Search
Latam Insights: Venezuela to Leverage USDT for Sidestepping Sanctions, Chivo Wallet Disregards Hacking Allegations
29.4.2024
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: Venezuelan oil company PDVSA could use USDT to sidestep U.S. sanctions, Chivo Wallet denies hacking allegations, and Nubank expands its crypto functionality...
Salvadoran Official Crypto Wallet Chivo Dismisses Alleged Hacking Event
25.4.2024
Chivo wallet, the official cryptocurrency wallet of El Salvador, has dismissed an alleged hack of the source code of its software and the data of over 5 million users linked to the wallet’s KYC procedures. According to Chivo, the data of Salvadorans is protected, and the security of its data...
Leaked Personal Info of Over 5 Million Salvadorans Apparently Linked to Chivo Wallet
11.4.2024
A database with the personal information of over 5 million Salvadorans was recently leaked in a data breach forum. The database, which has been around since August and has recently been linked to Chivo, El Salvador’s national cryptocurrency wallet, has 144GB of data, including the full name...
Bitcoin-friendly El Salvador can become the 'Singapore of the Americas': VanEck advisor
29.10.2023
VanEck strategy advisor Gabor Gurbacs expects a wave of new investment capital and immigration will push El Salvador’s economic growth in the coming years
Pheu Thai Candidate Promises Digital Currency Airdrop of $300 to Every Citizen in Thailand if Elected
8.4.2023
A Pheu Thai candidate running for prime minister of Thailand position, Srettha Thavisin, has promised that every citizen in the country will receive 10,000 Thai baht ($300) in digital currency if he wins the general election in May. However, a minister within the prime minister’s office...
Reports Claim Chivo Bitcoin Wallet Is Flagging Wasabi Transactions in El Salvador
7.4.2023
According to several reports, the Salvadoran government-issued bitcoin wallet, Chivo, has been freezing wallets and requesting that owners verify the source of funds. The founder of El Zonte’s Bitcoin Beach stated that the government’s bitcoin wallet software is flagging and freezing...
El Salvador Chivo Wallet Programmer Opens Up About Alleged ID Fraud, Tech and Money Laundering Issues
13.1.2023
A Chivo wallet programmer has opened up about the different problems that the flagship cryptocurrency wallet of El Salvador faced during its initial stages. Shaun Overton, who alleges he was hired to help in the handling of the issues, has talked about ID theft, money laundering problems, and...
Salvadoran Group Files Lawsuits Against President Nayib Bukele on Lack of Transparency in Bitcoin Purchases
28.11.2022
Cristosal, a Salvadoran nonprofit human rights organization, has filed three lawsuits related to President Nayib Bukele’s management of public funds to purchase bitcoin. The processes are being run before several national and international bodies, and call for the government to offer...
Argentine Startup Action Point Develops White Label Solution to Include Crypto in Traditional ATMs
5.9.2022
Action Point, an Argentine startup, has developed a white-label solution that allows banks to offer cryptocurrency services through their already existent ATM infrastructures. The company provides this service in partnership with Lirium AG, a crypto-as-a-service organization, and has already...
El Salvador's Bitcoin wallet Chivo scores $52M in remittances in 2022
6.7.2022
El Salvador payment app Chivo processed $52 million in remittances over the past 6 months, as expatriates make use of commission-free BTC transfers
Working Study Says Despite Legal Tender Status, Bitcoin Is Not a Widely Accepted Medium of Exchange in El Salvador
27.4.2022
According to a working study published by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), most Salvadorans stopped using the Chivo wallet after getting their $30 bitcoin bonus. The report shows that the median Chivo wallet user made no deposits or withdrawals in a given month. NBER Study:...
El Salvador Switches Tech Providers — Chooses Alphapoint to Operate Chivo Bitcoin Wallet
2.2.2022
On February 2, 2022, the blockchain infrastructure provider Alphapoint has announced that the Salvadoran government has chosen the firm to operate the bitcoin wallet Chivo. The bitcoin wallet is the largest fintech application in the country and Alphapoint “supports the frontend and backend...
El Salvador relaunches Chivo wallet, plans to deploy 1,500 Bitcoin ATMs
2.2.2022
Seeking a permanent solution for over 4 million BTC users, the government of El Salvador focuses on Chivo wallet’s stability and uptime, scalability and social impact
IMF Tells El Salvador: Costs of Making Bitcoin Legal Tender Exceed Potential Benefits
30.1.2022
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told El Salvador that the costs of implementing the country’s Bitcoin law, which makes the cryptocurrency legal tender, exceed the potential benefits. The IMF has also urged El Salvador to dissolve the “Fidebitcoin” trust fund and start...
IMF Urges El Salvador to Drop Bitcoin Tender Law, Executive Board Report criticizes BTC Bonds, Chivo Wallet
25.1.2022
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been very critical of cryptocurrencies and according to a report on Tuesday, the IMF’s board has “urged” El Salvador to discontinue its bitcoin tender status. A few members of the IMF’s board said the country’s decision...
El Salvador removes BTC price feed from Chivo app to crack down on arbitrage scalpers
19.10.2021
Users of the Salvadoran government’s Chivo wallet will not be able to see frozen price quotes until the feature has been removed to deter arbitrage scalpers
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele Says Citizens Paying for Gas With the Chivo Wallet Will Get a Discount
3.10.2021
The Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele revealed on Friday that Chivo wallet users will be able to get a discount on petroleum fill-ups at the largest gas stations in the country. Chivo wallet users paying for fuel will save $0.20 per gallon using the government’s crypto wallet. Salvadoran...
A Rocky Start for Bukele’s Bitcoin Law — El Salvador After Adoption
25.9.2021
The adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador has been one of the biggest events in the cryptocurrency world this year. However, Nayib Bukele, president of the country, has taken a course of action many consider mistaken. In any case, the Bitcoin Law has put Bitcoin in the global spotlight...
El Salvador Buys More Bitcoin — Country Now Holds 700 BTC
20.9.2021
El Salvador, the country that made bitcoin legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar, has purchased more bitcoin. The Salvadoran government now holds 700 coins, according to President Nayib Bukele. El Salvador Buys the Dip El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, announced early Monday morning...
Ground Reports Concerning Salvadoran Bitcoin Law Highlight False Narrative Painted by Influencers
15.9.2021
On Tuesday, Bitcoin.com News spoke with Marc Falzon, an individual who has been documenting the bitcoin rollout in El Salvador since the law was implemented on September 7. Falzon says that there are a number of issues that no one is talking about in regard to the bitcoin law and the Chivo wallet...