Central bankers roar bitcoin at Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador

Fry Electronics TeamMay 20, 2022
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Central bankers roar bitcoin at Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador

The Orange Pilling adventure in El Salvador continues. In an incredible video, 44 ​​central bankers and financial delegates from emerging markets around the world shout “Bitcoin!” while posing for a photo in El Zonte, El Salvador:

It appears that on day three of El Salvador’s financial inclusion conference, central bankers are warming to Satoshi Nakamoto’s innovation and enjoying a trip to Bitcoin (BTC) Beach.

El Zonte or “Bitcoin Beach” is the home of Bitcoin in El Salvador, an iconic destination for Bitcoin enthusiasts. It was the birth of the movement that led to El Salvador making Bitcoin legal tender in 2021. Nicolas Burtey, co-founder of Galoy Money — the company that created the Bitcoin Beach wallet — told Cointelegraph that bankers visited El Zonte to learn from the Bitcoin Beach team on Thursday, March 19.

Burtey told Cointelegraph that sentiment toward bitcoin is “super good” and that “nothing beats the experience of using lightning bolts to uncover bitcoin’s potential.” Alluding to the global adoption of Bitcoin, Burtey shared:

“Several central bankers said I should meet their team in their country.”

Central bankers from countries like Paraguay, Ghana and Egypt came to the city to issue satoshis and interact with locals, including some local celebrities. In fact, the bankers met with Mama Rosa, one of the First Sellers accepting bitcoin in El Zonte as early as 2019 to buy pupusas, a Salvadoran flatbread snack:

A bitcoiner divided that they “helped a central banker use bitcoin to buy a coconut from an unbanked local in Bitcoin Beach, El Zonte.” The President, Nayib Bukele, also shared a series of photos of the bankers with their smartphones showing El Chivo wallets (El Salvador’s BTC payment infrastructure) and flash bills.

Bitcoin Lightning Network inaction. Source: Twitter

It is important to note that for the bankers, the conference would cover financial inclusion and improving finance for small and medium-sized businesses. Mention of Bitcoin appeared in the official of the event publication and pre-conference tweets. However, the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, an event partner, did not disclose bitcoin in their event agenda.

See also: The Lightning Network Lunch: A Contactless Bitcoin Payment History

For the Central Bank of Paraguay, whose delegate was in attendance, talks about Bitcoin in the first country in the world to make BTC legal tender came as a surprise. The Paraguayan Central Bank released an official statement on May 16, stating:

“The focus of the meeting is not related to cryptocurrencies or anything like that. The Central Bank of Paraguay does not intend to discuss cryptocurrencies in this setting or meetings.”

Yet in the candid shots shared on social media; From the El Chivo branding to the Bitcoin Beach t-shirts to the Lightning wallet demonstrations and even shouts of “Bitcoin!”, Bitcoin was clearly the center of attention.