At a glance
- Established
- 2017
- Population
- 250–1,000 residents
- Climate
- Tropical
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Industries
- Remote Work, Retail, Healthcare, R&D
- Coordinates
- 16.37° N, 86.47° W
- Who it’s for
- International entrepreneurs & innovators
About the project
This advanced special economic zone is designed to be a “platform for prosperity”, offering to realize Honduras’s full potential for growth and innovation.
Próspera is an advanced special economic zone on the island of Roatán, off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Established under the country’s ZEDE framework, it is among the most developed projects of its kind and describes itself as a “platform for prosperity”, a jurisdiction purpose-built to attract entrepreneurs, investment and innovation.
Its distinguishing feature is a flexible legal and regulatory system built on common-law foundations. Businesses operating in Próspera may adopt the regulatory regime of one of a number of developed countries, or design their own rules subject to insurance and liability requirements. Combined with low, simple taxation and strong protections for property, this is intended to give enterprises an unusual degree of choice over the rules they live under.
Under the ZEDE framework, Próspera runs its own administration and economic affairs while remaining part of Honduras, where it is bound by the national constitution and criminal law and passes a share of the taxes it collects to the central government. The jurisdiction is designed to expand gradually as landowners choose to incorporate their property into it.
Articles
Blog35 min read
Honduran ZEDEs: Their Past and Future
The ZEDE law in Honduras was repealed in April 2022 and with it, one chapter of the history of innovative governance has come to an end.
Hynek Fencl · Free Cities Foundation
News4 min read
Free Cities Updates: 235 Territories Ranked for Freedom, early bird tickets, Indiana.
This edition covers a new freedom index featuring 235 global territories, explains why $1,370 per year might be the per person governance cost a city should aim for, and highlights our new podcast episode taking a deep dive into the…
Free Cities Foundation Team
4 min read
For years we talked about it. This September we step inside.
Rather than our usual news roundup, we are dedicating this edition to telling you about the 2026 Free Cities Conference.
6 min read
Honduras Election, Grokipedia, Sark & What’s Ahead
As we approach the end of 2025, we bring you an update on the long-anticipated Honduran general election results, Grokipedia’s newly published deep dive into Free Cities, developments on Sark, and more…
3 min read
We’ve Been Waiting Years to Share This…
As many of you know, the Free Cities Conference is the one time each year when our project representatives from around the world come together to share their progress.
4 min read
Free Cities News & Updates – December 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect on a year defined by both exciting progress and notable challenges. From the establishment of new Free City projects to the continued growth of our conference, the momentum has been inspiring.
6 min read
The Metaverse: An Incubator for Free Cities?
Free cities are on the rise, both in the West and in the East, in wealthier countries and aspiring economies, in established democracies and more turbulent ones. And that is excellent news: more urban experiments mean more opportunities for visionaries and a wider choice of rules for us all. However, getting a green light from the host country has always been (and still remains) the ultimate obstacle. What if there were a place, a kind of innovation playground, where new governance models can be road-tested without the usual red tape or democratic wrangling? A place where ideas can go from a lightbulb moment to real-world action at warp speed? There probably is one: the metaverse.
5 min read
Free Cities at Vitalia 2024
Vitalia 2024 is a pop-up city hosted by the ZEDE Próspera on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. Pop-up cities are temporary communities that bring together innovators from various industries to learn and share ideas and projects. They combine speeches, panel discussions, networking, and co-working to connect leading thinkers from around the world.
6 min read
Conflicted Appreciation: “Crack-Up Capitalism” Book Review
Crack-Up Capitalism, by Canadian historian Quinn Slobodian, takes you on a journey through the history of projects and experiments often related to the Free Cities movement. It delves into attempts at winning autonomy from existing states or even establishing completely new sovereign entities. From Sealand to Somalia to Honduran ZEDEs, the book spans a worldwide array of initiatives, not just current ones but going back over half a century.
4 min read
Honduran Free Cities vs. Rogue Government
Two of the most autonomous Free Cities in the world are Próspera and Ciudad Morazán in Honduras. As Zones of Employment and Economic Development (called ZEDEs for their Spanish acronym), they have faced fierce opposition from the new Honduran government for the last two years. While this is nothing new, the propaganda against the ZEDEs has increased dramatically in the last few weeks.
Videos
Free Cities Conference 2025
Free Cities Conference 2025
Free Cities Conference 2025
Free Cities Foundation
Free Cities Online Summit 2025
Free Cities Online Summit 2025
Podcast episodes
Podcast Episode 195
Christian Betancourt: How to Survive a Hostile Government
Four years ago, Timothy Allen came to Próspera to see whether there was anything actually there. An interview happened on a sofa in a guest house down the…
HostTimothy AllenFree Cities Foundation
GuestChristian BetancourtPodcast Episode 185
Niklas Anzinger: Medicine Without Permission
Niklas Anzinger on putting Próspera on the longevity biotech map, the FDA's limits and an insurance-based alternative to medical regulation.
Podcast Episode 183
Tomek Kołodziejczuk: The Bitcoin Free City
Tomek Kołodziejczuk on building a Bitcoin city inside Próspera, the Bitcoin District, and turning Roatán into the world's most Bitcoin-dense island.
Podcast Episode 177
Gabriel Delgado: The Próspera Master Plan
Gabriel Delgado on how Próspera survived a hostile Honduran government, its 50-year legal guarantees, and the master plan for what comes next.
Podcast Episode 162
Vladimir Leshko: You Will Live Forever If You Choose To
Biomedical engineer Vladimir Leshko on gene therapy, longevity, and why Próspera's regulatory framework makes human trials possible.
Podcast Episode 158
Trey Goff: Próspera, Perception, and Post-Scarcity
Trey Goff, chief of staff at Próspera, on the city's real model, pushing back on conspiracy theories, and a legal framework for AI agents.
Podcast Episode 139
Niklas Anzinger: Inside Próspera – A Longtime Resident’s View
Entrepreneur Niklas Anzinger on life inside Próspera, answering critics, building community trust and scaling the Honduran Free City project.
Podcast Episode 130
Gonçalo Hall: Why Most Digital Nomads Have Never Heard of Próspera
Digital nomad pioneer Gonçalo Hall on building nomad villages and why Próspera in Honduras faces a public relations problem.
Podcast Episode 126
Mark Edge: The Arc of History Bends Towards Freedom
Libertarian voice Mark Edge on the Free Cities movement, his connection to Próspera and the balance between individual rights and state power.
Worth a watch
Videos and articles from around the web, made by others rather than the Free Cities Foundation. Each one plays here, and the pill on it opens the original.
ReasonTV
A private libertarian city in Honduras
Reason’s on-the-ground report on the charter-city experiment taking shape on Roatán.
Yes Theory
Inside the “Illegal” Billionaire Paradise with its Own Laws
The popular travel channel visits Próspera to see what life inside the zone is really like.
Business Insider
Inside The Mysterious Bitcoin City Billionaires Are Pouring Money Into
A business-press account of the investment flowing into the zone, its low corporate taxes and the Bitcoin economy that has grown up around it.
Shin Fujiyama
I entered Prospera ZEDE: Millionaires’ utopia or dangerous experiment in Honduras?
A YouTuber who lives and works in Honduras goes inside the zone and weighs what it offers the country against the objections to it.
People
Team
The people officially representing Próspera.
Voices from the community
People connected to Próspera: residents and neighbours rather than official representatives, but worth getting to know when learning more about it.
In the press
Inside Próspera, the libertarian utopia on a Caribbean island off the coast of Honduras
ABC News (Australia)
How Do You Build a New Singapore? Inside Próspera's Bet on Private Governance
The Generalist
Inside the libertarian charter city of Próspera
Spear's
Próspera, Honduras' Libertarian Island Dream, Becomes $11 Billion Nightmare
Bloomberg
The For-Profit City That Might Come Crashing Down
The New York Times Magazine
A Private Libertarian City in Honduras
Reason
Crypto-libertarian paradise, Próspera, just lost its battle with Honduras
Rest of World
How Erick Brimen Helped Launch a Honduran Charter City
Reason
Prospectus On Próspera
Astral Codex Ten
Prospera in Honduras: A Private Tech City Now Open for Business
Bloomberg CityLab
Questions
Where is Próspera?
On the island of Roatán, off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. It was established in 2017 and is among the most developed projects of its kind.
Is Próspera part of Honduras?
Yes. Próspera is a ZEDE, an advanced special economic zone that remains part of Honduras: it is bound by the national constitution and criminal law and passes a share of the taxes it collects to the central government, while running its own administration and economic affairs.
What makes Próspera’s legal system different?
Businesses operating there may adopt the regulatory regime of one of a number of developed countries, or design their own rules subject to insurance and liability requirements. That flexibility sits on common-law foundations, alongside low, simple taxation and strong property protections.
How does Próspera grow?
By consent rather than by decree. The jurisdiction expands gradually as landowners choose to incorporate their property into it.