Relex recently had the opportunity to speak to Andrea Romaoli Garcia, a Brazil-based international lawyer and Ambassador to the United Nations against hunger and poverty.

 

Relex came to Garcia’s attention for its ability to democratize FDI, helping individuals around the world develop real estate and spur economic growth in nascent markets.

Relex is a real estate development investment company, which uses its RLX cryptocurrency token to facilitate crowdfunding across the globe. Traditional real estate development is often dominated by a pool of HNWI and institutional investors. On the other hand, Relex uses blockchain technology to disrupt this industry and offer an alternative.

 

The interview with Garcia, who is an international lawyer and expert in blockchain law, discusses her take on blockchain. She ends the interview discussing Relex and its benefits to developing economies.

1) Please share with us some insights into your professional endeavors, those you were involved with in the past and those that you are pursuing at present?

 

I come from the oil and gas industry. I was working in multinationals that provided services to Petrobras, and my position was the financial manager. I possess a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Business Administration.

But my professional life changed the day I had a dollar suitcase under my feet inside the company. Everyone knows about the scandal of the Lava-Jato operation, and I saw this so near. I realized that I had no future in this place because I could not agree on illegalities that hurt the world economy and bring poverty to people.

I decided to become a lawyer and specialize in Criminal Law, Administrative Law and Tax Law. I became a specialist in Blockchain technology and digital economy studying, but I have an unusual trajectory to get here.

 

In 2009 I joined the United Nations and I have developed my private advocacy in parallel with the United Nations actions. And when I saw the Simuka Africa Youth Association starting as an NGO within the UN, I decided to work with them.

Technology allowed me to develop an NGO in Zimbabwe while living in Brazil. We’re currently working on the 2030 agenda by the UN for Sustainable development. We have established Nest — Simuka Legal Assistance to help fulfill the objectives of the agenda and it is a part of protecting children and developing the digital economy. < https://ift.tt/2Mb40hk>

Technology is a very difficult area for most lawyers, but for me it is very easy to get around in both fields.

At the end of 2015, I started research involving Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies involving the digital economy scenario because many people said that the activity was criminal and so I decided to investigate. It was part of the field research coming down on Deep Web and talking to people. And this way I got into all the issues about digital economy.

Finally, from my autonomous research I created a legal thesis that defends the objectives of Blockchain for Goods UN campaign. This was necessary because the rulers were criminalizing the activity because they’re greedy and wanted to tax the income once again.

Currently, I’m recognized in my industry as an international tax lawyer and expert in Blockchain technology. Also, as an Ambassador by UN against hunger and poverty.

This makes me completely happy because I can work and contribute to a better world at the same time.

2) How is the rise of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies changing the nature of economic transaction at all levels?

I started by drawing a review of the global economy, the composition of world trade and the World Trade Institutions to explain how blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are impacting, in a positive way, the economy and social life by placing a social value in financial transactions.

We are living in a unique moment in world history: the world economy is in control and not individual nations, despite the large world economic share of countries like the USA and Japan, and this scares governments, banks and rulers.

Sectors such as agriculture are achieving higher productivity through mechanisation but this new scenario brought the decoupling of the primary product market from the industrial economy and the consequences are: less jobs and less money. Underdeveloped countries have a lot problems to improve the technological education and fast, and this will come up in the world economic scenario like a hungry crowd.

From my point of view, I argue that the domestic economy migrated to the world economy as the chief economic unit where Europe and Japan are prominent countries, and the developing countries’ are at the mercy of world supply and demand movements, with the resultant fluctuations in prices.

However, the nature of economic transactions at all levels was changed when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies came up in the world economy because, before that, the nature was money-for-money in unequal and discriminatory biz, but now there is a social value in economic transactions able to touch all social levels. The digital economy with Blockchain is completely non-discriminatory.

This is a revolutionary phenomenon and already explained by Emile Durkheim’s philosophy who established a power relationship between social fact and coercion. This is a premise to establish a “disruptive economy.”

The people were suffering strong coercion from governments about taxes, less jobs, poverty and hunger growing in all levels and there was no expectation for a better life for the people.

Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies create the unique chance for human beings to reach a better life because there is more autonomy about financial and professional life improving society: it is a Human Right… it is the materialization of human dignity.

The digital economy brings a new world via the Cloud Environment. In the world, there are new professional positions, less taxes, and more autonomy for people managing their own lives.

Fewer taxes not is the same as illegality because the economy with Blockchain improves the economic power of people that will lead to stronger consumers paying taxes on products that they will buy or sell. It’s a real win-win for business between people, governments and companies.

I realized something new in this cryptocurrency scenario: it is the first time in history that people and companies are working symbiotically.

3) Do you feel these new technologies are creating more opportunities for free trade on fair terms within countries and across the world? Or, do they pose any major security threat to the existing state of affairs which certain governments, like in China and India, are squabbling over?

As I said above: “The nature of economic transactions at all levels was changed when blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies came up in the world economy because, before that, the nature was money-for-money in unequal and discriminatory biz, but now there is a social value in economic transactions able to touch all social levels. The digital economy with Blockchain is completely non-discriminatory.”

And yes. These new technologies are creating more opportunities for free trade on fair terms within countries and across the world, as I’ll explain in detail.

First, I will talk about the relationship of the digital economy, banks, and democracy. Then, I’ll speak about taxes and justice, and finally, I’ll argue why a disruptive economy isn’t a security threat to government affairs.

A dictatorship means all power is in the hands of a few: the dictator of a certain group. This system has cycles because the real power isn’t extinguished. What can be extinguished is just the power of a dictator or group.

Therefore, the power will continue circulating and is disputed all the time. There was an oversight in the history of the world after the Second World War. Today Europe and North America have forgotten this rule and thought that dictatorships were only in Latin America and a few other countries. Today we live in a new cycle of dictatorships that affect the whole world: the dictatorship of banks. The proof of this was the crisis experienced by Europe where the financial system collapsed and the governments operated according to the self-interests of the banks.

So it is natural for governments to resist the digital economy because it threatens this “dictatorship” where the banks have the power and the plutocracy is a new economic strategy.

Many countries and organizations have used the principle of legality to banish the most people from all that is good in the world and reserving to plutocrats: money, food, health care, housing, education and comfort. But remember that laws doesn’t made by minorities or poor. The laws are made by the powerful and the rich persons, and anything that threatens the division of power or money will not be accepted.

For example: if rulers or governments put agrotoxin in people’s food and they die of cancer, it’s okay because it doesn’t threaten the power or wealth of rulers. They’re considered a lesser people regarding power or money. Therefore, most governments that prohibit the digital economy are the same ones that authorize the use of agrochemicals. Curious, isn’t it? And about cancer? Why isn’t there a cure?

Émile Durkheim is a German philosopher who explains the socio-economic phenomenon we now live in. If the people find themselves oppressed and unable to escape hunger, it will manifest itself. The people will naturally respond aggressively to the environment as a means of survival. Blockchain technology emerged, and immediately the digital economy became the door to survival. This is fair and legitimate.

Democratic Power must acknowledge this and provide the security necessary for this business to survive without changing the legal nature of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies technology.

In opposite, Democratic power recognized 100% of banks’ claims as legitimate and laws were created to protect the interest of banks without considering the need of the human being: to survive.

So if nothing is done we will live and watch the chaos long before 2030: a crowd of hungry and sick people will take to the streets and many serious industries will go bankrupt. But the “ghost companies” that launder money will survive because they are covered up by the classic banks that pretend not to see the ghost companies. These don’t develop lucrative activity in the public interest and do not give employment.

The digital economy allows the excluded to earn some money from their small businesses. These too are even banned by banks.

The Department of Economic & Social Affairs of the United Nations through the Development Policy & Analysis division is in the process of adopting Blockchain’s system and cryptocurrencies through the use of Bitcoin and Ethereum as a way to reduce poverty. There is currently a World Food Program (WFP) in Jordan. In addition, I will propose the same approach to the Simuka Africa Youth Association in November, 2018 to improve the economy in Zimbabwe. But it will happen slowly because we are waiting for funding and volunteers.

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies give humankind the opportunity to earn money honestly and ethically by opening up new jobs in a world that no longer offers jobs for everyone. Traditional money is scarce and corruption enriches politicians, banks and governments at the expense of impoverishment of humanity. My research shows sufficient evidence to justify the protection of Human Rights through Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. In fact, the United Nations is engaged and working to demonstrate the need to add option within the current financial system.

The RMIT (Matrix Rule of Tax Incidence) is possible when we admit the existence of the mandatory legal nexus between the State and the taxpayers within the Blockchain through legal requirement if, and just in case, we are admitting that the governing authorities can tear apart the primary public purpose and they will replace it by spurious purposes threatening the collective good.

That is the reason why it isn’t possible to glimpse the legal nexus to support the RMIT due to absence of the factual reality required to meet requirement the substance to legal norm.

In details, many states in our nation suffer the effects of over-taxation with brighter economic climates or high corporate taxes compelling businesses to relocate their headquarters, taxes play a huge role in how state economies function.

Paying taxes is necessary to share the benefits between states and citizens and paying fair taxes is a real action to establish the principle of human dignity.

“DOUBLE TAXATION “ is a practice potentially damaging to world economy and can be considered unconstitutional

Double taxation is a taxation principle referring to income taxes paid twice on the same source of earned income. It can occur when income is taxed at both the corporate level and personal level. Double taxation also occurs in international trade when the same income is taxed in two different countries.

From my point of view, there is the “DOUBLE TAXATION” when governments requires the tax income and then, they are taxing purchases, imports, and exported products too.

For me, the people must pay taxes just about consumer goods and not their income from labor.

In addition to the humanitarian reasons, another argument is that there is no legal nexus for governments to tax the income earned from business in the digital economy. Admitting the juridical nexus to this and creating international laws with this premise constructs something as monstrous as Frankenstein’s Monster: an ungainly and immoral international law just to feed the plutocrats.

I remind everyone that the income tax is a remnant of the monarchy.

Blockchain technology goes beyond payments, however, one of the important features of Bitcoin is that every transaction is freely viewable online.

The ‘blockchain,’ a shared ledger that is the list of all transactions that have ever taken place, is updated constantly and it can be audited and everything was happened inside blockchain could be recovered to check and this data cannot be manipulated, it is locked in ledger forever. Blockchain has the potential to massively reduce corruption: bribes can be easily spotted, citizens could see where their government is spending money and the entire financial system is quickly auditable.

The blockchain can store more than just transaction data, you can store various types of data on this ledger including legal contracts, deeds to property, and company shares.

There is no reason for China and India to remain worried about this digital economy.

Malta and Japan are good examples giving veracity to all I have said here. Japan passed a law recognising bitcoin and other virtual currencies as legal tender while also stressing the need for transparency and financial stability. Malta made the same and government from Malta is giving support to improve the economy based in Blockchain.

Criminal activity has always existed, and it was financed by classical coins using traditional banks. Cryptocurrencies are just one more means criminals use. It is the responsibility of the rulers to give security to the world economy, included about internet too.

Blaming the digital economy for crimes means social and technological backsliding that isn’t legally admitted.

Considering that the criminal procedures is one of others law fields that I am specialist, I can also assure you that the technique of criminal prosecution doesn’t allow misrepresentation to crime that did not occur yet or the rulers is placing legal presumptions. Therefore, to prohibit the business with Blockchain and cryptocurrencies there is no legal protection in the criminal, social, civil or tributary sphere.It is happening in the arbitrary way.

But the digital economy requires law come up and makes this business safety banishing criminals.

4) You are soon starting a program with blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Zimbabwe that is based on the same model as Blockchain for Impact advocated by the United Nations Department of Economy and Social Affairs. Do you think this model can be rolled out in other frontier countries that are opening up their economies for foreign investments, such as Myanmar?

MYANMAR is a bureaucratic country like Brazil, and I think the same model will be useful in Myanmar.

Lots of money is spent in the bureaucracy that banks and governments require and in addition to the more streamlined payment system with Blockchain, it is an excellent registrar and secure signer.

The judiciary, financial system and registrars of official documents can get benefits. This decreases the volume of documents and consequently speeds up the conference time.

And I still dream of day that I will see ICOs rising up to develop research and medicines to cure serious diseases because the will of the people has already proven to be more effective than that of rulers. Maybe, ICOs could build places for the elderly to grow old with dignity.

We can get there, but there is a need for the industry that is driving the digital economy to invest in formulators of laws.

Developers are great at solving problems, but they do not make laws and without the legal cautions: Blockchain and cryptocurrencies will become just another software in the hands of banks and governments.

I’m acting in governance and I’ve seen there’s a lot of strength from banks and governments against the digital economy just focused in Blockchain like a technology out of financial system or this persons is fighting to get Blockchain just to traditional banks and criminalizing other activities. Only banks and governments have the money to fund the travel needed to be at the meetings that make a difference, and the number of lawyers defending blockchain and cryptocurrencies is too few.

If the industry of digital economy doesn’t invest, I advise you to change the industry you are working on because it will die.

Thus, Myanmar has a unique opportunity to be joining leaders of the next big technological age that will create new jobs, knowledge and social inclusion and it will put this competitive country into the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) too. It is a challenge that needs investments in good education, but the good education just can be reached out with a healthy financial life.

My challenge with Simuka Africa in Zimbabwe is this: I’m working alone on this and I depend on volunteers and investments to develop the education and technology there.

In Brazil I tried the same but all institutions are touched by corruption and made my work impossible.

Countries with the technology developed should help because in the near future, technological inequality will be so great and will reach so many people that the physical borders of developed countries are threatened.

There will not be enough soldiers to contain the hungry crowd.

What will they do? Are they going to shoot in sick, hungry and unarmed people?

We need to work harder on these policies to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

5) As you come from Brazil, how do you see South American countries catching up with these new digital technologies? Have there been any tangible benefits with their application in the local societies?

Brazil is becoming competitive with data management, having a huge social media user base and many startups, but everything’s coming up disorderly and without scientific basis and there is no investment in technological industry, the social environment, or research to develop good policies.

The main issues for trade were agriculture and access to new markets which was based on products and demand. Digital technologies were not a priority.

We have excellent federal universities that form excellent developers for the whole world like UFSCAR. But developers cannot move the economy alone and corruption has already infiltrated different institutions.

In Brazil it’s all a joke, a theater where our government and institutions are calling Americans’ and Europeans’ governments just to watch plans that never will be established in reality.

The universities that form lawyers have professors with no specialization teaching and lawyers don’t work on research. Lawyers publish articles that are primarily plagiarized.

Then Forums are held with these papers in a presentation with people who are the children of a dictatorial power. There is no open call to be Speaker in the Forums of Brazil. Only designated individuals that are defending Government and Bank interests are talking about digital economy and internet security in these Forums. Obviously, the real status-quo is not being addressed in Brazil because professionals are talking with inaction.

It is corruption without limits.

It creates barriers to digital trade and affects digital rights and internet stability.

Autonomy of thought is an important principle for the process of creation and collaboration. For example, this idea was always present in Google that found success; they are competitive and have strong leadership in an innovative economy. This is missing in Brazil.

All countries believed in a show that Brazil allowed foreigners governments to believe Brazil is a democracy. But, Brazil isn’t a democracy. We have a indirect vote as assets from democracy and we are cheating the world with this. That is the reason we have a serious problem now with corruption, safety in elections, in Supreme Court, laundering money and technological evolution. Our system of government is a mix between a monarchy and dictatorship and our organizations have an hierarchical model that avoid active collaboration and questioning.

These structures don’t promote greater stability and decision-making processes are concentrated in themselves.

There is just a judge fighting against the corruption here and he was in United nations asking for help: Moro, the judge.

Currently, the scenario of technological innovation and disruptive concepts show that they are highly competitive and the lack of progress of Brazilian companies is evident at the moment.

Brazil is closed to the idea of accepting the smart economy and smart contracts.

Example: many companies are calling smart contracts just a copy of contract models inserted in software without considering Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain or Cloud Environment concepts. And this is being widely publicized by other lawyers and policymakers as truth.

Why? Reasons: corruption, lack of research, fear of being against the interests of the government, dictatorships, etc.

The dictatorship of the banks is the biggest obstacle to the development of the economy in the digital scenario because without the banks there is no corruption. Corruption is the rule here.

In Brazil, they are holding workshops about international economy and principles from OCDE without considering the smart economy. How will we legislate smart contracts without considering the Reinforcement Learning (Q-Learning)?

We need to create innovation professionals to work in the smart economy and no university is interested in that.

I have an educational project for Brazil to fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development called as Innovation’s Professional.

No university has been interested because they are working with wrong concepts about smart economy.

This has already put Brazil through 15 years of technological backwardness. Brazil needs foreign governments and companies to invest and force technological development.

See the geographical location of Brazil, we are a potential for good and evil. We are at the center of dictatorship and money laundering and crossing the sea we are close to terrorists. This is dangerous if it adds poverty and ignorance.

In that field, I am joining Judge Moro and asking for help. We are great making laws, but Brazil doesn’t make actions establishing the laws and never does supervision.

But Brazil is making laws that protect banks just to guarantee the corruption and laundering money.

So… if Blockchain technology and Cryptocurrencies work in Brazil, then the citizens could have a good option to survive. But in Brazil, the current economy is criminal just to protect banks.

There is a government authorized bank working with blockchain and thinking about digital coins…but nothing to citizens.

About Latin American, Colombia is accepting the economy with Blockchain and cryptocurrencies but Caribbean has a differential: they are wishing improve the digital economy but they got several problems from natural disasters and it is a obstacle now.

In Colombia, investing in infrastructure projects can require political stability, but guarantees good financial rate of return. They are investing in exponential companies without worrying about borders and focused on technologies, the ability to leverage global connectivity and technology.

6) How do you see Relex growing as a blockchain-based platform for generating investments across the world, including in South America? Would you be interested in engaging/ collaborating with Relex in any way ahead?

As I said above, underdeveloped countries like South America need companies from developed countries as well to force technological development because they hold the necessary knowledge and experience, and these companies are saying no to corruption.

By the way, without technological laboratories, Latin America cannot develop the smart economy to make the trade competitive and they will sink into poverty.

At that point, Relex is growing using blockchain-based platform for generating investments across the world, and Brazil and South America can reap benefits by becoming profitable countries.

However, in countries where there are legal obstacles there will be a need to adopt parallel strategies to make the business viable and even force legal changes like Malta and Japan have already done.

Relex’s business trajectory has shown a competitive and profitable investment in portfolio offerings to a global investor base running in the most effective financial solutions and the most streamlined investment process through its advanced technological infrastructure.

It is necessary to consider that South America has the majority of its countries with low educational quality and for this reason they need the expertise of companies like Relex to provide the necessary knowledge for the security of asset investments in the economy through blockchain.

The world as I see it would mean an evolution and an option for a society trapped in corruption by a policy developed by dictators.

For the reasons discussed in this interview, I would engage personally with Relex for a profitable, safe, fair, and non-discriminate economy.

ANDREA ROMAOLI GARCIA

AMBASSADOR to the UN against hunger and poverty, and international lawyer expert in Blockchain technology

Director Internet Society / New York

Editor Associate by Inderscience Publishers

United Nations-Switzerland / New York

ITU Telecom -US

Ms. Council Strategic Initiatives, Latin America and the Caribbean to ICANN

email: [email protected]

[email protected]

+55 14 991623774

ICANN brief — https://icannwiki.org/Andrea_Romaoli_Garcia

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