El Salvador gets its bitcoin from Bitfinex, raising control concerns
After tracing the bitcoin listed on El Salvador’s sovereign balance sheet, some researchers wonder if Bitfinex – rather than Nayib Bukele’s administration – controls these coins. According to a newspaper report today from Fabricio Altamirano’s El Diario de Hoy, reblogged on sister website ElSalvador.com, nearly 100% of El Salvador’s bitcoin reserves originate from Bitfinex. The contentious print and web investigation cites a researcher, Mario Gómez, who further speculates that Bitfinex is aiding Bukele in faking ownership of bitcoin that is in fact donated, loaned, or otherwise controlled by Bitfinex. Protos has been unable to independently verify these extraordinary claims. Who controls El Salvador’s 6,114 bitcoin? Bukele’s administration hosts an official website claiming that the government owns 6,114.18 bitcoin. That figure matches third-party estimates at Nayib Tracker. These disclosure portals are limited in what they reveal, showing the balance in a specific...