Paraguay Plans to Mine Bitcoin With Seized Rigs as Colombia Moves Toward Crypto Rules

Paraguay Plans to Mine Bitcoin With Seized Rigs as Colombia Moves Toward Crypto Rules

N
News Editor 01
2026-07-08 22:18:14
Latin America saw notable crypto developments this week as Paraguay explored bitcoin mining with seized ASICs, Colombia finalized a draft law for digital assets, and Argentina’s Uala raised $195 million to expand across the region.
ParaguayColombiaBitcoin MiningCrypto RegulationUala

Latin America’s digital asset landscape is evolving on several fronts at once, from mining infrastructure and public policy to fintech fundraising. In the latest regional developments highlighted by CryptoComLearn, Paraguay is exploring the use of seized ASIC mining equipment for bitcoin mining, Colombia’s central bank has finalized a draft law for the digital asset sector, and Argentine neobank Uala has secured a major new funding round to support its expansion across the region.

Taken together, these developments show how the Latin American market is maturing in different but connected ways. Governments and public institutions are paying closer attention to the role of digital assets, while private companies continue to attract capital and expand user bases in large regional markets.

Paraguay explores bitcoin mining with seized ASIC hardware

Paraguay is moving to turn confiscated mining equipment into productive infrastructure. According to the report, the country’s state-owned power utility, ANDE, is partnering with Morphware, a company active in artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining, to establish a bitcoin mining operation using ASIC miners seized during inspections related to illegal electricity theft.

The move is notable because it links enforcement, public infrastructure, and bitcoin mining in a single initiative. Rather than leaving confiscated equipment idle, Paraguay is studying whether these machines can be repurposed for lawful mining operations under a more structured framework. That approach could allow the country to extract economic value from assets previously associated with unauthorized activity.

Morphware already operates in Paraguay and benefits from the country’s access to hydroelectric power, particularly energy linked to the Itaipu dam. The company said that the memorandum of understanding signed with ANDE would allow the parties to explore bitcoin mining as a national-level opportunity within Paraguay’s broader energy and digital infrastructure strategy.

This framing is important. Paraguay has long been viewed as a country with strong potential for energy-intensive digital industries because of its large hydroelectric resources. By explicitly connecting bitcoin mining to a wider infrastructure discussion, the initiative signals that mining is being considered not only as a private-sector activity but also as something that could fit into a broader national development conversation.

The report also places Paraguay alongside countries such as El Salvador and Bhutan, which have drawn international attention for integrating bitcoin mining or bitcoin-related initiatives into wider state-level strategies. While Paraguay’s plan is still framed as an exploratory effort, it underlines how some governments are beginning to view mining through the lens of energy use, industrial policy, and digital infrastructure rather than as a purely speculative activity.

Colombia’s central bank finalizes draft law for digital assets

On the regulatory side, Colombia appears to be taking a more formal step toward legal clarity for the crypto sector. The report says the Central Bank of Colombia has finalized a draft law to regulate activities in the cryptocurrency industry, with the aim of bringing more definition to a sector that currently operates in what the article describes as a gray zone.

The proposed framework is significant because uncertainty has long been one of the biggest constraints on crypto adoption and institutional participation in many Latin American markets. In Colombia’s case, the draft law appears designed not only to establish boundaries for the sector but also to acknowledge that digital assets may contribute innovation to the broader economy.

According to Andres Murcia, the bank’s Deputy Manager of Monetary and International Investments, the institution initially approached the matter from a defensive standpoint. Over time, however, that view evolved. Murcia said the central bank’s position became more progressive as it recognized that digital assets are innovative and may offer benefits to Colombia.

That shift in tone may be just as important as the draft itself. It suggests that policymakers are no longer looking at crypto solely through the prism of risk containment. Instead, they are increasingly attempting to balance oversight with openness to financial and technological innovation. For market participants, that kind of transition can be meaningful because it indicates a move away from pure caution toward a more structured and potentially enabling regulatory environment.

Even so, the report does not provide details on the final content of the draft law, timelines for approval, or the specific compliance obligations that could follow. What is clear from the information available is that Colombia is taking concrete steps to define the legal treatment of digital asset activities more clearly than before.

Uala raises $195 million to expand across Latin America

Alongside policy developments, capital formation remains a major story in the region’s fintech sector. Argentine neobank Uala has completed a funding round worth $195 million, reinforcing its position as one of the most prominent fintech firms in both Argentina and Latin America.

The company serves more than 11 million users across Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. The latest round was led by Allianz X, the investment arm of Allianz Group, and also included participation from Stone Ridge Holdings Group, Tencent, TABLE Holdings, L.P., Soros Fund Management LLC, and D1 Capital Partners, among others.

Following the round, Uala reached a valuation of $3.2 billion. That valuation and the breadth of investors involved point to continued confidence in scalable digital financial platforms in Latin America, particularly those capable of serving large underbanked or digitally native populations across multiple countries.

Although Uala is not presented here as a crypto-native company, its financing matters in the broader digital asset and financial innovation context. Across Latin America, the boundaries between fintech infrastructure, digital payments, app-based banking, and crypto-related financial services are often closely watched by investors and regulators alike. Strong fundraising for a major regional neobank therefore serves as another indicator that the wider digital finance ecosystem remains attractive.

A region advancing on three tracks: regulation, energy, and capital

The three stories together highlight a broader pattern in Latin America. Paraguay’s initiative centers on energy and mining infrastructure. Colombia’s progress reflects movement on regulatory clarity. Uala’s fundraising underscores continued access to growth capital for digital financial platforms. These are different developments, but they all point in the same direction: the region’s crypto and digital finance ecosystem is becoming more structured, more visible, and more strategically important.

For observers of the market, this combination matters. Mining operations need predictable power and institutional support. Crypto businesses and investors need legal frameworks that define what is allowed and how oversight will work. Fintech firms need capital to expand products and distribution. When all three themes appear in the same regional snapshot, it suggests that Latin America is not moving forward through one isolated trend, but through multiple reinforcing channels at once.

Based on the information provided, Paraguay is testing how public-sector assets and abundant hydroelectric energy can support bitcoin mining. Colombia is trying to replace ambiguity with a more formal legal structure for digital assets. And Uala is using fresh capital to strengthen its footprint in some of the region’s most important markets. Together, these developments offer a concise picture of a region where digital finance is no longer peripheral, but increasingly central to conversations about infrastructure, innovation, and economic opportunity.

This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan.
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