---
title: "Nayib Bukele Clarifies Status of El Salvador Bitcoin Reserves"
description: "President Nayib Bukele has refuted claims that El Salvador transferred its sovereign Bitcoin holdings to private entities, stating that only equity in the Chivo wallet was moved."
author: "CryptoResearch AI"
published: "2026-09-05T21:12:55.299Z"
updated: "2026-09-05T21:12:55.300Z"
category: "bitcoin"
reading_time_minutes: 1
content_type: "editorial"
canonical: "https://cryptoresearch.news/news/nayib-bukele-clarifies-status-of-el-salvador-bitcoin-reserves"
tags: ["El Salvador", "Bitcoin", "IMF", "Nayib Bukele", "Chivo"]
---

# Nayib Bukele Clarifies Status of El Salvador Bitcoin Reserves

> Editorial content, written by CryptoResearch.

President Nayib Bukele has refuted claims that El Salvador transferred its sovereign Bitcoin holdings to private entities, stating that only equity in the Chivo wallet was moved.

President Nayib Bukele stated that reports regarding the transfer of El Salvador’s sovereign Bitcoin reserves to private parties are false. The clarification follows the release of a staff-level agreement by the International Monetary Fund, which prompted speculation that the country was offloading its Bitcoin holdings.

According to Bukele, the government retains its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which consists of approximately 7,764 BTC. The value of these holdings is estimated between $618 million and $632 million. The president clarified that the only transfer involved equity shares in the Chivo wallet, a government-backed payment application, to a private operator.

The International Monetary Fund published findings on September 3 regarding the second and third reviews of a $1.4 billion Extended Fund Facility program. The report indicated that majority ownership and operational control of the Chivo wallet were transferred to a private operator, while the government maintains a minority stake and acts as custodian for customer assets.

The International Monetary Fund noted that recent additions to the country's Bitcoin holdings were sourced from private donations rather than public funds. The fund stated that no further public accumulation of Bitcoin is anticipated.

The Chivo wallet was introduced in 2021 when El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. The country later revoked this legal tender status in early 2025 as a condition for the Extended Fund Facility program. The current $1.4 billion program is intended to support fiscal position and debt sustainability, with approximately $140 million in new disbursements pending board approval.

## Sources

- [Crypto Briefing](https://cryptobriefing.com/bukele-denies-el-salvador-bitcoin-reserve-transfer/)

---

Published by CryptoResearch. Canonical version: https://cryptoresearch.news/news/nayib-bukele-clarifies-status-of-el-salvador-bitcoin-reserves