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- El Salvador’s Bitcoin legal tender law progresses, with digital wallet usage growing by 20% in two years.
- Pakistan partners with El Salvador on crypto, allocating 2,000 MW for BTC mining despite IMF pressure.
Comedian and cultural commentator Russell Brand will appear at the Bitcoin conference organized by the government of El Salvador on November 12 and 13, 2025. The announcement, made publicly by The Bitcoin Historian, prompted a rapid spread of the news across the social media platform X.
The Central American nation set a historic precedent in 2021 by becoming the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. This decision, driven by President Nayib Bukele, involved a state investment of 150 million dollars. The funds were used for the national implementation of the state-owned Chivo wallet, which granted 30 dollars in Bitcoin to every citizen who used it.
Opinion polls from that time indicated that 68% of the Salvadoran population initially disagreed with the measure. Despite this early opposition, the use of digital wallets saw a 20% increase over two years. These figures reflect the progressive acceptance of the technology in the daily lives of a segment of the citizenry.
The profile of Russell Brand, who has transitioned from mainstream entertainment to analyzing topics of decentralization and autonomy, fits naturally within this narrative. His podcasts and YouTube channel, with an audience of over 11 million subscribers, frequently address issues related to digital freedom and established power structures. His alignment with the philosophy of Bitcoin lends the event a level of cultural recognition that transcends the purely financial sphere.
The Bitcoin 2025 conference in El Salvador aims to serve as a stage to demonstrate that this technology is more than a speculative asset. The event will bring together international economists, founders of crypto projects, and now, a pop culture figure like Russell Brand. Previous editions gathered over 1,500 attendees, and Brand’s inclusion is anticipated to increase that number.
Central topics of debate will include financial decentralization, global economic equity, and the development of sovereign digital economies. Locations like El Zonte beach, known as Bitcoin Beach, have become physical symbols of this movement, attracting thousands of annual visitors interested in experiencing an ecosystem where Bitcoin functions as a common medium of exchange.
An International Alliance Grounded in Crypto
In a parallel development, El Salvador and Pakistan have established their first formal bilateral relationship, with a central focus on cooperation in cryptocurrencies. Bilal Bin Saqib, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Crypto and Blockchain, met with President Nayib Bukele in San Salvador. The meeting’s objective was to outline a partnership focused on sharing technological and financial knowledge.
This outreach marks a shift in direction for Pakistan, a country that has only recently begun its integration with crypto assets. In May, the Pakistani government authorized the use of surplus energy from coal-fired power plants for Bitcoin mining activities. Last month, authorities also held talks with Michael Saylor of Strategy to analyze the potential role of cryptocurrencies in the country’s sovereign reserves.
Pakistan is advancing these initiatives under the oversight of the International Monetary Fund, an entity that recently rejected a proposal to subsidize energy for Bitcoin mining. Despite this pressure, the country is moving forward with its strategy.
Authorities have allocated 2,000 megawatts of power capacity for mining and created the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority in May, a new regulatory body for the digital economy. According to statements from Bilal Bin Saqib, an estimated 15 to 20 million Pakistanis currently hold some form of crypto asset.
El Salvador, for its part, maintains its stance against the IMF and continues its policy of acquiring Bitcoin. The nation’s publicly declared holdings exceed 6,200 BTC, with an approximate market value of 745 million dollars. Saqib publicly praised Bukele’s leadership, describing it as a vision of the future that remained firm in its support for Bitcoin when this position was not popular.
It is worth noting that Pakistan secured a 7 billion dollar loan from the IMF last year, which is subject to the implementation of strict fiscal reforms until 2027.
Despite the cultural momentum and new international alliances, El Salvador faces challenges in its Bitcoin adoption. Data from 2023 showed that only 1.7% of remittances were processed using the cryptocurrency, a figure indicating its use in everyday transactions is not yet mainstream.
