This Bitcoin circular economy inspired Bitcoin’s law and becomes global
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, smiles during the inauguration of the Key Institute, a private institution of higher education specialized in engineering and science in San Salvador on March 19, 2025. (Photo by Marvin Recinos / AFP) (Photo by Marvin Recinos / AFP through Getty Images)
AFP through Getty Images
In 2021, El Salvador became a pioneer of Bitcoin when the small Central American country decided to bet on Bitcoin, making it legal course. Four years later, the country’s government reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund after changing Bitcoin’s law, making Bitcoin acceptance voluntary instead of mandatory. All this Bitcoin road began in a small beach city called El Zonte with a circular Bitcoin economy and the revolution there is still ongoing; In fact, it has become a global movement: Bitcoin Beach.
We speak with Roman MartÃnez, co -founder of this project, to understand its path and how they still bet on the adoption of Bitcoin in the Zonte, El Salvador and the World. “El Salvador is the first country to make a legal tender of Bitcoin, and although some claim that” it is no longer “, the truth is that it is still legal. There is no other country doing what El Salvador is doing in terms of adoption. That is why many bitcoiners who visit the Zonte and Bitcoin Beach every week say that El Salvador is still” Bitcoin Country. “
Like us reported In January, the country modified this law to comply with the IMF conditions to access a loan of $ 1.4 billion announced at the end of 2024, and the possibility of receiving up to $ 3.5 billion in new financing from other multilateral institutions such as the World Bank. This decision generated many reactions between the Bitcoin community, who said that this type of agreements and the changes made to the law to seal them were a concession too large, especially from the Nayib Bukele government, which had been very vocal against the negative comments of the IMF regarding the adoption of Bitcoin in the country.
But for MartÃnez, these changes are part of the process. “The adoption in El Salvador continues. We continue welcoming tourists, we continue to educate the communities and all who need it and show interest. There are multiple educational projects that are active and growing. Work does not stop, despite the fact that it has long been to educate the population,” MartÃnez said.
Bitcoin Beach: Bitcoin Circular Economy becomes global
El Salvador is a pioneer, but his success is very inspired by the Bitcoin Beach project. Cofundado by MartÃnez, Mike Peterson and other community leaders of El Zonte, this Bitcoin -based educational and circular economy project began in 2019, two years before Bitcoin’s law was born. Now, more than five years later, it has become a global movement.
The project announced a subsidies program with more than 35 applications. The objective of this program is the creation of new circular economies, which will be evaluated and selected in the coming months. They also have a scholarship program to gather leaders around the world who are currently promoting 70 projects inspired by the Bitcoin Beach model. All of them follow the White Paper of Bitcoin Beach, a document that explains how to create and maintain a circular economy of Bitcoin, written by the team.
“We want them to witness the impact of Bitcoin tourism, which already exists in places such as Bitcoin Beach, Berlin, San Salvador and other areas of the country. In addition, experiencing life in the first country to make Bitcoin Leg later inspire them to understand that a small idea, such as Bitcoin Beach, can grow to transform a nation and motivated leaders around the world to create their own circular economies.”
Despite the changes in the law, El Salvador is still accumulating Bitcoin. According to the Bitcoin office, the government institution that supervises all matters related to Bitcoin The 1 BTC strategy per day reported By Cointegraph it continues to work.
Even President Bukele publishes from time to time that the country is still on this path. For example, he published it to commemorate Bitcoin’s day, marking the anniversary of the law, the country bought 21 bitcoins. At the time of publication, the total amount in the public direction of Bitcoin’s treasure is 6,313.18 BTC.
Projects such as Bitcoin Beach demonstrate how a circular economy of Bitcoin empowers local communities and underline how these communities could have a great impact on their own countries. With Bitcoin’s law, four years, seeing the growth and global impact of the Bitcoin Beach project is a powerful reminder could be Bitcoin as a financial inclusion tool.