At the time this interview was conducted Raul Gavira San Martin was a DeFi Correspondent at Bitcoin Magazine NL, where he covered crypto through a global lens – spanning macro trends, emerging onchain use cases, decentralised finance, and the convergence between traditional finance and crypto. He is now a Crypto Education & News Writer at Crypto Focus, a new up-and-coming crypto publication. In this On The Record conversation, Raul reflects on his unconventional path into crypto journalism, what he looks for beyond headlines, and the themes he believes will define crypto’s next phase.

How did your journey in crypto begin?

I first heard about crypto back in school, when Bitcoin was framed in the way crypto often was at the time, as something obscure and slightly illicit. It sounded fascinating, but at the time I didn’t really understand my own finances, let alone blockchain, so I parked it.

Around 2017-2018, a few friends started getting more involved in crypto, which sparked my curiosity again. I began reading and learning about it, but that was more curiosity than conviction. I didn’t invest, and after a while it faded into the background once again.

The real shift came in 2020. A friend of mine received funding from Ripple to start a platform focused on the XRP Ledger, and I began writing for them. That’s when I properly dove into the space. During the pandemic, I became deeply involved in NFTs – buying and selling art onchain, and that became my main source of income for about a year and a half, with writing on the side.

It wasn’t glamorous. I made money, I lost money. I didn’t get rich. But I lived fully inside the ecosystem – Discords, Telegram groups, and web3 communities – and that experience fundamentally shaped how I understand crypto today.

How did writing become your path when it was never the plan?

I never thought I’d become a writer. I studied business – very generic, marketing, a bit of everything. The only real writing background I had was being decent at English literature in school.

What I realised over time was that I enjoy educating people. I speak Spanish, English, and Dutch fluently, and writing became a way to explain what’s happening in crypto and how different blockchains work, without overcomplicating it.

That’s what led me to Binance Academy. Writing educational content there made me realise this was something I wanted to do full-time. From there, I moved to Bitcoin Magazine NL, where I was for about two years before starting at Crypto Focus.

Which stories stand out to you the most?

The articles that get the most views aren’t usually the ones I’m most proud of. That correlation just isn’t there.

The pieces I enjoy the most are interviews. One that really stood out for me was speaking to Joel Valenzuela from Dash who has been getting paid entirely in crypto for years and living off it – paying rent, daily expenses, everything. That level of conviction, surviving multiple market cycles without switching back, really stuck with me.

Another was an interview with a founder from Legion, who was working on merit-based ICOs. The idea of giving retail participants and VCs access on more equal terms, based on contribution rather than capital alone, felt like a meaningful evolution.

What makes a strong journalist-PR dynamic work?

Strong journalist-PR relationships work best when they’re genuinely two-sided. Journalism isn’t just about output or coverage – it’s about mutual respect, clear communication, and follow-through.

When conversations are collaborative and both sides show up, share context, and engage beyond a single announcement, the work is always better. Interviews, briefings, and ongoing dialogue function best when there’s an understanding that both sides are investing time and trust. That kind of reciprocity is what ultimately leads to more meaningful storytelling.

How do you see crypto sentiment evolving in Europe?

In Europe, and particularly in the Netherlands, I see crypto increasingly splitting into two distinct worlds.

On one side, there’s regulation and familiarity – structures like ETFs and frameworks such as MiCA, which make crypto more accessible for people who don’t want to manage wallets or think about self-custody. This direction lowers friction and appeals to more traditional participants.

On the other side, there remains a strong pull toward decentralisation – privacy, censorship resistance, and self-sovereignty. That’s where I personally lean. As systems become more centralised and more surveilled, people naturally gravitate back toward alternatives that offer greater autonomy.

I also think there’s still a tendency to conflate crypto, blockchain, Web3, and speculation. Often, the underlying technology and what it enables is the more important conversation than individual assets or price movements.

What trends are you watching most closely as we head into 2026?

Privacy is something I’m always watching. It’s not a trend that is new per se, but it moves in cycles. We’re already seeing renewed interest around projects like Monero and Zcash.

AI agents and autonomous AI are another area I’m paying close attention to. I think that space will grow significantly over the next few years.

Then there’s the intersection of robotics and blockchain. It’s discussed less frequently, but I’ve seen increasing momentum around it, and I think it’s genuinely viable.

Real-world asset tokenisation is clearly important, but to me, it feels more TradFi-driven. Privacy, autonomy, and emerging machine-to-machine systems feel closer to crypto’s original DNA.

Raul Gavira San Martin’s perspective is shaped by his experience inside the crypto ecosystem, beyond external observation. He prioritises credibility, context, and conviction over hype or volume. As the industry matures, his approach reflects a broader shift in crypto media – less noise, more context, and a clearer view of where the space is heading.