El Salvador plans first 'Bitcoin City'


FE Team | Published: November 21, 2021 15:35:58 | Updated: November 23, 2021 18:09:12


Presidential candidate Nayib Bukele of the Great National Alliance (GANA) speaks during a news conference after the presidential election in San Salvador, El Salvador, Feb 3, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

El Salvador plans to build the world's first 'Bitcoin City' which will be funded initially by bitcoin bonds, President Nayib Bukele said on Saturday, doubling down on the Central American country's bet on the cryptocurrency, reports Reuters.

Speaking at an event to mark the close of a week to promote bitcoin in El Salvador, Bukele said the city planned in the east of the country would get its energy supply from a volcano and would not levy any taxes except for value added tax (VAT).

"We'll start funding in 2022, the bonds will be available in 2022," Bukele told a cheering crowd at the event.

Speaking alongside Bukele, Samson Mow, chief strategy officer of blockchain technology provider Blockstream, said El Salvador would initially issue a $1 billion bond backed by bitcoin to begin raising funds for the planned city.

El Salvador in September became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.

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