IMF Confirms El Salvador's Bitcoin Gains Came from Private Donations
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that El Salvador's Bitcoin purchases since June 2025 came from private donations, not public money. This disclosure addresses questions raised after wallets tied to El Salvador's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve appeared to grow.
The IMF staff and Salvadoran officials reached a staff-level agreement on the combined second and third reviews of El Salvador's Extended Fund Facility. The deal still needs approval from the IMF's Executive Board, which could release about $140 million to El Salvador under its $1.4 billion loan program.
El Salvador has already received 172.32 million Special Drawing Rights under the program. The IMF approved the 40-month loan arrangement in February 2025, with total access of about $1.4 billion. The Fund said El Salvador's economy has performed better than expected, projecting economic growth of 4.5 percent in 2026.