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Four years after the implementation of the Bitcoin Law in El Salvador 🇸🇻, here is a summary of its history and current status.
On June 5, 2021, during the “Bitcoin” conference in Miami, President Nayib Bukele announced through a video the intention to make Bitcoin legal tender in the country.
On Wednesday, June 9, 2021, the Bitcoin Law was approved by the ruling party (NI) with a total of 62 votes.
Three months later, on September 7, 2021, the Bitcoin Law officially came into effect in El Salvador.
The launch was a disaster. At midnight, the Chivo Wallet app was released. Those who managed to install it quickly reported multiple issues: registration errors, system crashes, mandatory full KYC, full custodial control, identity theft, and more.
President Bukele himself, not the developers of Chivo, had to come forward to calm users’ frustration. The app went into maintenance several times.
The Chivo Merchants version faced the same problems. Business owners had not been trained, many reported losses from sales and difficulties using the platform.
To this day, the Chivo Wallet has not substantially improved the issues reported since day one.
Other milestones:
Bitcoin City: announced on November 20, 2021, during Bitcoin Week in Mizata, La Libertad. Still pending.
Volcano Bonds: announced the same day along with Bitcoin City. Still pending.
Volcanic Mining: announced on September 28, 2021, when Bukele tweeted about a geothermal mining pilot. Still pending.
Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: never formally announced. In March 2024, Bukele revealed that the country’s holdings had been moved to cold storage, showing a public address with around 5,700 BTC.
Communities:
Bitcoin Beach (El Zonte): pioneer since 2019, origin of the Bitcoin Law, but with limited influence afterward.
Bitcoin Berlin (Berlín, Usulután): small businesses and workshops adopting Bitcoin, showing steady growth.
Educational projects:
Mi Primer Bitcoin (2021–present): NGO offering free Bitcoin diplomas, internationally recognized.
@MyFirstBitcoin_
Torogoz Dev: community of Salvadoran developers focused on Bitcoin and Lightning.
@torogozdev
Cubo : government-backed project with strong funding and publicity, but with limited results so far.
Economic and social impact:
According to Banco Santander, El Salvador received 3.9 million tourists in 2024, a 22 percent increase compared to 2023.
According to official records, Bitcoin remittances totaled 30.29 million dollars in 2025, just 0.53 percent of total remittances. Bukele had promised the country would save 430 million in commission fees, but the outcome was very different.
Bitcoin Law reform:
On January 29, 2025, the Legislative Assembly approved amendments to the Bitcoin Law. The obligation to accept Bitcoin as a means of payment was removed, and Bitcoin ceased to be legal tender.
The adjustment was a key condition for securing a 1.4 billion dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (
@IMFNews).
Conclusion
After four years there is much to say. For the country, Bitcoin worked as an international branding tool, boosted tourism, and increased Bukele’s global recognition. The cold storage reserve could be seen as a positive step, but it requires traceability and transparency that are not currently in place.
For the general population, the Bitcoin Law did not meet expectations. It did not solve financial exclusion, did not generate mass adoption, and people did not understand the system. Their first experience was negative, which made the process counterproductive.
On the positive side, events like
@AdoptingBTC, the emergence of communities, and educational projects have strengthened local Bitcoin culture. Bitcoiners have shown passion for learning and teaching.
Four years have passed without significant glory. The future will determine what Bitcoin truly means for El Salvador.