Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from Latin America over the past week. In this edition, Citgo buys Venezuelan heavy crude once again, El Salvador buys the gold dip, and Nubank receives approval to launch as a digital bank in the U.S. Citgo’s Venezuelan

El Salvador's central bank announced a $50 million investment in gold, bringing gold reserves to $360 million, while holding $618 million in Bitcoin. The total assets approach $1 billion. The country has adopted a dual-reserve strategy with gold and Bitcoin, aiming to diversify risk and reduce dependence on a single currency, but also faces challenges from market price fluctuations.

El Salvador continues to make bold moves on the global financial stage, with its central bank purchasing \$50 million in gold and its government persistently adding to its Bitcoin treasury. This dual strategy has pushed the nation's gold reserves above \$360 million and its Bitcoin holdings to 7,547 BTC, valued at approximately \$635 million. These actions unfold against a tense backdrop of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has pressured the country to cease

Bitcoin (BTC) collapsed violently in the short term, temporarily trading at around $84,140 on January 30. Trump declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba, causing risk assets to fall. Trump said that a new Fed chairman will be nominated next week, and interest rates should be 2 to 3 percentage points lower. El Salvador's central bank has put $5,000 in gold in reserves and continues to increase its holdings in Bitcoin.

El Salvador has reaffirmed its status as a crypto leader by implementing a 0% capital gains tax on Bitcoin, aiming to attract global investors. This policy, built on its prior adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender, positions the country as a favorable destination for crypto innovation.

El Salvador continues to push global boundaries as it prepares to expand its digital economy strategy in 2026. The National Bitcoin Authority confirmed plans to actively increase exposure to Bitcoin while accelerating investments in artificial intelligence. This move reinforces the country’s long-te

According to Crescat Capital’s Macro Strategist Otavio Costa, Latin America might offer an alternative for U.S. investors as it is currently on the brink of a structural transformation, with Argentina and El Salvador leading the charge of a region-wide change. Latam Stocks Surpass S&P 500 Index:

In a significant move bridging Bitcoin entrepreneurship with traditional finance, Jack Mallers, the renowned founder of Strike, has been appointed CEO of Twenty One Capital (21 Capital). Backed by Tether, SoftBank, and Cantor Fitzgerald, this new entity launches with a massive treasury of 36 billion dollars worth of Bitcoin, positioning it as a major publicly-traded Bitcoin holding vehicle. Mallers, a key figure in Bitcoin’s adoption in El Salvador, will lead the company’s mission to provide ins

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new statement on Monday, praising El Salvador's economic growth performance as better than expected, and no longer mentioning the previous recommendation for El Salvador to "pause buying coins." The public interprets this as a sign that the tense relationship over Bitcoin policy between the two sides is beginning to ease. Led by President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has continued to promote its "Bitcoin strategy" in recent years. Even earlier this year, during negotiations to secure an IMF loan, the country did not stop accumulating Bitcoin. In November this year, when the cryptocurrency market experienced a significant correction, El Salvador even broke its usual "buy 1 Bitcoin per day" dollar-cost averaging rhythm, increasing its holdings by over 1,000 Bitcoins in a single month. To date, El Salvador holds nearly 7,500 Bitcoins, worth approximately $660 million. Chivo Wallet Sale Negotiation Makes Progress The IMF also in its statement

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new statement on Monday, praising El Salvador's economic growth performance as better than expected, and no longer mentioning the previous recommendation for El Salvador to "pause buying coins." The public interprets this as a sign that the tense relationship over Bitcoin policy between the two sides is beginning to ease. Led by President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has continued to promote its "Bitcoin strategy" in recent years. Even earlier this year, during negotiations to secure an IMF loan, the country did not stop accumulating Bitcoin. In November this year, when the cryptocurrency market experienced a significant correction, El Salvador even broke its usual "buy 1 Bitcoin per day" dollar-cost averaging rhythm, increasing its holdings by over 1,000 Bitcoins in a single month. To date, El Salvador holds nearly 7,500 Bitcoins, worth approximately $660 million. Chivo Wallet Sale Negotiation Makes Progress The IMF also in its statement

Vitalik on Christmas Eve called Grok a "net improvement" for the X platform, highlighting a new debate on AI bias governance (Background: Musk xAI collaborates with El Salvador to launch the world's first "National AI Education Program": one million students use Grok as personal tutors) (Additional context: Musk calls on Grok to challenge the strongest human LOL team next year: if successful, it will prove a substantial breakthrough in AGI development) On Christmas night 2025, controversy in Silicon Valley flared up, with fierce clashes between left and right on social media platforms. At this most concentrated moment of information bubbles, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin rarely endorses Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok, believing that even with frequent errors, it still injects valuable "sincerity" into the X platform.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new statement on Monday, praising El Salvador's economic growth performance as better than expected, and no longer mentioning the previous recommendation for El Salvador to "pause buying coins." The public interprets this as a sign that the tense relationship over Bitcoin policy between the two sides is beginning to ease. Led by President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has continued to promote its "Bitcoin strategy" in recent years. Even earlier this year, during negotiations to secure an IMF loan, the country did not stop accumulating Bitcoin. In November this year, when the cryptocurrency market experienced a significant correction, El Salvador even broke its usual "buy 1 Bitcoin per day" dollar-cost averaging rhythm, increasing its holdings by over 1,000 Bitcoins in a single month. To date, El Salvador holds nearly 7,500 Bitcoins, worth approximately $660 million. Chivo Wallet Sale Negotiation Makes Progress The IMF also in its statement

IMF affirms El Salvador's economic growth momentum, estimating a GDP growth of about 4% in 2025, but Bitcoin holdings and Chivo wallet reforms remain focal points in compliance and transparency negotiations. El Salvador's economic growth exceeds expectations, IMF praises 4% GDP growth ------------------------------ The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a statement yesterday (12/23) highly praising El Salvador's unexpectedly strong economic growth. IMF El Salvador delegation leader Mr. Torres, after concluding on-site and virtual discussions with the country's officials, pointed out that El Salvador's economy is expanding at a faster rate than expected, mainly due to increased public confidence, record-high remittances, and strong investment performance.

For years, El Salvador was the ultimate "poster child" for nation-state Bitcoin adoption. However, as we close out 2025, the narrative has shifted from a radical techno-utopia to a more grounded, pragmatic economic strategy. Following intense negotiations with the International Monetary Fund

Analysis El Salvador, the first country in the world to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender, was seen by many in the industry as a pioneer. In 2025, the small country’s Bitcoin ambitions met reality. The Central American country made waves in 2021 when the Legislative Assembly approved a bill th

Today in crypto: Anthony Pompliano says Bitcoin’s dampened price means it won’t crash next year, the International Monetary Fund pressed El Salvador to sell its Chivo Bitcoin wallet and Ether ETFs snapped an outflow streak as XRP products logged their best day since early December. Bitcoin won’t cr

IMF hails El Salvador's stronger growth and fiscal discipline even as the country keeps accumulating Bitcoin and restructures its crypto policies. Summary IMF now projects El Salvador's 2025 real GDP growth near 4%, citing stronger fundamentals and security gains. Government relaxed

International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new statement on Monday, praising El Salvador's economic growth performance as better than expected, and no longer mentioning the previous recommendation for El Salvador to "pause buying coins." The public interprets this as a sign that the tense relationship over Bitcoin policy between the two sides is beginning to ease. Led by President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has continued to promote the "Bitcoin strategy" in recent years. Even earlier this year, during negotiations to secure an IMF loan, the country did not stop accumulating Bitcoin. In November this year, when the cryptocurrency market experienced a significant correction, El Salvador even broke its usual "buy 1 Bitcoin per day" dollar-cost averaging rhythm, increasing its holdings by over 1,000 Bitcoins in a single month. As of now, El Salvador holds nearly 7,500 Bitcoins, worth approximately $660 million. Chivo Wallet sale negotiations make progress IMF

The IMF praises El Salvador's economy, projecting 4% GDP growth. The country continues to accumulate Bitcoin, now nearing 7,500 BTC, amid ongoing loan discussions and efforts to enhance financial transparency with the Chivo wallet sale.

El Salvador's economy is thriving with a projected 4% GDP growth, praised by the IMF. The government strategically accumulated Bitcoin during price dips, easing market tensions and showcasing confidence in its digital asset strategy while balancing traditional financial measures.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed on December 23, 2025, that El Salvador is in "well advanced" negotiations to sell its government-operated Chivo Bitcoin wallet, as part of ongoing discussions surrounding the country's cryptocurrency policies.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently unexpectedly "praised" the economic development of El Salvador, despite the Central American country continually defying the IMF's earlier advice and continuously increasing its Bitcoin holdings. The IMF's report predicts that El Salvador's real GDP will rise by about 4% in 2025, with a "very good" outlook, and for the first time, it did not mention the old tune of "pausing the Bitcoin strategy." Meanwhile, El Salvador's treasury Bitcoin reserves have increased to nearly 7,500 coins, valued at about $660 million, and in the November market big dump, it added more than 1,000 coins in a single month. The subtle softening of the IMF's attitude, along with the Salvadoran government's advancement in negotiations to sell the state-owned Wallet Chivo, marks a "real compromise" regarding the sovereign digital currency experiment.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed on Monday that Salvadoran authorities are negotiating the sale of the state-owned Bitcoin Wallet Chivo, and that "progress is going smoothly." This is one of the key conditions for the $1.4 billion loan agreement provided by the IMF in May. As of now, El Salvador holds 7,509 Bitcoins, worth approximately $659 million at the time of publication, and this Bitcoin game between the IMF and Bukele is entering a critical moment.

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure According to an IMF staff statement released on December 22, 2025, El Salvador has made measurable progress on its reform program and is seeing faster economic growth than earlier

The International Monetary Fund’s mission chief for El Salvador issued a statement confirming that government authorities were proceeding with negotiations for the sale of the country’s Chivo Bitcoin wallet. In a Monday statement, the IMF said El Salvador’s government was continuing to discuss

_El Salvador advances Bitcoin talks with IMF, nearing Chivo wallet sale and securing a $1.14B loan under the EFF program._ El Salvador is progressing in its talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding its Bitcoin project. These discussions focus on enhancing transparency and

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that discussions with El Salvador regarding the government-operated Chivo Bitcoin wallet are progressing significantly, with options including a potential sale or complete shutdown on the table.

El Salvador and the International Monetary Fund have made notable progress in their ongoing negotiations over Bitcoin policy and economic reforms, as the country looks to access a $1.4 billion loan package. Summary El Salvador and the IMF say negotiations over the sale of the state-run Chivo

El Salvador has increased its Bitcoin holdings to 7,500 BTC, worth about $677 million. In the past month, it acquired 1,120 BTC, with a notable purchase of 1,090 BTC on November 18, demonstrating its commitment to a long-term holding strategy.

Bitcoin mining difficulty decreases by 0.74%, Pioneer Investment remains cautious about Bitcoin. Bitcoin Treasury's trading volume has surpassed Visa. El Salvador's holdings exceed 7,500 bitcoins, while Ethereum company ETHZilla plans to redeem $516 million in bonds early. YouTube and Interactive Brokers launch stablecoin payment features, and several projects receive new funding.

El Salvador plans to implement a nationwide AI education system in collaboration with xAI, utilizing the Grok model across 5,000 schools. This initiative aims to provide personalized learning experiences and marks the first large-scale AI education deployment globally.

Gate Research Institute: On December 12, BTC's short-term trend clearly turned stronger; ETH price surged then pulled back within the past 24 hours, showing a high-level oscillation structure; GT price is generally in a phase of oscillation and recovery; LIGHT became the focus with a surge of up to +41.61%. JPMorgan launched the USCP token on Solana to help Galaxy complete a milestone on-chain debt issuance; Blockstream plans to acquire TradFi hedge fund Corbiere Capital to expand institutional investment; El Salvador, in partnership with Musk’s xAI, is implementing the Grok AI education program nationwide.

Gate Research Institute: On December 12, BTC's short-term trend clearly turned stronger; ETH price surged then pulled back within the past 24 hours, showing a high-level oscillation structure; GT price is generally in a phase of oscillation and recovery; LIGHT became the focus with a surge of up to +41.61%. JPMorgan launched the USCP token on Solana to help Galaxy complete a milestone on-chain debt issuance; Blockstream plans to acquire TradFi hedge fund Corbiere Capital to expand institutional investment; El Salvador, in partnership with Musk’s xAI, is implementing the Grok AI education program nationwide.

El Salvador government)合作，推出世界上首个全国性 AI 教育计划。这项合作预计将惠及超过 100 万名学生，让先进 AI 成为每位学生的个性化导师。 （前情提要：马斯克太空公司 SpaceX 传计划明年 IPO 上市！估值预计高达 8000 亿美元超越 OpenAI） （背景补充：马斯克预测：3 年内 AI 将解决 38 兆美元美债，20 年后人类已不需要工作）

According to DeepFlow TechFlow, on December 4, CriptoNoticias reported that Bolivian cryptocurrency regulation expert and lawyer Ismael Franco González stated that it is expected that by 2026, the Bolivian banking sector will accept USDT as real US dollars, but the country will not officially adopt Bitcoin like El Salvador. Franco pointed out that the new Bolivian government has shown crypto-friendly policy signals, including statements from Minister of Economy José Gabriel Espinoza about allowing banks to use cryptocurrencies, as well as the Financial System Supervisory Authority’s decision to extend the registration period for virtual asset service providers until 2026. Reportedly, due to a shortage of US dollars and official exchange rate imbalances, Bolivian citizens and businesses have turned en masse to using Binance.

Author: BlockWeeks What supports the $2.6 trillion crypto market’s liquidity is not the sovereign credit of any nation, but a private company that moved its headquarters from Hong Kong to Switzerland, and ultimately settled in El Salvador—Tether. Its issued US dollar stablecoin, USDT, holds over 70% of the market share. Over the past decade, it has expanded amid crises and doubts, and is now attempting to define the industry's boundaries with its profits. However, a recent “weak” rating from S&P Global has once again revealed the core contradiction of this grand experiment: a currency tool designed to be “stable” is itself becoming the system’s greatest point of risk. > > It’s like an elephant dancing on a tightrope, with a base of hundreds of billions of dollars in US Treasury bonds, but taking adventurous steps into AI, brain-computer interfaces, and Argentine farmland. — This is how the BlockWeeks editorial team describes it. > Part I

Truther&39;s Visa card allows USDT spending directly from self-custody wallets, without preloading or custodial services. The card will charge a 2% fee on currency conversions and has no IOF tax for Brazilian users. Truther plans expansion across Latin America and is integrating more

The cryptocurrency payment company Truther will launch a non-custodial USDT Visa card in El Salvador on January 29, 2025, marking a significant step in bringing stablecoins into real-time everyday spending. Users can pay directly with USDT from their self-custody wallets without needing to deposit funds in advance, but

According to Deep Tide TechFlow news on November 30, as reported by CoinDesk, payment company Truther announced a partnership with Visa to launch a "non-custodial" USDT Visa card. This card allows users to spend USDT stored in their own Wallet directly — without the need for prior deposit or reliance on any third-party custody. When making a payment, Truther will instantly deduct the corresponding USDT from the user's self-custody Wallet for real-time Settlement. For example, if spending 30 euros at a hotel, the equivalent USDT will be deducted directly. The card charges about a 2% fee for currency conversion; for users in Brazil, the normally applicable IOF tax is waived. Truther indicates that El

The stablecoin giant Tether has officially ceased its $500 million Bitcoin mining operation in Uruguay, primarily due to high energy costs and the lack of a predictable tariff framework. The project actually only invested $100 million and was forced to shut down due to a $5 million electricity bill default, resulting in the layoff of 30 employees. This incident highlights the extreme sensitivity of crypto mining to energy prices and may affect Tether's strategic goal of controlling 1% of the global Bitcoin network. Industry analysts point out that the focus of mining is quickly shifting to low-cost regions like Paraguay and El Salvador.

Author | Efrat Fenigson Compiled by | AididiaoJP, Foresight News Original link: In the past week, I visited El Salvador for the third time in a year, and it is evident that the country is undergoing a real transformation—not just theoretical discussions or superficial articles, but a fundamental change in the way people live, think, build, and envision the future. The moment that brought all of this together occurred during a private dinner with President Nayib Bukele, which I was fortunate to attend this past weekend. I have been following his work for several years. In my podcast, I interviewed nine Salvadorans and expatriates living locally, as well as businessmen, builders, community organizers, and ordinary citizens. A year ago, I tweeted that my dream was to meet him one day. What I didn't expect was that when the dinner ended, I went up to take a photo with him and just said,

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from Latin America over the past week. In this week’s edition, El Salvador buys nearly 1,100 BTC as prices plunge, Brazil implements new rules for cryptocurrency tax

Preface On November 21, 2025, at around 4:40 AM UTC, the price of Bitcoin plummeted to $81,600, which seemed like just another day of extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency market. In just four hours, $2 billion worth of leveraged positions were wiped out. Three days earlier, BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF recorded its largest single-day outflow ever—redeeming as much as $523 million. A whale who had held Bitcoin since 2011 liquidated all of their positions, worth $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, El Salvador quietly bought $100 million worth of Bitcoin during the crash. Financial media described these events as unrelated—perhaps another crypto winter, or maybe just routine market fluctuations. But a deeper analysis of the mechanisms within this four-hour window reveals a more profound

null Author: Shanaka Anslem Perera Compiled by: Block unicorn Preface On November 21, 2025, around 4:40 AM UTC, the price of Bitcoin plummeted to $81,600, marking yet another day of extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency market. In just four hours, leveraged positions worth $2 billion evaporated. Three days prior, BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF saw its largest single-day outflow on record, with redemptions totaling $523 million. A whale who has held Bitcoin since 2011 liquidated its entire position worth $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, El Salvador quietly purchased $100 million worth of Bitcoin during the crash. Financial media describe these events as unrelated events—

In January 2025, the Salvadoran Congress passed a new bill to cancel Bitcoin's mandatory legal tender status, bringing this globally sensational financial experiment to an end. As of September 2025, the country still holds approximately 6,313 Bitcoins, valued at $701 million, but it no longer has the enforceable status of legal currency. At the same time, the country purchased $50 million worth of gold for the first time since 1990 to hedge against cryptocurrency volatility risks.

El Salvador has made headlines again with its largest Bitcoin purchase to date, acquiring 1,090 BTC in one day, valued at over $100 million. This acquisition significantly boosts the country’s cryptocurrency reserves, which now total 7,474 BTC, worth an estimated $676 million. The purchase,

Written by: Efrat Fenigson Compiled by: AididiaoJP, Foresight News In the past week, I visited El Salvador for the third time in a year, and it is evident that this country is undergoing a real transformation, not just theoretical talk, not just superficial actions, but a fundamental change in the way people live, think, build, and envision the future. The moment that encapsulated all of this happened at the private dinner with President Nayib Bukele that I was fortunate to attend over the weekend. I have been following his work for several years. In my podcast, I interviewed nine Salvadorans and expatriates living locally, as well as businessmen, builders, community organizers, and ordinary citizens. A year ago, I tweeted that my dream was to meet him one day. I didn't expect that when the dinner ended, I went up to take a photo with him and just said, "Hello, I am Everflatt.

Bitcoin, Solana, and XRP lead crypto conversations due to price swings, ETFs, and big institutional moves like BlackRock and El Salvador. Tether stays in focus as traders debate transparency, regulation, and its role in stabilizing crypto payments and market activity. 1inch and ChainLink gain

On November 19, 2025, the price of Bitcoin remained under pressure near $91,000, despite Technical Analysis indicating that the bearish ABCD pattern might push the price towards a target of $83,800. However, institutional investors and sovereign nations have shown strong buying confidence. Cathie Wood's ARK Invest bought $10.2 million in Bullish stock during the crypto stock sell-off, while El Salvador purchased $100 million in Bitcoin again, disregarding IMF guidance, increasing its total holdings from 5,968 coins in December 2024 to 7,474 coins. These large-scale purchases highlight the significant divergence between long-term beliefs and short-term market weakness, injecting key confidence into the Bitcoin market.

In brief Nayib Bukele highlighted El Salvador's Bitcoin holdings on Monday. The nation's stockpile notched its largest daily increase since inception. The IMF has called El Salvador's Bitcoin purchases into question. Decrypt's Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENE El S