Has a voice ever told you that you could be more? That question frames this weekend at Badalona where IM Academy, also known as Yo soy academy when translated into Spanish, drew thousands of young people from across Europe and the Americas. The Badalona Youth Club basketball court became a stage where supposed experts in stock market investments and cryptocurrency trading shared their insights. Attendees wore headphones, bathed in spotlights, and listened as the music roared, applauding guidance as if a pivotal moment had arrived for their financial futures.
Euphoria followed the closing sessions at the Badalona Youth pavilion of the IM Academy congress, captured by photographers and shared by social media. The event drew a wide audience from different countries, all curious about the organization’s promise of financial opportunity.
IM Academy, sometimes called a crypto cult in critical circles, did not welcome local reporters. Attendees were urged not to speak with the press, a stance that supporters described as protective while critics viewed it as hostile media bias. Authorities have previously detained several Spanish members on fraud charges and warned that the organization uses techniques associated with sectarian groups.
very young participants
In Badalona, IM Academy rented the municipal pavilion and ran the event without clarifying how public resources would be used. Residents who spoke to EL PERIÓDICO hours before the event ended described a mix of curiosity and suspicion. While the organizers did little to dispel concerns, many attendees left energized by what they had seen and heard.
One Argentine participant, Martina, arrived with another friend and has been with IM Academy for three years. She credits the training with giving her a sense of financial freedom. Coming from Córdoba, where many peers work in low‑paying jobs, she says she could travel to Spain to attend the convention and feels that her experience proves the program can work for some. She notes that not everyone will have the same outcome, but she believes the model has helped her and her friends to pursue opportunities beyond their local limits.
International Congress
The event carried an international flavor in Badalona, drawing attendees from Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, France, Italy, Britain, Argentina, and the United States, as well as many from Spain. A group of French participants completed the morning sessions and spoke about a focus on mindset alongside investment lessons. Critics questioned whether the sessions offered genuine financial education or primarily motivational talks about personal growth. A participant named Francisca, in her thirties, described learning to manage emotions to support rational financial choices, a perspective she regards as essential to successful investing.
Online video coverage features a Venezuelan presenter summarizing the organization’s mission as generating income with just an internet connection and a mobile device. He claims the network has hundreds of thousands of students and operates in dozens of countries, with mentors described as leaders who guide participants through the program.
“Network basics”
Isabella, a pseudonym used by a Barcelona attendee, paid about 300 euros for registration. She had substantial work experience and education, yet she left with a sense of disappointment. She felt she learned little that she did not already know or could have found online, and she did not encounter anything that she would report as a major revelation. Isabella did not plan to join IM Academy. She believes the convention aimed to reinforce belonging to a community and to encourage continued investment in training programs, even as she questions the value of the offered strategies.
municipal unrest
The Badalona City Council expressed reservations about hosting the event. A municipal official noted that the city would review the conditions under which the pavilion could be transferred to the basketball club. Until now, Joventut had rented the venue for concerts and similar events. The IM Academy indicated that the municipality would have a say in who would occupy the space in the future, highlighting evolving arrangements around venue use.