El Salvador's Bitcoin reserve passes 7,800 coins despite IMF limits

what happened

According to cryptobriefing.com, El Salvador's national Bitcoin reserve held 7,807 BTC by October 16. With Bitcoin near $82,000, the stack was worth roughly $640–650 million.

Despite a $1.4 billion IMF loan agreement meant to limit such accumulation, the reserve keeps growing. The government has bought one BTC per day since September 2021. When the IMF program began in early 2025, the reserve held about 6,070 BTC; since then it has added more than 1,700 BTC.

The IMF says recent additions come from private donations rather than public funds, and it does not expect growth beyond them. The National Bitcoin Office publishes the wallet addresses. Under the deal, Bitcoin lost its status as legal tender.

why it matters

For markets, the key point is the reserve's sensitivity to price: its dollar value can swing sharply with Bitcoin, the kind of volatility the IMF has flagged when assessing the country's finances. If the Fund concluded that public money was involved after all, the classification of these inflows could become a point of contention in future program reviews.

market impact

Bitcoin: El Salvador's state buying is small but steady; the main risk lies in how the IMF classifies the inflows.

tags

instruments