Saori, you built your career in journalism and became one of the leading editorial voices covering crypto in Brazil. How did you first start writing about Bitcoin, crypto and Web3?
I've always been drawn to technology, but journalism was my bigger passion and the path I chose in college. Luckily, over the course of my career, I managed to combine both in a pretty unexpected way.
I started my professional life in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, and had a really hard time finding a job. Around that time, I started helping a friend who worked at a crypto company, writing for their blog and getting paid in their own token, which, honestly, wasn't worth much.
This experience turned out to be foundational, as I was writing about something that genuinely won me over. Bitcoin, and the whole cypherpunk philosophy of putting people back in control of their own money, without relying on institutions like banks, pulled me in completely.
Eventually, I landed a job at a crypto news outlet (this time getting paid in Bitcoin, a nice upgrade) and that's where I really found my footing — doing journalism, focused on a subject I was genuinely passionate about.
It’s interesting how something that started almost by accident ended up shaping your entire career! Since crypto journalism has changed dramatically over recent years, was there a moment when you realised that it had become more than just a tech story, but a broader social and financial one?
When I first started covering crypto, I thought of it as a pretty niche topic, "internet money" that only people on Twitter talked about. This perception changed when I visited El Salvador in 2021 and went to the famous "Bitcoin Beach" in El Zonte, where I saw people actually using Bitcoin in their day-to-day lives. Most of them didn't fully understand the technology behind it, but for some people in that small town in Central America, Bitcoin had genuinely changed their lives.
Real-world Bitcoin use by people excluded from the banking system, whether for economic reasons, like in El Salvador, or because of censorship from their own governments, as we see in many parts of the world, is the use case that excites me most. It's proof that something born on the internet can genuinely change lives in the real world.
Looking at Brazil, I spent years extensively covering the financial pyramid schemes that spread across the country, ruining people's lives and tarnishing crypto's reputation. I watched a lot of illicit activity be punished, and I see regulation as a major turning point for the industry. It brings the legitimacy this space has always deserved. There's still a long way to go, but it's satisfying to watch that progress unfold.
Indeed, the industry has come a long way in terms of maturity, but some gaps are still very much there. Speaking of inclusivity, did you ever feel that you had to prove your expertise more than your male peers, especially when covering technical, financial or regulatory topics? If so, how did you deal with that?
As a woman, I feel like throughout my entire life, in school, in college, and later in the workplace, I've always had to work harder to get the same recognition as a male colleague. Women feel this everywhere, but in crypto, that male dominance is even more obvious.
It shows up in gender-biased attitudes, in spaces where crypto gets embraced by a crowd of quite old-fashioned, out-of-touch people who seem disconnected from the real world.
Professionally, I dealt with it by staying focused on my work and trusting my own ability to deliver good results. That was recognised by colleagues and bosses, men included, who saw my potential, gave me the chance to prove myself, and opened doors for me to grow my career.
It’s encouraging that your work was ultimately recognised and gave you room to grow. Turning to your role as editor-in-chief, since you are influencing how the Brazilian public understands crypto, what responsibility do you feel when reporting on an industry that can create opportunity, but also expose people to risk?
A journalist's job, regardless of the beat, is to report the facts, no matter how hard they are to hear. It's not unusual to have days at Portal do Bitcoin where most of our stories carry a negative tone, covering scams, failed crypto projects, or people suffering the consequences of bad financial decisions. Neither do I consider hiding that acceptable, even as someone who genuinely believes in this market.
The more people understand the risks, the more careful they'll be with their own money, and the more they'll seek to educate themselves so they don't get scammed.
That's where crypto journalism plays a central role: education. I believe crypto should be for everyone, not just internet nerds or Wall Street's wealthiest. So it's my job to provide the most useful, high-quality information possible, so my readers can make the best decisions when it comes to investing their money in this space.
Your conviction about education seems to be the right way to improve people’s crypto literacy. Getting back to the gender aspect, what do you think is still missing from the conversation around women in crypto in Brazil? Are women being heard enough as founders, investors, developers, and experts?
I think women working in crypto — journalists, lawyers, advisors, executives, developers — need to be brought into the conversation on equal footing with their male peers. I've lost count of how many crypto events I've been to where women only take the stage to talk about "women's place in crypto," almost like they're there just to fill a quota. On every other panel, about regulation, technology, and market innovation, it's overwhelmingly white men sitting in those chairs.
Slowly, gender equity is improving, mostly thanks to women in the industry supporting each other and rising together. But it's also on men to look around, recognise the problem, and actively work to change their own environment by bringing in women as colleagues (and as bosses!).
Thank you for sharing such a valuable perspective! Finally, looking back at your trajectory so far, what advice would you give to young women who want to enter financial, tech or crypto journalism, but may feel intimidated by the technical language or by the industry’s male dominance?
Professionally, I've learned that connections matter a lot in this space. So write, publish, put yourself out there. Build an online presence and become a reference point, no matter where you're working.
And finally, one last piece of advice: study. Being a competent, knowledgeable professional in this field comes down to you and your commitment to getting a little better every day. We've known since we were girls that we can really only count on ourselves, so trust your potential, trust your intelligence, and let your work speak for itself.
