IMF Exposes Private Donors Behind El Salvador's Bitcoin Growth

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that El Salvador's growth in Bitcoin reserves since June 2025 came from private donations, not public funds. This contradicts earlier claims by the country's Bitcoin Office that it had 'bought' BTC.

According to IMF staff, documentation supplied by Salvadoran authorities confirms that the accumulation of 1,796 BTC (from 5,968 to 7,764) since the first review in December 2024 reflects private donations and no public resources were used. The fund expects no further additions beyond those documented donations.

The IMF's account differs from a previous statement made by an IMF communications officer in September 2025, which stated that the total quantity of government-owned Bitcoin had not increased at all. Instead, growth in El Salvador's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Fund reflected coins moving between wallets controlled by the state.