Panama City Mayor Floats Bitcoin Reserve Plan After Secretive Talks With El Salvador’s Crypto Pioneers

Panama’s capital could be the next domino to fall in Latin America’s bitcoin revolution. The city’s mayor dropped heavy hints about creating a sovereign BTC reserve—just days after huddling with officials from El Salvador, the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.

Behind closed doors: Insiders say the meeting focused on operational blueprints for state-level crypto adoption. No concrete timeline yet, but Panama City appears to be studying Salvadoran playbooks—volcano bonds and all.

Wall Street won’t like this: Another government flirting with decentralized assets means fewer middlemen collecting fees on cross-border transactions. Cue the ’but volatility!’ think pieces from bankers who still think SWIFT transfers are cutting-edge tech.

Panama City to Accept Bitcoin and Major Stablecoins

Mizrachi has previously stated that Panama City WOULD accept Bitcoin, Ether, Tether, and USDC once crypto-to-fiat payment infrastructure is in place.

However, a MOVE to establish a formal reserve would require legislative backing from Panama’s National Assembly — a step he has not yet taken publicly.

His post follows similar developments in Arizona and New Hampshire, where state lawmakers passed bills supporting Bitcoin reserves.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is reportedly exploring Bitcoin as part of its national reserves strategy.

During their meeting, Keiser indicated that discussions included Bitcoin mining and financial education.

Let’s see how high it goes.

He pointed out Panama’s hydroelectric resources and El Salvador’s geothermal energy as tools to drive Bitcoin infrastructure across Central America.

Herbert, who oversees El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office, revealed that Panama City plans to add the country’s “What is Money?” financial literacy textbook to its online library.

The textbook forms part of El Salvador’s national curriculum on Bitcoin.

Keiser currently serves as a senior advisor to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, while Herbert manages policy implementation.

El Salvador holds over 6,100 Bitcoin, valued at nearly $640 million, as part of its official reserve, a model Panama City could be eyeing as it explores deeper Bitcoin integration.

Public Companies Ramp Up Bitcoin Exposure

Public companies continue to increase their exposure to Bitcoin, with Michael Saylor’s firm, Strategy, leading the charge.

The Virginia-based company recently announced it would double its capital-raising efforts to $84 billion in order to acquire more Bitcoin.

This includes plans to sell an additional $21 billion in common stock, following the full utilization of a prior program approved in October.

In addition to equity sales, Strategy has also expanded its debt issuance target from $21 billion to $42 billion, with $14.6 billion still available under the current authorization.

On Monday, Metaplanet also expanded its Bitcoin treasury, acquiring an additional 1,241 BTC for approximately 18.4 billion yen ($126 million).

The latest purchase brings the company’s total Bitcoin holdings to 6,796 BTC, currently valued at over $706 million.

This trend reflects a broader institutional interest in Bitcoin. During the first quarter of the year, publicly listed firms collectively grew their Bitcoin holdings by 16.1%, indicating continued confidence in the asset despite persistent market volatility.