El Salvador's New Bitcoin Stash Funded Privately, Not Publicly: IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that El Salvador's new Bitcoin stash was not funded by public money. According to the IMF, efforts are underway to improve transparency around the country's BTC holdings across its different wallets.

The majority ownership and operational control of Chivo, El Salvador's e-wallet, have been transferred to a private operator, while the government retains a minority stake and responsibility for holding customer assets. The country provided documentation showing that the BTC acquired since the first review of its IMF program came from private donations, with no public funds used for purchases.

The IMF staff and Salvadoran authorities have reached a staff-level agreement to strengthen the governance and risk management of crypto assets held by the public sector and update El Salvador's digital-asset legal, regulatory, and supervisory framework. The country is expected to limit its public-sector involvement in BTC, make private-sector acceptance voluntary, and scale back parts of its crypto framework.

The National Bitcoin Office's reserve tracker currently lists around 7,764 BTC, worth approximately $630 million at the current price of $81,150. El Salvador has implemented reforms under its Extended Fund Facility arrangement with the IMF, with its economy growing more than expected in 2025 and real GDP growth expected to reach 4.5% this year.