In a global first, El Salvador adopts bitcoin as legal currency

Bitcoin accepted here.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

El Salvador has gone crypto.

President Nayib Bukele's Bitcoin Law received 62 out of 84 votes in El Salvador's Congress on Wednesday morning, rendering it legal tender in a global first.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Bitcoin Law says the state will provide necessary training to help the population — 70 percent of which does not have access to traditional financial services — use bitcoin.

"In the short term, this will generate jobs and help provide financial inclusion to thousands outside the formal economy," Bukele said.

The price of bitcoin rose 5 percent after the vote, NBC News reports. The CEO of digital payments application Strike, which is partnering with El Salvador, called Bukele's proposal a "shot heard 'round the world for bitcoin." The law goes into effect in 90 days.

Explore More
Taylor Watson

Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.