Bitcoin2026-10-02 19:15:58Cornell index finds higher Bitcoin ownership where banking access is weak and currencies are unstableCornell University’s new Bitcoin Adoption Index says the highest shares of people who have ever owned bitcoin were found in El Salvador, Venezuela, and Nigeria, based on a survey of 25,880 respondents across 25 countries. The report argues that the leaders are not wealthy financial hubs, but places where national currencies have been unstable and access to dollars or dependable banking is difficult. In those settings, bitcoin is described less as a speculative asset and more as a practical workaround. Cornell also found that understanding of Bitcoin’s core mechanics remains limited: 58% of respondents did not know the supply is capped at 21 million coins. The study was fielded by Morning Consult between Dec. 16, 2024 and March 10, 2025, in partnership with several Cornell-affiliated and nonprofit groups.60
WuBlockchain2026-10-03 00:28:15WuBlockchain weekly: Ethereum roadmap, HSBC stablecoin plan and El Salvador’s Sivar appWuBlockchain’s weekly roundup highlighted 10 developments across crypto policy, infrastructure and market structure. The list was led by Vitalik Buterin’s latest vision for Ethereum, where he said the network is evolving from a traditional blockchain into a “cryptographic world computer,” with technologies such as few-slot finality, PeerDAS, SNARK-based verification, privacy mempools and lighter distributed state storage expected by 2030. He also said the planned Hegotá upgrade next year may be Ethereum’s last “regular upgrade” in a form still familiar to 2015-era developers. The roundup also covered comments from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins on on-chain capital formation and tokenized securities, plus a separate SEC proposal to build a dedicated crypto custody framework for advisers and funds. Outside the U.S., ESMA proposed changes under the EU’s MiCA review, including a new regulated category for firms that provide access points to DeFi protocols. Other items included El Salvador’s Sivar national super app built with Base for stablecoin transfers and remittances, HSBC’s phased rollout plan for its Hong Kong stablecoin HSBC RedCoin, Morgan Stanley’s Digital Asset Lab, crypto lobbying spending in the first half of 2026, Michael Saylor’s attempt to reposition Strategy as a digital credit issuer, and a16z crypto’s view that perpetuals are pushing traditional assets into 24/7 on-chain markets.70
El Salvador2026-10-02 17:47:53Arkham says El Salvador government holds $618 million in Bitcoin on-chainTechub News, citing a post from Arkham, said the government of El Salvador has kept buying Bitcoin at a pace of 1 BTC per day since 2021. According to Arkham, that accumulation has continued even after the International Monetary Fund provided a $1.4 billion loan and required the country to limit Bitcoin-related activity. Arkham also said the government wallet has now been labeled on its platform. Based on the data referenced in the post, the Bitcoin held by the wallet is currently valued at $618 million. The update points to a steady buying pattern tied to the government’s publicly tracked on-chain holdings, with Arkham presenting the wallet label and valuation as part of its disclosure.70
IMF2026-10-01 23:35:36IMF approves $139 million disbursement to El Salvador after waiver tied to Bitcoin accumulation limitsThe International Monetary Fund has approved a $139 million disbursement to El Salvador after granting a waiver related to the country’s breach of conditions limiting further Bitcoin accumulation, according to Reuters. The IMF Executive Board completed the second and third reviews of El Salvador’s $1.4 billion Extended Fund Facility arrangement, clearing the way for the immediate release of the funds. The Fund said El Salvador’s economy has performed better than expected, citing improved security conditions and stronger investor confidence. At the same time, the IMF said some program performance criteria were missed, including a metric related to Bitcoin holdings. The waiver was approved after El Salvador took what the IMF described as strong corrective actions and renewed its commitments. In September, IMF staff said documents provided by El Salvador showed that Bitcoin added after the first review came from private donations rather than public funds. The IMF also said the country had made progress on anti-money laundering measures, fiscal transparency, and the transfer of majority ownership and control of the state-run digital wallet Chivo to a private operator.70
El Salvador2026-09-29 23:18:43El Salvador Rolls Out Sivar, a $2 Remittance App Using Stablecoin Settlement on BaseEl Salvador’s government and startup Modveon have launched Sivar, a national remittance app that lets U.S. residents send money to verified recipients in El Salvador for a flat $2 fee, regardless of transfer size. The service runs on stablecoin rails over Base, the blockchain developed by Coinbase, while Coinbase also provides the payment infrastructure from onramp to payout. Users in the app receive non-custodial wallets, and recipients can cash out at more than 1,000 locations across the country. The launch was announced Tuesday. Modveon signed a five-year agreement with AAB, the Salvadoran public institution formally known as Agencia Administradora de Fondos Bitcoin, or Bitcoin Fund Management Agency. The contract took effect this month and gives Modveon responsibility for building and operating the app. AAB is also listed as one of Modveon’s investors. The Palo Alto-based company has raised $10 million, in a round first announced in February, with Coinbase Ventures and Firebolt Ventures among the backers. Sivar also includes identity-based social and civic features for Salvadoran users, who can verify with the national DUI card, post content, join district-level communities, and vote in polls. Modveon said more than 25,000 Salvadorans used the app during its phased rollout before the national launch.230
Coinbase2026-09-29 12:01:20Modveon’s Sivar plugs into Coinbase infrastructure and Base with $2 flat-fee transfers to El SalvadorCoinbase said in a post on X that Salvadorans sent $9 billion back home last year, and percentage-based remittance fees took millions of dollars out of those flows. The company said Sivar, a product under Modveon, has now integrated Coinbase infrastructure and Base. Under the setup, users in the United States can send any amount to El Salvador for a flat $2 fee. Coinbase added that the service already includes the cash-out route into fiat channels. The update centers on transfer pricing and payment rails rather than a broader product rollout, with Coinbase framing the move around lowering the cost of remittances to El Salvador.250
El Salvador2026-09-29 10:47:15El Salvador to launch Sivar app for dollar-pegged stablecoins on BaseEl Salvador is working on a government-backed app called Sivar, according to Odaily. The project is being developed with Modveon and comes five years after Bitcoin became legal tender in the country. The app is designed to let residents send, receive, and hold dollar-pegged stablecoins over Base, the blockchain network developed by Coinbase. It will also support remittances, a key payment use case in the country. Odaily said user verification on Sivar will be handled through government ID checks. The report did not disclose a launch date or additional product details.240
El Salvador2026-09-27 06:00:23El Salvador added 8 BTC in the past 7 days, with holdings valued at $658 millionOdaily reported that El Salvador increased its Bitcoin holdings by 8 BTC over the past seven days and by 31 BTC over the past 30 days. The country now holds 7,787.37 BTC in total. Based on the reported valuation, those holdings are worth $658 million. The update points to continued accumulation over both the weekly and monthly periods cited in the report, with the latest figures covering changes in position size as well as the current estimated value of the national Bitcoin reserve.250
