El Salvador used private donations, not public funds, for Bitcoin purchases since June 2025, IMF confirms

The International Monetary Fund confirmed that El Salvador used no public funds for Bitcoin purchases after June 2025, verifying that recent reserve increases came from private donations. This disclosure came alongside a staff-level agreement on the country's Extended Fund Facility reviews, which could unlock $140 million. Additionally, El Salvador transferred majority control of its Chivo wallet to a private operator, while the IMF projected a strong 4.5% economic growth rate for the nation in 2026.

Bitcoin accumulation funding source

• ▪Salvadoran authorities provided documentation verifying that the country's Bitcoin accumulation since June 27, 2025, came from private donations rather than public funds.
• ▪El Salvador's National Bitcoin Office official reserve tracker reported that the country's national Bitcoin reserve reached 7,762 BTC, valued at approximately $598 million to $628 million.
• ▪The International Monetary Fund stated that no further Bitcoin accumulation beyond the documented private donations is expected from El Salvador going forward.
• ▪The International Monetary Fund confirmed that El Salvador used no public resources to accumulate Bitcoin after the first review of its financing program in June 2025.

IMF Extended Fund Facility agreement

• ▪El Salvador entered its 40-month Extended Fund Facility with the International Monetary Fund in February 2025, carrying total access of approximately $1.4 billion.
• ▪The International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement with El Salvador on the combined second and third reviews of its 40-month Extended Fund Facility.
• ▪Approval of the combined second and third reviews by the International Monetary Fund Executive Board would release approximately $140 million to El Salvador.
• ▪El Salvador and the International Monetary Fund agreed to modernize the legal, regulatory, and supervisory framework for digital assets to strengthen public-sector risk controls.

Chivo wallet privatization

• ▪The government of El Salvador retained a minority stake and custodial responsibilities for customer assets in the Chivo e-wallet.
• ▪Majority ownership and operational control of El Salvador's Chivo e-wallet have been transferred to an unidentified private operator.

El Salvador economic growth performance

• ▪El Salvador's economic growth is driven by private consumption, investment, strong remittance flows, tourism, and security improvements from a crackdown on gang violence.
• ▪The International Monetary Fund projects El Salvador's real gross domestic product growth to reach 4.5% in 2026.

5 sources