Blockchain cities and liners: where did they go?

Many promises have been made. Idealists and degenerates have made several attempts to create special corners for like-minded people around the world. But out of dozens of projects, only a few made it to the stage of starting work. And only one made it to the final realization. Most did not survive regulatory restrictions, unrealistic expectations, and other difficulties. Let’s recall the most ambitious projects and what happened to them.

Cruise ship MS Satoshi

In 2020, three bitcoin enthusiasts bought the Pacific Dawn cruise ship for $9.5 million intending to turning it into a floating blockchain city near Panama. The ship was supposed to become a center for digital nomads, where they could mine crypto, do business, and pay for everything in bitcoin. However, fuel costs of about $12 thousand per day, the COVID-19 pandemic, and strict maritime regulations put an end to the project. In December 2020, the ship was sold.

Liberland

Back in 2015, Czech right-wing libertarian politician Vit Jedlicka claimed ownership of an uninhabited floodplain on the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia. Jedlica proclaimed a new state there, called the «Free Republic of Liberland», where they introduced their own cryptocurrency — Liberland Dollar (LLD). In September 2025, the Liberland token became available on the crypto trading platform Alchemy Pay. Although neither Croatia nor Serbia claims to be a Liberland territory, neither supports the idea.

The founders, press, and activists have repeatedly had clashes with police while trying to cross the Croatian border.

«The Free Republic of Liberland» does not have any diplomatic recognition from the — member states of the United Nations. However, Liberland has established diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Liberland and Somaliland signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2017 to establish closer relations and cooperation in the fields of technology, energy supply, and banking. Also on April 16, 2017, Bitnation announced a partnership with Liberland.

Bitnation — is a company that calls itself the world’s first «e-state» operating on the basis of blockchain technology. It provides a number of services typical of traditional states: identity cards, confirmation of significant events (notary).

CityDAO

In 2021, the US state of Wyoming passed a law recognizing DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) as legal entities. With the support of 5,000 people, the CityDAO project raised $8 million in investments and bought 40 acres of land. The goal of the project was to prove that DAOs can buy and manage land, optimize decision-making and management of municipalities, and resolve conflicts.

In the first month, the project raised more than 250 thousand through the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called Citizen NFTs. Purchases from influential pro-crypto entrepreneurs such as Shark Tank billionaire investor Mark Cuban and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong helped fuel interest in CityDAO. And so began «the construction of the city of the future on the Ethereum blockchain».

However, most community members wanted to use the land as a nature reserve, and according to local law, only one residential building could be built on it. Also, the hacking of the Discord server cost the project $95 thousand. The dream of a utopian city remained just a dream, although it succeeded in the legal field.

Akon City

In 2018, the singer Akon announced the creation of the Akoin cryptocurrency, which was to become the basis for the city of the future — Akon City in Senegal. The $6 billion project was supposed to include a university, hospital, business centers, housing, and renewable energy sources. All this was to be realized by 2029.

However, despite Akon’s words in 2022 that the project was “100,000% underway,” no significant construction work has been done since the first launch ceremony. Уa number of Senegalese officials confirmed that the project has stalled and cannot be resumed. Officials cited a lack of funding and a construction halt caused by the pandemic as the main reasons.

However, the country’s authorities claim that they are currently working with Akon on a more “realistic” development project for the same site Land near Mbodiène remains valuable, especially with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching and an expected increase in tourist activity.

Meanwhile, the Akoin cryptocurrency dropped to zero, and in 2025, the Senegalese government officially announced the project’s cancellation.

Blockchains LLC

In February 2021, blockchain incubator and investment firm Blockchains LLC launched an ambitious project to build a blockchain city. The company purchased 67 thousand acres of land for $170 million in the Nevada desert in Storey County. This land was to be turned into residential buildings and business parks. CEO Jeffrey Burns envisioned a city where residents would pay for goods and services with cryptocurrency. All information, including tax, medical, and labor records, would be kept on the blockchain.

Construction was supposed to begin in 2022 with 15,000 homes and 3 million square meters of commercial and industrial space. However, the water source proposed in the project would require a 160 km pipeline. Another problem was that the plan called for changing Nevada law and creating a «innovation zone» that would essentially allow companies to function like county governments, which included levying taxes, creating courts, and making decisions about land and water use. Legislators and the public were not thrilled.

Liberstad

In 2015, John Holmsland and Sondre Bjellos founded the Liberstad community in Norway and began building the area in March 2017. They purchased the land with donations to the Liberstad Drift Association. Liberstad officially came into existence in June of the following year. The project, based on anarchist and volunteer principles, is “compelled to begin the journey of creating a new and improved society that stands for peace and freedom.”

In 2019, the private anarcho-capitalist city accepted City Coin (CITY), a cryptocurrency built into the blockchain-based smart city platform, as the official means of exchange.

The Liberstad autonomous region, located near Kristiansand in southern Norway, covers 150 hectares of land. Liberstad legally owns and manages the land and has permanent residents. It is the only known success story in the creation of blockchain cities.