Definitely the most significant event of 2021 was the adoption of bitcoin as a means of payment in El Salvador. Personally, I was initially skeptical about all this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a bitcoin hater and I'm a supporter of bitcoin adoption because it develops the bitcoin ecosystem itself and opens up new uses for it. My skepticism was rather based on the very approach of the El Salvadorian authorities to this responsible step.
Even on the threshold of adoption, a wave of indignation swept over the country and people came out with pickets against bitcoin. It was at the end of August, right before the adoption:
There are all sorts of motivating factors behind what you say is the failure of Bitcoin in El Salvador. Firstly, the government tried to hurry the process along by basically forcing El Salvadorean's to fund a purchase of Bitcoin (through taxes) which was then given back to every citizen - basically just a vote buying attempt. A slower roll out, which focused on setting businesses up to process payments through Bitcoin in a really efficient way, would have been the correct way to do it or even focusing on the "send money from overseas and avoid excessive middleman fees" would have been a stronger angle to take on this. However some people in the country struggle to find work or even eat, so they're not too interested in this inanimate internet currency when they already have existing payment facilities.