Tonga Blockchain – The Perfect Blockchain Opportunity

The Kingdom of Tonga is a small island kingdom nestled away in the South Pacific. Despite being a small nation it carries a lot of influence in the Pacific Region as well as voter participation in the UN. Tonga has a unique foreign diaspora much larger than its domestic population of 107,000. Some estimate over 3 times as many Tongans live outside of Tonga and are literally scattered across the world creating a unique global demographic. In many categories athletic talent, remittances, imports/export, Undergrad & Graduate Education etc. Tonga is a pound for pound contender. This is why Tonga is the greatest match for complete implementation of Blockchain technology domestically and globally. Providing a tremendous opportunity for Tongans globally in every aspect while further showcasing the impact Blockchain will have around the world.

The Kingdom of Tonga, a small island nation in South Pacific, is the perfect country and global demographic for the implementation of Blockchain technology. 

If you are new to the Blockchain world, there are countless videos and articles online that can provide you a great way to learn more about this great new technology. This technology has matured tremendously over the last 3 years and has been a hot topic in various financial and business sectors. However, a need for comprehensive implementation in a country and/or demographic group will make the global implementation of this technology even greater.

What makes Tonga the perfect Blockchain market?

Not too big not too small. The kingdom itself only has a population of approx. 107,000 over 167 islands. It is a relatively small country, which many may think is a negative but Tonga packs a far greater punch for its size and the smaller domestic population ultimately becomes an advantage. This is because a smaller population allows for greater and quicker implementation of the blockchain in various or all aspects of life.

Bitcoin by far is the greatest example of how the Blockchain can have an impact on how we interact with each other financially. Tonga is one of the highest per capita remittance receiving countries in the world. In fact, the Tongan economy would collapse without the constant flow of remittances from around the world to Tonga. However, Blockchain can have a tremendous impact beyond the financial industry; such as implementation in the healthcare industry, energy sector etc.

Global Footprint. The consensus is there are at least twice as many Tongans living overseas than in Tonga, estimates go as high as 300,000 Tongans living outside of Tonga. This would bring the Global Tongan population to about 400,000 Tongans. Where are all these Tongans living you ask? A better question is where are they not living. Personally, I have Tongan family and friends who currently live in over 20 countries.

Strong Social Ties. Tongans share very strong social ties where family, village, high school, national, and sporting events are celebrated on a grand scale. The most recent example is looking to the arrival of the Tongan Rugby League team to Tonga and New Zealand preparing for the Rugby League World Cup and sees the thousands upon thousands at the airport to greet the time and lining the streets. If you did not know better you would have driven down the streets of New Zealand and thought Tonga was the home team. These strong social ties recognize no borders as Tongans travel around the world to attend events, send gifts, and/or financial support to these events. As my aunt always says…….”People don’t realize how expensive it is just to be Tongan…” because there is always a birthday, wedding, funeral, village, high school, national, religious, or sporting event going on that requires time and money to fund, support, and/or attend. This is why so many Tongans live near major airports around the world, so they can work for the airlines and use their flying benefits to attend these events.

Tongans have and maintain very strong social and national ties despite being spread throughout the world. These ties are the driving forces behind the flow of traditional goods and financial transaction around the world. Also, the local Tongan government could benefit greatly from the benefits of creating digital identities to all Tongan citizens through Blockchain technology.

Traditionally Forward Thinking. Tonga has some very unique history that shows an overarching culture of adopting new ideas and adapting to change in political, social, educational, religious etc. but somehow still being traditionally Tongan. In fact, Tongans are very good at seeing something new and making it work in a Tongan way. This unique ability has led to Tonga being the only nation throughout the Pacific that was never colonized and may lay claim to the oldest ruling monarchy. Tongans have always ruled and governed themselves. Tonga has the second oldest constitution in the world, second only to the United States. These are only possible if there is a unique ability to see new ideas, opportunities, and capacity to adjust to key factors on a political, social, and economic environment.

Regional Power. Tonga holds a lot of regional soft power. Primarily driven by the historical impact and influence. The Ancient Tongan Empire spanned through all Polynesia, Micronesia, and parts of Melanesia for hundreds if not thousands of years. In addition to this regional power is Tonga as a voting member of the United Nations.

Technology Growth & Friendly Regulations. Technology is on the rise at a furious pace in Tonga. Cell Phones, tablets, laptops etc are becoming more and more common. A fiber optic internet next work is being installed throughout the main island of Tongatapu and 100% mobile network access throughout the entire country.

Health Care & Record Keeping. Tonga runs under a government-provided Healthcare system with successful private practices as well. The record keeping is primarily driven by paper tracking of patients and services provided. This archaic tracking system is found across the board in government processes and the private sector, despite the rapid pace in which technology has grown across the board in the kingdom.

The global footprint of Tongans around the world, their strong social ties, and high per capita financial interactions provides a unique opportunity to showcase the benefits of the blockchain on both a domestic scale in Tonga and globally through the global Tongan diaspora. This all feasible for a reasonable size demographic group that makes the possibility for massive adoption on both the domestic and global level.

The global Tongan Demographic is small enough for sweeping implementation of blockchain technology globally in Remittances, Banking,  Payment Processing, Healthcare, Digital Identity, Energy, Trade etc. Tonga can provide such a powerful impact and example of the benefits and utility of blockchain technology for national and global implementation for the above-mentioned reasons.

The opportunity is even stronger when you break down each specific sector for blockchain implementation i.e. remittances, trade/international commerce, banking, payment processing etc. as Tonga swings above its size in many of these areas. A topic we will explore on my next Tonga and the Blockchain article.

TONGA BLOCKCHAIN