Despite International Pressures, The Salvadoran Government Has Added More Than 13 Bitcoins to Its Reserves

The Salvadoran government has added more than 13 bitcoins to its reserves since March 1, openly defying the conditions of the $1.4 billion loan granted by the International Monetary Fund.

The Salvadoran government has added more than 13 bitcoins to its reserves since March 1, openly defying the conditions of the $1.4 billion loan granted by the International Monetary Fund.

Despite international pressures, President Nayib Bukele claims that nothing will stop his country’s accumulation strategy.

The Salvadoran government has continued to buy bitcoins, acquiring an additional 13 bitcoins since March 1, 2025, to add to its reserves, which now exceed 6,105 BTC, currently valued at over $527 million.

This accumulation comes despite the strict conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $1.4 billion loan granted to the country in December 2024.

Typically, the country buys one bitcoin per day, but on March 3, it exceptionally acquired 5 BTC in a single day, showcasing its unwavering commitment to strengthening its position.

These acquisitions directly flout the IMF’s stipulations, which had asked El Salvador to wind down public sector involvement in bitcoin and revoke its legal tender status.

Although the Salvadoran Congress amended certain laws in January 2025 to partially comply with the agreement, with a repeal vote of 55 to 2, the government has never ceased its daily bitcoin accumulation strategy.

However, on March 3, faced with this ongoing resistance, the IMF issued a new warning, demanding not only the cessation of bitcoin purchases but also prohibiting the country from issuing debt or tokenized securities linked to cryptocurrency.

But Bukele’s vision appears to be far from flustered by the new demands from the IMF, described by the president himself as “whining” that will not affect his national strategy in the slightest.

“If it didn’t stop when the world ostracized us and most bitcoiners abandoned us, it won’t stop now, and it won’t stop in the future,” Bukele stated on Saturday on Twitter, reaffirming his vision of a financially independent El Salvador.

This rigid position fits into a broader strategy aimed at transforming the Salvadoran economy and reducing its dependence on the US dollar. Since 2021, the country has bet on bitcoin as a lever for economic transformation, using it as a store of value against inflation and an attraction tool for international investors in the fintech sector.

El Salvador’s perseverance has already started to bear fruit in the global crypto ecosystem. Bitfinex Derivatives announced on January 7 that it was moving from Seychelles to El Salvador.

In this wake, Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, also announced on January 13 that it was relocating its headquarters to this Central American country, further enhancing El Salvador’s credibility as a global crypto hub.

Thus, El Salvador continues its bet on bitcoin, paradoxically using the IMF loan as an economic shield while pursuing its quest for financial sovereignty through cryptos.