IMF Confirms El Salvador’s Bitcoin Growth Was Funded by Private Donations

The International Monetary Fund has confirmed that El Salvador did not use public funds to accumulate bitcoin after the first review of its loan program, saying in a press release that documentation provided by Salvadoran authorities shows the additional holdings came from private donations.

The disclosure accompanied a staff-level agreement on the combined second and third reviews of the country’s 40-month Extended Fund Facility, announced on 3 September 2026.

Donations, Not Public Funds The fund said the bitcoin added since the first review came from private donors, and that no further accumulation beyond those documented donations is expected.

The finding explains how El Salvador’s holdings have kept rising even though the fund’s earlier review had required the public sector’s bitcoin balance to remain unchanged.