Blockchain in Paradise – June 2026

Aloha kākou,

Summer in Hawaiʻi brings a familiar rhythm: families gathering, visitors arriving, and life moving a little more slowly and sometimes more openly. That openness is one of our greatest strengths. It's also something scammers know how to exploit.

This month, we're focused on a topic that hits close to home: the fraud that has cost Hawaii residents tens of millions of dollars, much of it targeting our kūpuna. Understanding how these schemes work is the first step to stopping them; and that education is exactly what Pūpūkahi Tech and Blockchain in Paradise are here to provide.

The good news: Hawaiʻi took real action this session. The conversation is moving in the right direction. And the more of us who are informed, the harder it gets for scammers to find a foothold.

Mahalo nui for being part of this community,

— Alika Kāne
Executive Director, Pūpūkahi Tech

Mahalo to the Stand With Crypto team for their continued partnership and commitment to digital education across Hawaiʻi. Their support makes it possible for us to keep these conversations accessible and community-centered. To learn more or get involved in shaping digital asset policy: ➡️ Stand with Crypto

May was a good month for showing up together.

We had the privilege of hosting a Talk Story session with Zac Manafort, a familiar face in Hawaiʻi's blockchain community and a builder who's been part of growing this space across the islands. The event was hosted at the Hawaii Creator Space. Zac covered topics such as what is changing the way people use the internet and where he sees AI influencing the way people interact with information, money, and each other, and what those shifts could mean for communities like ours here in Hawaiʻi

These sessions are core to what Blockchain in Paradise is about. Not lectures. Conversations. The kind where you can ask the "dumb question" that turns out to be the most important one in the room. Mahalo to Zac for his time and generosity with the community. 🤙

Every May 22, the crypto world marks what might be the most expensive meal in history. On this day in 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz made the first known real-world Bitcoin purchase: two pizzas, for 10,000 BTC. At today's prices, that's roughly $770 million worth of pizza.

At the time, nobody knew what Bitcoin would become. Laszlo just wanted lunch; and in doing so, he proved that Bitcoin could actually be used to buy something real.

We celebrated Bitcoin Pizza Day this year at Mad Pie in Kakaʻako. It's become one of our favorite traditions: a chance to pause, appreciate how far this technology has come, and share that story with people who are just starting to learn about it.

If you weren't there this year, mark your calendar for May 22, 2027. 🍕

Numbers can be easy to scroll past. These ones shouldn't be.

In 2025, Hawaiʻi residents lost $79.6 million to fraud. That’s a 25% increase from the year before. A significant portion of that involved cryptocurrency scams. Of that total, $55 million was lost by residents over the age of 60. That's an average loss of roughly $166,000 per victim among kūpuna who filed crypto fraud complaints.

These aren't abstract figures. They represent retirement savings. Family money. Life's work.

The most common schemes involve impersonation (someone calls pretending to be the IRS, Medicare, a grandchild in trouble, or even a tech support line) and instructs the victim to convert cash to crypto at a kiosk fast, before it's "too late." The urgency is manufactured. The loss is real.

When you buy crypto through an exchange like Coinbase or Kraken, the exchange holds your assets on your behalf. That's fine for getting started; but it means you're trusting that platform to stay secure, stay solvent, and stay accessible to you.

Self-custody means you hold your own private keys — the proof that the crypto is truly yours — on a device you control, offline. No platform between you and your assets.

A hardware wallet is a small physical device that stores your keys offline, away from hackers and platform risk. It's the standard tool for anyone holding digital assets long-term, and one of the most concrete steps you can take to protect what you've built.

Trezor is one of the most established hardware wallet providers in the space. We've found their devices to be a solid option for people who are ready to take that next step.

▶️ Secure your assets with a Trezor hardware wallet

(Disclosure: this is an affiliate link — if you purchase through it, Blockchain in Paradise receives a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

While Hawaiʻi has been focused on consumer protection, Washington has been working on something much bigger: a set of rules that will govern how the entire cryptocurrency market operates in the United States.

The bill is called the CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act), and it's the broadest piece of crypto legislation Congress has ever attempted. Think of it as the rulebook that tells crypto companies which government agency is their main regulator, and what they have to do to operate legally.

On May 14, 2026, the Senate Banking Committee voted 15 to 9 to advance the bill toward a full Senate vote. That's significant. It means the bill cleared its last committee hurdle and is now one step away from a Senate floor vote.

Why it matters to you: Clearer federal rules generally mean safer products, more competition, and more accountability when things go wrong. It also means the major platforms serving Hawaiʻi residents (Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and others) will have more stability and, eventually, stronger obligations to their users.

We'll keep you updated as this moves forward.

As we head into June, Bitcoin is trading around $66,000. Down from its all-time high of $126,198 reached last October, but still roughly 57% higher than where it was two years ago.

Ethereum is trading around $1,975, recovering from a low near $1,743 earlier this year.

For anyone watching their portfolio and feeling uncertain, that's a normal response to volatility. These markets move fast in both directions. If you're newer to this space, the most important question isn't "where is the price going?" it's "do I understand what I own, and can I afford to hold it if it drops further?" Those questions don't have right or wrong answers, but they're worth sitting with.

When: Thursday, June 11, 2026, 6:00–8:00 pm (HST)

Where: Hana Koa Brewing Co., 962 Kawaiahaʻo St, Honolulu

What: Join us for a relaxed evening conversation about where money is heading: digital currencies, decentralized finance, and what it all means for everyday life in Hawaiʻi. Whether you're just curious or already deep in the space, this is a place to ask questions, share what you know, and learn from the people around you. Good conversation, cold drinks, no pressure.

RSVP at https://luma.com/fhkzgkf9

The work of financial education isn't glamorous. It doesn't make headlines the same way a Bitcoin rally does. But it's the work that actually protects people; and in Hawaiʻi, where our communities are tight-knit and our kūpuna are too often in scammers' crosshairs, it might be the most important work we do.

This summer, we're asking you to be part of it. Share this newsletter with someone who needs it. Have that conversation with a family member. Ask questions. Stay curious.

We're here with you.

Mahalo nui,

– The Blockchain in Paradise Team

Blockchain in Paradise is the digital assets and Web3 arm of Pūpūkahi Tech Foundation, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit closing the digital economy gap through technology access, digital education, and fluency in AI, Web3, and cryptocurrency.