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Welcome to Latam Insights Encore, a deep dive into Latin America’s most relevant economic and crypto news from the past week. This edition examines how the dynamics between the IMF and the Salvadoran government can serve as a framework for countries seeking to engage with bitcoin and the institution.
Latam Insights Encore: IMF to Model Upcoming Bitcoin Deals After El Salvador’s Agreement
The world is still awaiting the real effects of the deal completed between El Salvador, the first nation to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Nonetheless, as the executive board of the IMF formally approved the deal last week, the organization stated that restricting bitcoin usage and adoption at the state level is fundamental.
After the deal was passed, which includes a disbursement of $1.4 billion to Salvadoran coffers, IMF Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair Nigel Farage reinforced the agreement’s conventions on addressing “bitcoin risks.”
He stated that “program commitments will confine government engagement in Bitcoin-related economic activities, as well as government transactions in and purchases of Bitcoin.”
Read more: Bitcoin Purchases Confined: IMF Approves $1.4 Billion Credit Facility for El Salvador
This indicates that the Bukele administration has agreed to wind down or limit its bitcoin purchases in exchange for the help of the IMF, which will be used for stabilizing the national economy.
The agreement sets a dangerous precedent for emerging countries wishing to distance themselves from the fiat world and start adopting bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, both as reserve assets and legal tender. This help will be conditioned to the abandonment of bitcoin initiatives that seek to empower the independence of these nations.
With the rise of bitcoin as a reserve asset as U.S. President Trump recently announced the creation of a strategic crypto reserve, a new crypto-based economic structure must arise. This new institution should be aligned with the decentralization and independence ethos of bitcoin, offering economic aid to countries opting out of the fiat arena.
Nonetheless, until this happens, and given its success, the IMF is likely to use El Salvador’s deal as a framework for thwarting bitcoin adoption at a nation-state level from now on.
The message is clear: Want funds? Drop bitcoin!