El Salvador Has Thousands More Bitcoins Than Previously Known

El Salvador Has Thousands More Bitcoins Than Previously Known

  • El Salvador moved over 5,000 BTC worth around $400 million into a cold storage wallet.
  • This nearly doubles the country's previously known bitcoin holdings.
  • President Bukele shared a photo showing the cold wallet holds 5,689.68 BTC worth around $411 million.
  • Previous estimates placed El Salvador's bitcoin holdings at less than 3,000 BTC worth around $205 million.
  • Bukele had suggested the country acquires bitcoin not just from purchases but also from passport sales, currency conversions, mining, and government services.
  • This is the first time Bukele has tied the nation's holdings to a specific bitcoin address, previously just giving occasional updates on purchases.
  • El Salvador became the first country to purchase bitcoin as a treasury asset in September 2021 when each coin cost around $52,000.
  • At the time of writing, bitcoin prices were over $72,000 though it traded as high as $73,000 and as low as $68,000 in the past 24 hours.
  • Most of the bitcoin transferred to the cold wallet arrived over the past week, with the majority on Thursday.
  • According to a tracker, most of the bitcoin in the wallet came from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.