Shocking!!!
El Salvador Suspends Bitcoin Purchases: IMF Loan Pressure Forces Government to Change Strategy
El Salvador seems to have halted its daily Bitcoin purchasing plan, a shift possibly related to the $1.4 billion loan agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Since 2021, El Salvador has become the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender and began daily Bitcoin purchases in 2022. However, with the IMF's intervention, El Salvador's Bitcoin strategy has undergone significant changes.
Reasons Behind the Suspension of Bitcoin Purchases
The El Salvador government had planned to drive economic development through continuous Bitcoin purchases, but the IMF loan agreement explicitly requires El Salvador to cease Bitcoin activities. The IMF considers Bitcoin to be an unstable asset and thus demands that the government reduce its reliance on Bitcoin. Although President Bukele had promised to continue purchasing Bitcoin until it could no longer be paid with legal tender, he ultimately chose to comply with the IMF's conditions.
Conditions and Returns of the IMF Loan
Under the agreement with the IMF, El Salvador will receive a $1.4 billion loan. The main conditions of the loan include:
Fiscal Policy: Over the next three years, the GDP must grow at an annual rate of 3.5%, and the proportion of public debt to GDP must be reduced.
Transparency and Governance: Strengthen anti-corruption and anti-money laundering measures to meet international standards.
Bank Liquidity: Bank deposit liquidity will be improved, expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Restrictions on Digital Assets: Economic activities related to Bitcoin will be significantly curtailed, and taxes can only be paid in dollars, while local crypto wallets (Chivo) will gradually be unlocked.
Loan Approval and Future Outlook
Although the loan agreement has been reached, final approval from the IMF executive board is still required. Currently, El Salvador has accumulated about 6,000 Bitcoins, valued at approximately $600 million, and has not sold these Bitcoins.
Summary
Although El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment is temporarily halted, this does not mean it is a complete failure. Despite the suspension of daily Bitcoin purchases, El Salvador's Bitcoin reserve strategy on a global scale still serves as a reference for other countries. With the IMF's intervention, El Salvador's economic policies will become more robust, and other countries may consider El Salvador's strategy when thinking about establishing their own Bitcoin reserves.
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