Jessica Nascimento

So excited for this

The missing layer in DeFi: trust. Yesterday, talking to a friend about the market, he asked if I’d personally put money into a DeFi vault at this moment. My first answer was no. And that bothered me. My reaction wasn’t based on thinking it was a bad strategy, but on something much simpler: What could go wrong? Q3 2026 saw $1.26B in crypto security losses across 247 incidents, 54% more than Q2. After 6 years in crypto, using several protocols, farming, and being bullish on the concept, that’s probably not the reaction I expected to have. A couple of years ago, my answer would probably have been very different. It made me realize something: Trust hasn’t scaled at the same speed as capital. With the tools we have today, almost anyone can build a financial product. But building it is only one part of the job. Keeping it secure is the part that matters most. I think the mindset needs to shift from quantity to quality. There are already hundreds of products, and some of them are genuinely good. But we need to put much more focus on security. We’ve spent years building fast and breaking things. Maybe the mindset now needs to be: Build smart. Build secure. Then break things. Because in DeFi, breaking a product isn’t always an experiment. Sometimes, it’s someone’s money.

If you're spending time in Thailand, you might find this app very helpful if you don't want to withdraw cash all the time and want to access local services by paying with QR code. I’ve been using Moreta Pay for the past few weeks and it’s been a lifesaver. You can fund it with Apple Pay and pay by scanning QR code from local shops. Super handy. No ads btw.

I m excited to try it out 🚀

And Brazil might end up being one of the most active markets for prediction trading

I totally get this, it’s relieving to see a post like this. Most of us are only here because someone took a chance and bet on our hunger to learn and get shit done. Wrote up a bit of my own messy-but-grateful trajectory here if you need a reminder to keep pushing. open.substack.com/pub/jess94…

100% this. Execution by intention should be table stakes now. No excuses left. @Bentodotfun does it really well. Love the onboarding experience.

👩‍💻✍️

Reading so many new developments about AI and how fast products are being shipped, it's hard not to feel anxious. 24 hours feels too short to catch up with everything while having a functional life. At this point, only someone on the outside will underestimate the impact that all of these products can cause. What makes a difference is to actually give it a chance and try it, experiment. It's impossible not to get excited and motivated by the endless opportunities you may encounter to learn faster, to build, to improve work, to save time. Fear fades when you see how much more you can do with it. In 2026, I decided to push myself to try as many tools as possible, and in a few weeks I've learned so much despite not being a developer myself. It's so pleasing to understand how your favorite apps are built, how they work, how to build the UI that clicks with you. I can't stop building apps for myself, ideas that I thought could never exist in reality. I think the best learning I got out of it is that AI isn't coming for the people who learn how to use it. It's coming for the people who refuse to. AI should be used as a tool. The best tools don't replace skilled people. They make skilled people unstoppable. Don't be the one replaced by it. Be the one who makes it work for you.

The future is permissionless

First time staying in Business Bay and it might just flip my whole view on the best area in Dubai Way more productive without the usual distractions, no tourist crowds, way less hectic than Marina. Still love Marina for the vibes but for actually living here long term Business Bay's got it rn might be my new base camp.

Didn’t visit any new countries, but I spent amazing time in some of my favorites: Diwali in India, quality time back home in Rio de Janeiro, chill days in Thailand, and of course, the best sunsets in Dubai.