The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday welcomed El Salvador’s stronger-than-expected economic growth.
The update notably did not include previous IMF suggestions that El Salvador suspend its bitcoin accumulation strategy. something this country – under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele – has continued to do since negotiating an IMF loan program several months ago.
Deviating from its normal strategy of adding bitcoin per day, El Salvador in November added more than 1,000 BTC to its national treasury strategy amid that month’s strong sell-off. The government has now accumulated almost 7,500 BTC, worth around $660 million at current prices.
The IMF noted that negotiations for the sale of the Chivo government crypto wallet are “well advanced.” “Discussions regarding the Bitcoin project continue, focused on improving transparency, safeguarding public resources and mitigating risks,” the agency added.
The IMF said El Salvador’s economy is growing at a faster pace than expected thanks to improving confidence, record remittances and buoyant investment. Real GDP growth is expected to reach around 4% and the outlook for 2026 is “very good”.
In March, El Salvador reached an agreement with the IMF to receive a $3.5 billion loan. “Close engagement with Salvadoran authorities is expected to continue in the coming period with the aim of reaching staff-level agreement on all policies and reforms necessary to complete the second review of the EFF program,” the IMF said.
