El Salvador has launched Sivar, a national remittance and payments app built by Modveon on Coinbase's Base network, settling transfers from the US in stablecoins. The move represents a shift toward stablecoins for everyday payments, separate from the country's Bitcoin experiment.
Venezuela has reached a deal to accept repatriation flights from the United States, as an appeals court panel appears divided on whether to order the Trump administration to facilitate the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador in 2024.
About 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants face uncertainty as a deadline approaches for the Trump administration to decide whether to end their Temporary Protected Status, following similar terminations for hundreds of thousands from Venezuela, Haiti and other countries. Long-term residents who have spent decades in the US are preparing for possible deportation.
A Biden-appointed federal judge in California ordered the immediate release of David Antonio Aviles, an MS-13 gang member known as 'the witch' who is wanted on an aggravated murder warrant in El Salvador for his alleged role in a machete execution-style killing.
The International Monetary Fund confirmed that El Salvador has documented its Bitcoin accumulation since June 27, 2025, came from private donations rather than public resources, as the country's reserve grew to 7,762 BTC. The finding came during the IMF's second review of El Salvador's financing program, which also noted better-than-anticipated economic growth.
The International Monetary Fund accepted El Salvador's explanation that its 1,796-bitcoin sovereign reserve increase since June 2025 came from private donations rather than public funds, clearing a key compliance issue under the country's $1.4 billion financing program. President Nayib Bukele denied transferring bitcoin reserves to private operators as part of the IMF agreement.
The International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement on El Salvador's second and third program reviews, unlocking approximately $140 million pending board approval. The IMF confirmed El Salvador has not used public funds to accumulate Bitcoin since June 2025, with recent additions funded by private donations.
The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man whose case was dismissed in May by a judge who ruled he was subject to vindictive prosecution. The DOJ is challenging the lower court's finding in a Monday filing.
President Nayib Bukele signed reforms allowing life imprisonment for people as young as 12 convicted of serious crimes including homicide, rape, and gang membership, marking a significant expansion of his hardline security policies.
