El Salvador is poised to obtain about $140 million following a staff-level accord covering the joint second and third evaluations of its $1.4 billion financial initiative, subject to endorsement by the IMF board.
The IMF verified that every single bitcoin incorporated into official reserves since June 2025 originated from private contributions, with zero public money utilized for the accumulation.
Operational governance of the Chivo digital wallet has largely shifted to an undisclosed private entity, alongside El Salvador pledging to enhance legal structures and elevate public-sector supervision.
Following the initial assessment of its International Monetary Fund credit arrangement, El Salvador did not employ state capital to amass bitcoin BTC$79,808.01, according to statements from the institution referencing records supplied by Salvadoran officials.
The records indicated that the bitcoin integrated subsequent to the review originated from philanthropic contributions, stated the fund. No additional acquisition beyond verified gifts is anticipated.
This revelation clarifies the mystery of how the national reserves of El Salvador continue to expand despite the initial IMF evaluation demanding that the state sector’s bitcoin inventory stay level.
Meanwhile, the nation’s official tracker has climbed to 7,764.37 BTC after the total surged by in excess of 1,000 BTC in November and kept bringing in one BTC daily.
The declaration by the IMF omitted the identities of the benefactors and did not disclose individual contribution sizes. In March of the preceding year, President Nayib Bukele asserted that the nation’s bitcoin acquisitions would persist.
Bitcoin regulations have remained a central theme in these dialogues. In 2021, El Salvador made history as the inaugural nation to designate bitcoin as legal tender, yet the initial IMF pact later made commercial-sector adoption optional, mandated tax settlement in U.S. dollars, and restricted government-level acquisitions.
Subsequently, the administration has transferred controlling interest and administrative command over the Chivo crypto wallet to a private enterprise while keeping a minority stake as well as the duty of safeguarding user assets. The identity of this operator was not revealed by the IMF.
Furthermore, El Salvador and IMF representatives concurred on measures to reinforce the regulatory and supervisory ecosystem for digital assets while boosting oversight regarding public holdings of bitcoin.
These disclosures emerged as both factions finalized a staff-level understanding regarding the concurrent second and third assessments of the 40-month Extended Fund Facility for El Salvador.
Originally published at https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/09/04/imf-confirms-el-salvador-s-bitcoin-growth-was-funded-by-private-donations-not-public-money.
