El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as a legal tender. The Salvadoran government announced late last year that it will issue a $1 billion BTC bond in mid-March 2022. However, citing dicey market conditions owing to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and overall crypto price volatility, El Salvador’s Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said that the BTC bond launch will be delayed further. As per Zelaya, the bond may now be launched in June, with a timeline extending until September 2022.
During a local news interview, Zelaya was asked if El Salvador’s plans with the bond issuance had changed. He replied, “No, not yet, the [Bitcoin] price continues to be disrupted by the war in Ukraine… In the short term, the variations are constant but in the long term it always tends to appreciate in value.” Zelaya added, “There is a future and there is an economic innovation [in Bitcoin] that we must bet on.”
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had announced the creation of a Bitcoin City. More of a cryptocurrency trading hub than an actual city, the Bitcoin City will be powered by volcanic geothermal energy and promises an array of tax exemptions to attract foreign investors.
The construction of Bitcoin City will be funded by half of the Bitcoin bond. The other half will be invested in buying more BTC.
In May, Bukele revealed a model of the Bitcoin City. As per the model, Bitcoin City will have residential areas, malls, and even a port to make it feel like a residential zone. It will be marked by a gigantic Bitcoin logo in the central plaza, and the rest of the city will be built around it in a circular design, resembling a coin.