Metaverse Day was celebrated as a cryptocurrency event organized by the company Crypto World. In Madrid, plans included welcoming around 7,000 attendees interested in bitcoin and related topics at the WiZink Center on Saturday, August 27. The founder of the organization comes from the Canary Islands.
About Mani Thawani: he was born in San Bartolomé de Tirajana in 1992. After a few years, he moved to Tenerife, where he studied at an English school, an English school that became his third language after Spanish and Hindi in his family background.
His life changed after his father’s passing. At sixteen, he left school due to financial hardship. He loved to study and read, often saying he could not sleep without reading. He chose to take online courses and start a business to educate himself, a detail he shared with El País.
“2008 was the best year of my life. At seventeen I could live on 5,000 euros, a small victory. I explored courses in mathematics, physics, marketing, and sales. I pursued various trainings, and when that year arrived, I chose to keep working and learning online. In my twenties, I had a major advantage over peers: the same knowledge, but with income and no debt,” he recalled.
“When Bitcoin came in 2016, I earned money because I did not sell or buy rapidly. I am a Bitcoin maximalist and I do not intend to sell them,” he told El Español in an interview.
He decided to create Crypto World due to a perceived lack of online courses on the subject, believing that much of what existed offered little value.
Under CNMV’s magnifying glass
The National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has warned that the organizers do not hold licenses to advise on financial instruments or to conduct interim investment transactions in such instruments. Suspicions about Mundo Crypto are high enough that the regulator has placed it on a gray list that also includes I’M Academy, a supposed decentralized international online academy drawing young people to so-called cryptocurrency training. The truth is that some participants become deeply involved and stay focused on Mundo Crypto.
Not merely a pyramid scheme—where cryptocurrency courses are costly and every member must recruit others to continue benefiting from discounts—there is concern about exploitation of young people. “They indoctrinate them, drawing them into work at the expense of family and school. The approach mirrors older networks recruiting for extremist causes. In these groups, coercive persuasion is a documented tactic that Spain’s criminal code does not adequately address,” explained Juantxo Domínguez, head of RedUNE, the Spanish observatory on sectarian deviations. “These groups may be traditional in style, but they have adapted to the modern era.”
What are cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies represented by encrypted codes that are difficult to counterfeit, built on blockchain technology to verify transactions. Yet a CNMV report notes that general knowledge about cryptocurrencies remains low. Investor profiles tend to skew toward individuals around forty years old, with a substantial portion between ages 25 and 44.
The RedUNE director urged authorities to consider canceling the Madrid event, criticizing it as a potential risk for the public facility owned by the Community of Madrid to host such an event.
“The media is lying to you”
The organizers and supporters argue that media coverage is biased and that information is being limited. Sector experts say the first rule of a manipulation campaign is to tightly control knowledge and suppress criticism, even partial. Sevi Shehu, head of Crypto World, described himself as experienced in commercial strategy and educational techniques. He released a video asserting that media outlets were reacting negatively and wanted to curb information. He also clarified that the event would address both advantages and risks of online money and would be educational, with no organization members offering investment advice.
Javier Medina, a key figure in the organization, posted a video emphasizing the educational nature of the gathering. He stated that Mundo Crypto supports reasonable cryptocurrency regulation and accessibility for anyone with internet access, insisting that the group operates as professional trainers to prevent fraud.”