Intersect announces the opening of five global community hubs, as membership soars to over 2,000 people globally

• Intersect, a member-based organization for the Cardano ecosystem, has announced the opening of four new community hubs across three continents
• As global membership grows to over 2,000 people, Intersect is able to continue to meet the goal of pioneering a new model for blockchain governance
• Increased membership numbers mean members from all over the world are able to contribute to a decentralized future ahead of the Annual Members Meeting later this year

Intersect, a member-based organization for the Cardano ecosystem, has announced the launch of five community hubs as Intersect sees membership skyrocket ahead of the Annual Members Meeting (AMM) later this year. The work being done by these members helps to demonstrate that a member-led organization can advance and govern decentralized financial and social infrastructure at scale to cater to diverse global needs.

Japan, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil and Sri Lanka now all have dedicated community hubs, with allocated community hub managers. These provide a vital role to the Intersect community, ensuring all information is widespread, and allowing for engagement in wider blockchain development. Ultimately good governance requires strong institutions, and this is how Intersect is building them.

Intersect now has membership in 65 countries, with 2,000 members registered. This shows a huge trend towards engagement with the future of how blockchain systems will be built. As more members join and contribute to the work, a more decentralized, democratic system can be built, as opposed to systems that don’t serve the mass of people who use them.

Nick Cook, Head of Membership & Community at Intersect, commented “It’s so fantastic to see that Intersect membership is growing the way that it is. Not only are we seeing more and more people sign up to be members, but they’re getting involved across the globe. Good governance requires strong institutions built by the members within it and these community hubs help us achieve that. I look forward to seeing what we build next and encourage more members to consider launching a community hub to make sure their area is represented as we head towards a decentralized, democratic future.” 

Increasing membership is vital to help Intersect achieve its mission of enabling a more resilient, secure, transparent, and innovative Cardano ecosystem by empowering the wider community to drive continued progress. The more participants, the more expertise can be brought in to operate the blockchain.

These newly launched hubs have announced a number of different activities for members in the area. For example, the team in Japan hosted an in-person launch, attended by Nick Cook and the Sub-Saharan African team, based in Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will be holding its own launch event soon. Over in Sri Lanka, the community hub participated in the International Industry Expo 2023, representing Intersect with a booth that had 2,000 visitors and drove over 100 member sign-ups.

"Launching the CoinCeylon x Intersect Hub in Sri Lanka marks a significant milestone in our journey to foster blockchain governance and innovation” remarked Sri Lanka Hub Manager Kavinda Kariyapperuma. 

“We believe that community hubs are essential for promoting transparency, inclusivity, and active participation within the blockchain ecosystem. Our Sri Lanka hub serves as a platform for local developers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts to collaborate, learn, and contribute to the global Cardano community. Through events, workshops, learning initiatives and active community engagement in local languages, we aim to drive meaningful change and empower our members to shape the future of blockchain technology."

If you’re interested in how you can join, membership levels and further information can be found on the Intersect website: https://members.intersectmbo.org/registration. If you’d like to go a step further and launch a local area hub of your own, check out here (https://docs.intersectmbo.org/intersect-community-grants/open-grants/community-hubs) for more information on applying for grants to get started.