El Zonte, El Salvador: The currency of the city is $BTC

In 2019, the small village of El Zonte, in El Salvador, became a living experiment in a Bitcoin-based economy.

Thanks to an anonymous donation, the community began using the cryptocurrency for daily transactions, from purchases at local markets to payment for services.

The success was so great that it inspired the Salvadoran government to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, aiming to expand access to financial services for the unbanked population.

By April 2025, El Salvador had accumulated approximately 6,137 bitcoins, valued at around $522.8 million, according to reports by the EFE agency.

The daily acquisition strategy of 1 BTC, initiated in 2022, remains in effect.