the same with trades. I’ve lost in the past and won again, I’m not afraid, I always recover. If there is any insecurity, I always remember that I already have the negative answers. So, I can do something to have a positive one”, she says.
Solange says she is aware that all the companies she has been through have contributed to her trajectory, in addition to the communities (such as Blockchain Devs, Bitcoin São Paulo, Women In Blockchain and the Blockchain Academy) and event organizers. “Along the way, I learned that the more I share my knowledge, the more I learn and grow by making people and projects evolve. I believe in a better world with Blockchain ”, she stresses.
Women always need to taste a little more
In the job market, women always need to prove that they know what they are doing, that their projects are well executed and valid. This is Charys Oliveira’s vision. She was operational director at Stratum coinBR, where she coordinated the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies. “We always need to deliver something more, even if we have similar capabilities or even better training than men,” she says.
Charys has always worked in male environments, although her training is in information management and strategic marketing management. She went through important companies, such as Petrobras, always working in the telecommunications area, but she began to be charmed by the universe of cryptocurrencies in 2014.
Charys Oliveira
“I started working in the marketing area, but then I started managing portfolios, buying and selling assets. I managed to form a team that was almost entirely composed of women. And I found excellent professionals, I had a team of fantastic women, committed to me and the company. We had excellent results, we held events of the highest quality, such as the Bitcoin Summit, whose last edition was in April 2019 ”, she said.
Today, the specialist works for a fintech in Florianópolis, which manages integrated people. In addition, she developed the Compra na Volta project, with the purpose of talking about female affinity with finance and cryptocurrencies for women.
“Our biggest challenge, in addition to entering more technical areas – because women tend to stay mainly in communication and law -, is to be more daring. Women need to have confidence and conquer their space in the market, she concludes.”
