🇧🇴 Bolivia heading to elections: cryptocurrencies enter the campaign
With the presidential elections set for August 17, 2025, Bolivia is going through one of its worst economic crises in decades: a shortage of dollars, record inflation, fuel shortages, and a 100% exchange gap. In this context, cryptocurrencies have emerged as a tool for economic survival, and the main candidates are not ignoring it.
📈 Crypto boom amid the crisis
• Cryptocurrency transactions grew by more than 630% in the last year, reaching 294 million dollars in the first half of 2025.
• The Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB) officially enabled their usage in 2024 through Resolution 082, in response to financial pressure and the shortage of foreign currency.
🗳️ Candidates and their crypto proposals
Samuel Doria Medina (Unity Alliance)
• His economic team, led by José Gabriel Espinoza, proposes to organize the crypto market, which currently operates with high volatility.
• They plan to integrate stablecoins into the payment system starting in November, seeking greater stability.
Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga (Free Alliance)
• His team, headed by Ramiro Cavero, also recognizes the role of cryptocurrencies as a safety valve amid the crisis.
• They promote a structured regulation that allows their use without destabilizing the financial system.
🔍 Why does it matter?
• Cryptocurrencies have become an alternative for citizens and businesses in light of the impossibility of accessing dollars at the official exchange rate.
• The crypto debate has established itself as a central part of the electoral economic agenda, something unprecedented in Bolivia.