From Bitcoin Pioneer to Building the World’s First Special Sustainability Zone

How Olivier Janssens Is Redefining Shared Prosperity

When Olivier Janssens quietly began mining Bitcoin in 2010, few could have predicted where the technology, or his career, would lead. At the time, Bitcoin traded for roughly one dollar, was barely understood outside a small group of technologists, and was dismissed by many as an experiment with no future.

Fifteen years later, Janssens is applying the same long-term, systems-level thinking that once led him to become one of Bitcoin’s earliest adopters to a far more ambitious project: Destiny, the world’s first Special Sustainability Zone designed to directly share its economic success with the local population.

Under the Destiny framework, five percent of net profits will be distributed directly to Nevisians, using modern digital infrastructure. It is the first time anywhere in the world that a large-scale private development commits, contractually, to sharing profits not only with government, but directly with citizens.

“This is not charity, and it’s not marketing,” Janssens says. “It’s a structural alignment of incentives. If Destiny does well, the people do well. That’s the whole point.”

A Track Record of Seeing the Future Early

Janssens’ credibility comes not from rhetoric, but from a consistent pattern of early, high-conviction decisions.

After starting his career at Sun Microsystems and later working on large-scale IT projects for banks and telecom operators across Europe, he founded Destiny Telecom in Belgium. The company grew into one of the country’s leading telecom providers and was eventually sold to investors, including the De Wever brothers.

His next move, however, placed him firmly in the history books of digital finance. In 2010, Janssens became one of the earliest Bitcoin miners globally. In 2014, he made headlines after becoming the first person to charter a private jet using Bitcoin, a moment widely covered by international media as a symbol of the technology’s arrival.

He was also an early participant in the Ethereum presale, long before blockchain became a mainstream policy or financial topic.

“Early on, people thought Bitcoin was about speculation,” Janssens recalls. “But the real innovation was trust minimization, systems that work even when financial institutions fail. That insight matters far beyond money.”

Destiny: A New Model for Governance and Development

Those same principles now underpin Destiny, a Special Sustainability Zone located in Nevis, developed in partnership with the Nevis Island Administration and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Unlike traditional developments, Destiny operates under a bespoke legal and governance framework designed to combine private efficiency with public accountability. The Zone commits not only to major infrastructure investment and long-term economic development, but also to transparent rules, strong property rights, and predictable enforcement, features that have become increasingly rare globally.

Safety is a central pillar of the project. With its own comprehensive code of conduct, advanced access systems, and layered governance safeguards, all operating within the constitutional framework of the Federation, Destiny aims to become one of the safest places in the world to live, work, and invest.

“Sustainability isn’t just about energy or buildings,” Janssens explains. “It’s about social stability, legal certainty, and living with your family in one of the safest places in the world.”

Sharing Prosperity, Not Just Promising It

Perhaps the most radical aspect of Destiny is its economic model.

In addition to tens of millions of dollars committed to public infrastructure, healthcare, education, and a dedicated development fund, five percent of Destiny’s net profits will be distributed directly to Nevisians. The mechanism is designed to be transparent, auditable, and technology-driven, reducing bureaucracy and ensuring citizens see tangible benefits.

“This has never been done before by a private developer,” notes one regional economist. “It fundamentally changes the relationship between development and the local population.”

For Janssens, the logic is straightforward. “If you want long-term stability, you don’t extract value, you embed it locally.”

A Vision Rooted in the Long Term

As governments worldwide grapple with declining trust, rising inequality, and institutional fragility, Destiny represents advancement in next-generation governance, one that blends private initiative with public participation, and innovation with accountability.

Much like Bitcoin in 2010, the idea may seem unconventional today. But Janssens is comfortable with that.

“Every system that actually works in the long run looks novel at the beginning,” he says. “Destiny is about building something that the rest of the world can look up to, something that sets a new standard on how a society can prosper together.”

If history is any guide, it may not be the last time Olivier Janssens is early.