- El Salvador is the first country in the world to use bitcoin as legal tender in 2021.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged El Salvador in the past to drop Bitcoin as legal tender citing macroeconomic stability and risks to financial integrity.
- El Salvador’s crypto experiment continues to draw global attention.
El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele says the country’s Bitcoin investment has generated more than $357 million in unrealized profit, as the cryptocurrency edges closer to its all-time high.
As per Bukele’s social media, El Salvador’s bitcoin portfolio has seen a sharp rise from its original investment of $287.1 million to now over $644.4 million.
The National Bitcoin Office reports that El Salvador currently holds approximately 6,181 BTC, valued at about $639 million.
El Salvador in 2021 became the first county to adopt Bitcoin into their financial system. With the cryptocurrency surging, the country’s holdings have also seen exponential growth of 124.4%, with $69.8 million in unrealized gains recorded so far in 2025.
El Salvador’s crypto journey has not been without criticism. In fact it has even impacted the country’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Despite this, the government has continued to accumulate bitcoin.
However, Bukele reaffirmed his commitment to bitcoin, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “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.”
Earlier this year, the Salvadoran legislature passed a bill to make bitcoin acceptance voluntary for the private sector, in alignment with conditions set by the IMF for a financing agreement.
El Salvador’s crypto experiment continues to draw global attention as bitcoin approaches its record high of $108,786.
