El Salvador has added 12 Bitcoin to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve over the past two days, according to an announcement from the country’s National Bitcoin Office. The purchases include 11 BTC worth over $1 million on Jan. 19 and an additional Bitcoin valued at $106,000 on Jan. 20.
The new acquisitions bring El Salvador’s total Bitcoin holdings to 6,044 BTC, valued at nearly $610 million at current prices, with Bitcoin trading around $101,000, as per CoinGecko.
Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High
Bitcoin briefly surged to a new all-time high of $109,000 on Jan. 20, surpassing its previous record of $108,000 set in December 2024. The cryptocurrency’s performance has further bolstered the profitability of El Salvador’s Bitcoin portfolio, which reportedly saw a $179 million profit as of Jan. 20, according to President Nayib Bukele’s portfolio tracker.
El Salvador’s Bitcoin purchase comes just weeks after the government struck a $1.4 billion financing deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As part of the agreement, the country had committed to scaling back some of its Bitcoin-related policies, including making Bitcoin acceptance by the private sector voluntary and reducing government involvement in the Chivo wallet project.
Despite the terms of the deal, the National Bitcoin Office Director, Stacy Herbert, stated in an X post that El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy remains unchanged.
El Salvador: A Pioneering Bitcoin Nation
El Salvador has remained a global pioneer in cryptocurrency adoption since becoming the first country to make Bitcoin legal tender in September 2021. President Nayib Bukele’s administration has continued to embrace Bitcoin despite criticism and international scrutiny.
