El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele confirmed in a
tweet that the nation will be roll out about 200 ATMs and prepare 50 bank branches across the nation to allow residents to exchange crypto for fiat easily.
Image creditSome few facts- With El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption bill coming into effect on Sept. 7, Bukele said those not interested in using BTC would be able to exchange the BTC they receive for cash at any of those locations. He also reiterated that the U.S. dollar will continue to be in circulation.
- El Salvador has also created Chivo, its own state-backed crypto wallet that would be compatible with the new ATMs and would be interoperable with any existing crypto wallet
- “What if someone doesn’t want to use Bitcoin?” Bukele said. “Don’t download [Chivo] and continue living your normal life. Nobody is going to take your dollars […] Someone can always queue up at Western Union and pay a commission.”
Bukele, also
said that adopting Bitcoin will save Salvadorans $400 million per year in fees for receiving remittances from abroad
What do you guys think about such a move by El Salvador?
Personally, I have mixed emotions when it comes to the part of a state-backed crypto wallet but a side from that, I think in general, it's a good thing for the citizens and Bitcoin adoption alike. This is a little a break from the news of other different nations banning trading and mining of cryptocurrencies and discouraging citizens from using them.
1.
https://www.ndtv.com/business/el-salvador-to-install-200-bitcoin-atms-as-part-of-the-governments-plan-to-make-the-token-legal-tender-25171582.
https://forkast.news/headlines/el-salvador-bitcoin-atms-nationwide/