Northwest Arkansas offering $10K in Bitcoin to attract remote workers

The Northwest Arkansas Council, consisting of concern leaders aimed astatine promoting improvement successful the region, has announced a crypto inducement programme to bring successful tech professionals and entrepreneurs consenting to enactment remotely.

In a Wednesday announcement, assembly president and CEO Nelson Peacock said the country would beryllium looking to grow its scope of endowment successful the tech manufacture by offering $10,000 successful Bitcoin (BTC) — astir 0.23 BTC astatine the existent terms of $43,610 — successful summation to a bicycle oregon rank to arts and taste facilities. The “Bitcoin and a Bike” program, the adjacent signifier of the area’s Life Works Here initiative, is specifically aimed astatine embracing professionals successful blockchain-related fields. The programme volition connection the crypto inducement to qualifying individuals consenting to unrecorded for astatine slightest a twelvemonth successful Northwest Arkansas — presumably adjacent to the cities of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville.

“Northwest Arkansas is 1 of the fastest-growing regions successful the country, and we’re present seeing much explosive maturation successful our tech sector,” said Peacock.

“This expanded inducement connection [...] not lone embraces the increasing inclination toward the usage of cryptocurrency arsenic a outgo enactment by employers, but besides helps summation our pipeline of endowment to payment tech employers, startups, cities, section businesses and the portion overall.”

Bentonville, Arkansas from above. Source: Northwest Arkansas Council

Among the requirements for applicants are the ability to enactment remotely, moving to the country wrong six months of acceptance, and having 2 years’ acquisition with their existent presumption successful the tech industry. Northwest Arkansas is already location to large retailer Walmart’s office successful Bentonville — the Walton Family Foundation is contributing to the Bitcoin and a Bike programme and Walmart laminitis Sam Walton was a founding subordinate of the assembly — arsenic good arsenic the University of Arkansas’ Blockchain Center of Excellence, offering acquisition successful blockchain-enabled tech. 

“Next-generation endowment is indispensable to further alteration our portion into a hub for up-and-coming tech innovators and businesses,” said Blockchain Center of Excellence manager Mary Lacity.

Many reports person seemingly touted Northwest Arkansas arsenic an alternate to growing tech hubs successful the United States similar Austin, Texas — portion the fig of businesses successful the metropolis has importantly accrued successful the past year, the increasing involvement has led to surging rent and lodging costs. It whitethorn beryllium premature to observe an exodus to the midwest state, but companies including electrical conveyance shaper Canoo person announced plans to acceptable up office successful the state’s northwest region.

Related: Walmart seeks crypto merchandise pb to thrust integer currency strategy

Before and during the pandemic, galore mid-sized U.S. cities offered akin programs with currency incentives for transplants to enactment remotely, seemingly successful an effort to beforehand the section economy. The NWA assembly started the Life Works Here inaugural successful November 2020, but Tulsa, Oklahoma was 1 of the archetypal to offer definite individuals $10,000 to determination starting successful 2018, with areas of West Virginia, Kansas, Vermont, Connecticut, and Alabama pursuing its lead.

Disclosure: this newsman applied for the Bitcoin and a Bike program.