Five years after El Salvador became the first country to make Bitcoin legal tender, the government is still buying — and it hasn't sold a single coin. As of June 2026, the Central American nation holds 7,677 BTC, worth roughly $480 million at current prices. That's up from the daily one-Bitcoin purchases that started in November 2022, plus a big tactical buy of over 1,000 BTC during a market dip in November 2025.
The $480 million stash that keeps growing
The Salvadoran government has been adding one Bitcoin per day through a dollar-cost averaging strategy since late 2022. In the 12 months leading up to June 2025, the country added more than 1,600 BTC. The pace hasn't slowed. In January 2026, the country's Bitcoin Office declared it was going 'all in' on both Bitcoin and artificial intelligence. The treasury is now worth roughly half a billion dollars — and the government shows no sign of selling.
Why adoption hasn't followed
That hawkish holding strategy stands in stark contrast to everyday use. In Q1 2026, total remittances to El Salvador hit $2.43 billion. Crypto accounted for just $17.38 million — 0.71%. The government's own Chivo wallet is being phased out. And since January 2025, when El Salvador revoked Bitcoin's mandatory legal tender status as part of a $1.4 billion IMF loan deal, businesses are no longer required to accept the cryptocurrency. The policy reversal was a condition of the loan, but it also reflected reality: most merchants never wanted it.
The carrot for foreign investors
One piece of the original plan still stands: no capital gains tax on Bitcoin or crypto transactions. That policy was reinforced in early 2026 to lure foreign investors and crypto-friendly businesses. The government is also still talking up the 'Volcano Bond' — a debt instrument backed by Bitcoin and linked to a proposed Bitcoin City powered by geothermal energy. Those plans are in development, but no concrete launch date has been set.
What happens to the coins?
The big open question is whether El Salvador will ever draw down its Bitcoin holdings to fund infrastructure or repay the IMF. For now, the government treats the stash as a long-term strategic reserve. The daily buy continues. The bonds are still on the drawing board. And the country's experiment — part success, part cautionary tale — enters its sixth year with a treasury that few nations can match, even if the everyday reality on the ground hasn't caught up.
