El Salvador to Become First Nation With Bitcoin as Legal Tender

“In order to mitigate the negative impact from central banks, it becomes necessary to authorize the circulation of a digital currency with the supply that cannot be controlled by any central bank,” said El Salvador President Nayib Bukele via video at Bitcoin 2021.

share
  • Jack Mallers, CEO of bitcoin investment and payments company Zap, introduced the news from the Bitcoin 2021 stage
  • Bukele pointed to current global trends in fiscal policy, claiming that crypto allows protection from dangerous central bank actions

Bitcoin 2021, Miami — El Salvador may soon become the world’s first nation to have bitcoin as legal tender. 

“Next week I will send to Congress a bill that will make bitcoin a legal tender in El Salvador,” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said via video toward the end of the final day at the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami. “In the short term, this will generate jobs and help provide financial inclusion to thousands.” 

El Salvador President Nayib BukeleEl Salvador President Nayib Bukele via video at Bitcoin 2021.

Bukele pointed to current global trends in fiscal policy, claiming that crypto allows protection from dangerous central bank actions. 

“Central banks are increasingly taking actions that may cause harm to the economic stability of El Salvador,” he said. “In order to mitigate the negative impact from central banks, it becomes necessary to authorize the circulation of a digital currency with the supply that cannot be controlled by any central bank.” 

Jack Mallers, CEO of bitcoin investment and payments company Zap, introduced the news.

“They asked me to help write a plan and that they view bitcoin as a world-class currency,” said Mallers. “They said we needed to put together a bitcoin plan to help these people.” 

Mallers spoke of his time in El Salvador and the poverty that he saw. Bitcoin is a solution to many of their problems, he said. 

If the legislation passes in El Salvador making bitcoin legal tender, it could be the first step toward a truly global currency accepted anywhere in the world, according to Roger M. Brown, global head of tax solutions at Lukka, who talked to Blockworks via email.

“Sure, some countries could seek to wrestle back control, like Turkey’s ban on bitcoin transactions because many residents preferred it to their local currency.  However, those actions may not prevail given bitcoin’s decentralized nature,” said Brown.

“Tax, accounting, and other rules will also have to acknowledge that bitcoin is or can be currency in some instances, and therefore the tax and accounting rules would have to adjust — rather than just calling it a capital asset or a ‘long lived intangible,'” he added.

“In effect, ‘big bang’ is the right phrase for this development from tax, accounting and regulatory perspectives.
Tax and accounting rules will have to change their treatment, as well as other rules which differ in their application as to whether a currency is involved.”

This story was updated at 5:47 p.m. EDT.

Read more of our coverage from Bitcoin 2021 here.

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template (1).jpg

Research

As AI supercharges surveillance, privacy becomes a prerequisite and the winning stack will combine confidentiality with selective disclosure. Zcash’s Tachyon, composable standards on Ethereum/Solana, and compliance-aware pools aim to make private rails the new norm.

article-image

Bain Capital Crypto and Haun Ventures co-led the round as demand grows for Bitcoin-denominated savings and annuities

by Blockworks /
article-image

NYSE owner’s investment values the prediction market at $8–9 billion, signaling Wall Street’s entry into event-based trading

by Blockworks /
article-image

Pineapple begins deploying its $100 million Injective Digital Asset Treasury, staking INJ to earn yield and fund onchain mortgage ambitions

by Blockworks /
article-image

Staking levels in the ether funds will depend on protocol unstaking queue times and anticipated redemption activity, firm says

article-image

ETF inflows, miner strength, and tightening supply drive Bitcoin past its prior peak amid renewed demand for scarce assets

by Blockworks /
article-image

The Guidestar team, led by Alex Nezlobin, will join Uniswap Labs to enhance automated market maker design and smart order routing

by Blockworks /