IMF Confirms Private Donations Funded El Salvador Bitcoin Buys
IMF verification shows El Salvador used only private donations for post-review BTC purchases, shifting Chivo control to private hands and limiting public exposure under the program.
The International Monetary Fund confirmed that Bitcoin acquired by El Salvador since the first review of its Extended Fund Facility program came exclusively from private donations and that no public funds were used for the purchases.
Majority ownership and operational control of the Chivo wallet have been transferred to a private operator. The government retains a minority stake and responsibility for customer assets.
Governance and framework updates
IMF staff and Salvadoran authorities reached a staff-level agreement on measures to strengthen governance and risk management of public-sector crypto assets and to update the digital-asset legal and regulatory framework.
No further Bitcoin accumulation beyond the documented donations is expected.
Remaining unknowns
Exact current wallet holdings and the methods used to verify them remain subject to further IMF review. The timeline and scope of the planned legal and regulatory updates have not been specified.