The people of Panama may soon be able to buy their morning brew with Bitcoin: the country’s legislature just approved a bill regulating the use of cryptocurrencies in the country.
Now, the bill just needs to be signed by the country’s president before it comes into force. The “Crypto Law” states that it “regulates the trading and use of crypto-assets, the issuance of digital value, tokenization of precious metals and other assets, payment systems and other provisions.”
According to Congressman Gabriel Silva, it will help the Central American country—and tax haven—“become a hub of innovation and technology in Latin America.”
Aprobada la Ley de Crypto de Panamá! Esto ayudará a que Panamá se vaya consolidando como hub de innovación y tecnología de America Latina!
Crypto Law approved in third debate! This will help Panama become a hub of innovation and technology in Latin America!
The idea, according to the bill and Silva, is that Panamanians will be able to buy everyday goods with cryptocurrency, if they want to.
“Today I can go and pay for something to a merchant, and if the merchant wants to accept crypto, it's allowed, it's legal. Until today, that didn't exist in Panama, we are making it happen,” said Silva in an interview with local media. He added that over 50% of Panamanians were unbanked and the Crypto Law would help them.
#EsNoticia 🔴Asamblea Nacional aprobó en Tercer Debate el Proyecto de Ley que regula las Criptomonedas. "Este proyecto de ley busca que Panamá se convierta en un HUB de innovación de tecnología en América Latina", dijo el diputado @gabrielsilva8_7. Vía @felixchaveztvpic.twitter.com/EcwZwVbmg2
The law stipulates that cryptocurrencies will now be a valid form of payment "for any legal civil or commercial operation," including the payment of taxes, fees, and duties to the government. A full list of acceptable cryptocurrencies will be forthcoming, but for now the law highlights Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, and Stellar, among a handful of other coins.
But the law will be different to El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law: in El Salvador, which made Bitcoin legal tender last September, a business must accept Bitcoin if it has the technological means to do so, the law states. In Panama, it will be up to the business.
Bitcoin is struggling in El Salvador, the first country to make the asset legal tender, according to a new report.
A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that, despite El Salvador's Bitcoin Law, not many people in the country are using the cryptocurrency.
El Salvador, a dollarized country, last September made Bitcoin legal tender. The idea came from the country's president, Nayib Bukele, an eccentric leader who has been accused of authoritarianism by his cou...
The law also formally recognizes DAOsDAOs—decentralized autonomous organizations—as legal entities and sets the framework for the country to issue tokenized securities and commodities, like gold and silver, via security token offerings (STOsSTOs). DAOs are an increasingly popular way for businesses to operate in the crypto world, where control is spread out rather than hierarchical.
The law also wants to give the government more power to use blockchain technology, with the “digitization of the identity of individuals and legal entities” to create more transparency.
Jose Lanz contributed additional reporting.
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Formula 1 has renewed its partnership with exchange platform Crypto.com, extending the agreement through 2030 as both entities seek to capitalize on their shared momentum.
The renewed partnership will see Crypto.com continue to feature prominently at key Formula 1 events, including the Miami Grand Prix, where it has been the title sponsor since the race’s inception in 2022.
The deal, first inked in 2021, marked Formula 1’s foray into the crypto world at a time when digital assets were experienc...
Mo Shaikh, a co-creator of the Aptos blockchain and co-founder and CEO of the Aptos Labs firm that helps support it, announced Thursday that he's leaving the company to focus on a "new chapter."
"Today, I am stepping away from Aptos Labs to start a new chapter," Shaikh wrote on X. "One of my true passions lies in building companies from the ground up, and we have done that at Aptos Labs by building a world-class team."
"I leave Aptos Labs with the utmost confidence in the team," he continued, "a...
Building on the momentum of anticipated changes to U.S. crypto policy, Binance.US said it aims to restore its USD services in early 2025, according to a statement shared with Decrypt.
It marks the exchange's first major operational shift as regulatory pressure forced the exchange to suspend fiat trading last year.
The platform has operated under restricted banking access since June 2023, when SEC civil claims triggered a suspension of dollar deposits and withdrawals.
"While I can't provide a de...