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El Salvador’s Bukele Approval Hits Record 91.9% Despite Tepid Bitcoin Adoption

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El Salvador’s Bukele Approval Hits Record 91.9% Despite Tepid Bitcoin Adoption

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele continues to command overwhelming public support, even as the country’s landmark Bitcoin policy shows limited traction among citizens.

Key Takeaways:

  • Bukele holds a 91.9% approval rating, driven mainly by improved security and falling crime.
  • Bitcoin adoption among citizens remains limited despite its legal tender status.
  • El Salvador continues accumulating Bitcoin even while negotiating with the IMF.

A new survey published by Salvadoran newspaper La Prensa Gráfica found that 91.9% of respondents approve of Bukele’s performance in office.

Of the 1,200 people polled, 62.8% said they strongly approve of the president, while only 1.8% expressed strong disapproval. Bukele reacted sarcastically to the figures on X, writing, “So now they’re 1.8%?”

Crime Reduction Fuels Bukele Support Despite Bitcoin Experiment

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The results suggest that the administration’s popularity is being driven largely by domestic policy rather than cryptocurrency.

According to the poll, improved security conditions ranked as the main reason for public support.

Since taking office in 2019, Bukele has launched an aggressive crackdown on gangs and opened the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a large-scale prison designed to hold suspected gang members.

Homicide rates have fallen sharply compared with previous years, a change widely cited by residents as the government’s biggest achievement.

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By contrast, the president’s Bitcoin initiative appears to carry little weight in public opinion. Only 2.2% of respondents described Bitcoin as the biggest failure of Bukele’s six-year presidency, and the cryptocurrency was otherwise barely mentioned in the survey.

The muted reaction reflects a broader pattern: while the country made history in 2021 by adopting Bitcoin as legal tender and requiring businesses to accept it where possible, everyday usage has remained limited.

Bukele himself acknowledged the gap in a 2024 interview with TIME, saying the project did not achieve the widespread adoption authorities initially expected.

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The policy also drew criticism from international lenders, particularly the International Monetary Fund, which repeatedly warned about fiscal and financial stability risks.

Despite those concerns, El Salvador has not stepped away from accumulating Bitcoin.

Government officials say the country has continued buying one Bitcoin per day since 2022, a strategy Bukele has publicly pledged to maintain. Online trackers linked to the government’s Bitcoin office indicate the national reserves are still growing.

San Salvador recently reached a financing agreement with the IMF that included scaling back certain crypto-related initiatives, but the administration has signaled that purchases for state reserves will continue.

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IMF Presses El Salvador as Chivo Wallet Sale Looms

In December last year, the IMF said its ongoing talks with El Salvador over Bitcoin policy are focused on improving transparency, protecting public funds and reducing financial risks.

As part of the discussions, authorities are negotiating the potential sale or shutdown of the government-run Chivo wallet, which has faced complaints about fraud, identity theft and technical problems since launch.

Officials had previously signaled the app could be wound down while private crypto wallets continue operating in the country.

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El Salvador secured a $1.4 billion IMF loan in 2024 after tensions linked to its Bitcoin adoption. The IMF’s latest review noted stronger-than-expected economic performance, projecting real GDP growth of about 4% this year with positive prospects for the next.

The post El Salvador’s Bukele Approval Hits Record 91.9% Despite Tepid Bitcoin Adoption appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Crypto World

Jack Dorsey’s Block May Slash Up To 10% of Staff: Report

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Jack Dorsey’s Block May Slash Up To 10% of Staff: Report

Jack Dorsey’s payments company Block Inc. has begun informing hundreds of employees that their roles could be eliminated during annual performance reviews, as the firm undertakes a wider restructuring effort.

As much as 10% of Block’s workforce may be affected, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company employed just under 11,000 people as of late November, an executive reportedly said at the time.

The potential layoffs come as Block reshapes its operations following a reorganization launched in 2024 aimed at improving efficiency and aligning its product lines. The company is working to more closely link its peer-to-peer payments platform Cash App with its merchant services arm Square.

At the same time, Block is expanding newer initiatives, including its Bitcoin (BTC) mining division Proto and an artificial intelligence project known as Goose.

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Block shares ended Friday up nearly 5%. Source: Google Finance

Related: Cash App plans to unlock stablecoin transactions ’soon’

Block expected to post $403 million Q4 profit

Block is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on Feb. 26, according to Bloomberg. Analysts expect adjusted profit of about $403 million, or 68 cents per share, on revenue of roughly $6.25 billion for the fourth quarter, per the report.

The company last reported third-quarter net income of $461.5 million on $6.11 billion in revenue. Gross profit rose 18% year over year, driven by 24% growth in Cash App and 9% growth in Square, though the stock fell after the release as some performance metrics missed Wall Street expectations.

For the third quarter, Bitcoin generated about $1.97 billion in revenue, down from $2.4 billion a year earlier but still the company’s second-largest revenue stream. Block held 8,780 BTC worth over $1 billion by the end of September, recording a $59 million quarterly valuation loss.

Related: Jack Dorsey urges tax-free status for ‘everyday’ Bitcoin payments

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Square launches Bitcoin payments for merchants

In November last year, Square, the payments platform owned by Block, rolled out a Bitcoin payment option, allowing merchants to accept BTC directly at checkout through its point-of-sale terminals. Sellers can process transactions in multiple ways, including Bitcoin-to-Bitcoin and automatic conversion between Bitcoin and fiat currency.