El Salvador Hits 70% Bitcoin Adoption – But Here’s the Hidden Reality

El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment just hit a staggering milestone—or did it?

The government claims 70% of the population now uses BTC. But peel back the hype, and the picture gets murky.

The Compliance Conundrum

Mandatory adoption doesn’t equal organic demand. When President Nayib Bukele made BTC legal tender in 2021, businesses had no choice but to comply. Fast-forward to 2025: wallets are installed, but usage? Spotty at best.

Volatility vs. Daily Bread

Salvadorans still price groceries in dollars—the real currency of choice. BTC’s wild swings make it a risky savings tool, let alone a medium of exchange. Remittances? Still dominated by Western Union, despite Chivo’s fanfare.

The Silent Majority

Rural areas lag far behind urban centers in BTC transactions. For every tech-savvy freelancer paying bills via Lightning, there are three street vendors still counting cash.

El Salvador bet big on crypto. The world is watching—and Wall Street’s already taking bets on how long before the IMF steps in. Again.