El Salvador Bitcoin Buys Used Private Funds: IMF Confirms | Crypto Daily Recap

The International Monetary Fund confirmed that El Salvador did not use public resources to accumulate Bitcoin following its first program review in June 2025. According to a Thursday statement, documentation supplied by Salvadoran authorities showed that post-review BTC acquisitions came entirely from private donations. The IMF also noted that majority ownership and operational control of the Chivo wallet have shifted to a private operator, with the government retaining only a minority stake and custodial duties. No further accumulation beyond documented donations is expected. The clarification follows El Salvador's November 2025 announcement that it had acquired 1,090 BTC worth approximately $100 million, which had raised compliance questions under its $1.4 billion IMF program.

Kraken parent company Payward is accelerating its push into traditional finance through a new partnership with SoFi. The agreement integrates SoFiUSD into Kraken and connects Payward to the SoFi Exchange Network, granting Kraken's institutional and business clients 24/7 US dollar settlement capabilities. SoFi will also leverage Kraken Prime as a digital asset liquidity source, with qualified custody services potentially added later. The deal comes on the heels of a reported partnership with London Stock Exchange Group to offer tokenized UK stocks through LSE 24, a 24/5 trading venue slated for a 2027 launch, and Kraken's earlier acquisition of tokenized equities platform xStocks from Backed Finance.

Standard Chartered has launched spot Bitcoin and Ether trading for institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates, further embedding crypto services into Gulf-based banking infrastructure. The move positions the lender as a key on-ramp for institutional capital seeking regulated digital asset exposure in the region.

Meanwhile, broader crypto markets turned negative on Thursday, with Bitcoin sliding 4.01% to $81,169.78 and Ether falling 4.70% to $2,521.90. Altcoins including Monero (down 7.06% to $546.47), HYPE (down 5.52% to $86.85), and Solana (down 3.07% to $103.99) posted steeper losses as sentiment soured across the sector.