El Salvador's National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) will provide Bitcoin training and certification to 80,000 government employees.
El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) will provide Bitcoin training and certification to 80,000 government employees as part of a broader strategy to integrate Bitcoin into public policies and management.
The program, delivered through a 160-hour virtual course called “Certification in Public Administration 1,” will cover seven modules on various aspects of Bitcoin as legal tender, including relevant laws and management skills.
The program is designed to enhance the capacity of civil servants in administering Bitcoin-related policies and initiatives effectively. It will also contribute to the overall success of El Salvador’s Bitcoin-centric economic strategy, which has sparked interest from other countries with volatile economies.
As part of this strategy, Argentina has begun collaborating with El Salvador to learn from its cryptocurrency policies. This partnership was highlighted during a meeting between the leaders of both countries’ financial regulatory bodies, where they discussed potential collaboration agreements to enhance their crypto strategies.
Argentina, under the leadership of Bitcoin-supportive President Javier Milei, has also been experimenting with cryptocurrency regulation. In April, the country passed new registration requirements for crypto firms, making it the first Latin American nation to introduce a legal framework for the crypto industry.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advanced discussions on a new fund-supported initiative with El Salvador. This program aims to strengthen the nation’s public finances, bolster bank reserve safeguards, and enhance governance and transparency.
The initiative will also address the challenges posed by El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin, seeking to balance innovation with financial stability. A preliminary agreement has been reached to increase El Salvador’s primary fiscal balance by about 3.5% of GDP over the next three years.
Despite the IMF’s earlier concerns over El Salvador’s Bitcoin law, the recent discussions indicate a potentially more accommodating approach from the fund towards El Salvador’s cryptocurrency policy.
El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021 marked a historic moment in the cryptocurrency’s journey. It became the first country to embrace a digital currency at a national level, aiming to harness the financial inclusion, low remittance costs, and foreign investment potential offered by Bitcoin’s decentralized nature.
Given that nearly 70% of El Salvador’s population lacks access to traditional financial services and remittances — often from citizens working abroad — constitute a large portion of the country’s GDP, this move is seen as a significant step towards financial inclusion.
However, the transition has faced mixed reactions and substantial challenges. International financial bodies like the IMF have expressed concerns over the potential risks to financial stability and the volatility associated with Bitcoin.
Economists and policymakers have also discussed the implications for inflation, regulatory compliance, and the impact on the country’s banking system. But the Salvadoran government has continued to promote the integration of Bitcoin into everyday transactions and has even ventured into Bitcoin mining using geothermal energy from the country’s volcanoes.
As this experiment continues to unfold, the world is watching, considering the potential and pitfalls of cryptocurrencies in national economies.
The above is the detailed content of El Salvador Provides Bitcoin Training and Certification to 80,000 Government Employees. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!