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Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/06/world-bank-slams-bitcoin-declines-to-help-el-salvadors-cryptocurrency-plan/ [arstechnica.com]

Last week, El Salvador’s government passed a law [arstechnica.com] to accept bitcoin as legal tender alongside the US dollar. The country receives $6 billion in remittances per year—nearly a quarter of its gross domestic product—and the hope is that bitcoin’s lower transaction costs could boost that amount by a few percentage points.

The move was first proposed by the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, who said he hoped that in addition to facilitating lower remittance fees, the bitcoin plan would attract investment and provide an avenue for savings for residents, about 70 percent of whom are unbanked. (What Bukele didn’t say, but what Bloomberg has reported [bloomberg.com], is that he and members of his political party have owned bitcoin for years.)

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