El Salvador

El Salvador has a high chance of striking a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund next month for about $1.4 billion, Bloomberg News reported. President Nayib Bukele is seeking to finalize terms for the three-year program after staff from the Washington-based lender visits the country in December. The nation’s dollar bonds edged higher on the news, with notes due in 2041 rising 0.2 cents to 89.8 cents on the dollar, the highest since 2021, according to indicative pricing compiled by Bloomberg.
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Program talks between the International Monetary Fund and El Salvador focus on strengthening reforms, while addressing risks arising from the use of bitcoin remains a key element of the discussions, the IMF said on Thursday, Reuters reported. "What we have recommended is a narrowing of the scope of the bitcoin law, strengthening the regulatory framework and oversight of the bitcoin ecosystem, and limiting public sector exposure to bitcoin," IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said in a scheduled press conference.
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The Central American country of El Salvador, the first country in the world to declare bitcoin legal tender, now has more than $340 million in bitcoin, according to Arkham Intelligence, TheStreet.com reported. The country has been gradually accumulating new bitcoin at a rate of approximately one bitcoin a day since March, indicating the country may scoop up over 100 bitcoins by the close of 2024. The country’s current bitcoin reserves stand at 5,856 bitcoin, reflecting holdings of $344 million in cryptocurrency based on current bitcoin prices.
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El Salvador returned to global debt markets with an offering that will pay investors a higher interest rate if the government fails to win credit upgrades or a deal with the International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg News reported. The Central American nation priced $1 billion in debt due in 2030 at 89.923 cents on the dollar to yield 12%, according to people familiar with the matter. The coupon is 9.25%, they said, and the note amortizes starting in 2028. The deal includes an additional interest-only security tied to nation’s credit score or an IMF deal.
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James and Nicki Malcolm moved to El Salvador from New Zealand to be part of a bitcoin dream sold by President Nayib Bukele in 2021 when he made the Central American nation the first in the world to accept the cryptocurrency as legal tender, Reuters reported. Months later Bukele sketched his plans for Bitcoin City, a tax-free crypto haven powered by geothermal energy from a volcano, to a sea of enthusiasts at a beach club presentation that included an avatar of himself on a spaceship.
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