Send Help! 😬

Send Help!

After making Bitcoin a form of legal tender, El Salvador is now having technical difficulties introducing the cryptocurrency to the population.

El Salvador’s Finance Minister, Alejandro Zelaya, announced on Wednesday that the government had requested technical support from the World Bank to establish bitcoin as an official payment option. However, due to concerns about Bitcoin mining’s transparency and environmental effect, the World Bank rejected El Salvador’s request for help.

A World Bank spokesperson said, “While the government did approach us for assistance on Bitcoin, this is not something the World Bank can support given the environmental and transparency shortcomings.” The international lender’s decision might mean El Salvador will miss its three-month goal to have Bitcoin accepted across the country.

Earlier this month, El Salvador announced ambitions to become the first country to legally embrace the digital currency. Its goal is to utilize Bitcoin as a form of legal tender alongside the US dollar.

The country’s Bitcoin Law states, “The purpose of this law is to regulate bitcoin as unrestricted legal tender with liberating power, unlimited in any transaction.” As a result, its citizens will be able to use Bitcoin to pay for everything, including taxes and legal debt, as well as ordinary transactions like groceries.

Concerns regarding the usage of cryptocurrencies have also been raised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). After El Salvador’s announcement, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said, “Adoption of bitcoin as legal money creates a variety of macroeconomic, financial, and legal concerns that require very careful examination.”

Will El Salvador meet its three-month goal of adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, or will technical difficulties get in the way?

I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.

Share:
More Posts
OPEC’s Decision 🛢

OPEC leaders just hosted an important late-November meeting that may signal a change in strategy.

Get your daily Invstr Crunch

Get the market news and updates you need, delivered to your inbox or available on our daily podcast.

Risk Disclosure:

Invstr is not a bank and banking services are provided by Vast Bank, N.A.

Brokerage and Banking services are currently only available to U.S. residents.

Invstr app and web services are provided by Invstr Ltd. Advisory services are provided by Invstr Financial LLC, an investment adviser registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) details of which can be obtained here. Securities brokerage and custody services are provided by Apex Clearing, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. There is no bank guarantee on securities and securities may lose value.

Investing involves risk and can lead to losses. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Invstr app and web services are provided by Invstr Ltd. Invstr+ advisory services are provided by Invstr Financial LLC, an investment adviser registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Securities brokerage and custody services are provided by Apex Clearing, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. There is no bank guarantee on securities and securities may lose value. Vast Bank N.A. a nationally chartered bank and member of the FDIC, provides the banking products, including the products and services related to digital asset accounts. As with any asset, the value of Digital assets can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk that you lose money buying or holding digital assets. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding Digital assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Your digital account does not support wallet to wallet transferring of your digital assets (i.e. cryptocurrencies) outside the platform. Any Digital Assets in your digital asset account are not insured by any government entities, including but not limited to FDIC or SIPC. The Invstr Visa® Debit Card is issued by Vast Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A Inc and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Invstr Ltd, Invstr Financial LLC and Invstr Securities Ltd are subsidiaries of Marketspringpad Holdings (collectively “Invstr”) and Invstr is solely responsible for the application services and website content.

Watchlists provided when users first access the service are not a recommendation to invest. Instead they are provided to help users better navigate the service. Users are free to edit and create their own watchlists. From time to time, Invstr will suggest instruments solely based on an individual’s interest and the interest levels of the Invstr community. The statistical and portfolio builder models generated by Invstr do not reflect actual investment results and are not guarantees of future results. Comments provided by Invstr leaders, influencers or members of the Invstr Community are not recommendations and should not be construed as such. Invstr does not endorse the content or the positions posted by them. Their investment approach, and that of the models provided by Invstr, may be different from yours and may not be appropriate for you.