Bitcoin Payments Spread Among Bolivian Businesses During Currency Crisis
Reuters documented Bolivian businesses accepting Bitcoin and stablecoins as the country struggled with dollar shortages, inflation and a widening gap between official and street exchange rates. June 26 is used as a representative date for an emerging merchant-adoption pattern rather than a single launch.
By June 26, 2025, Bitcoin and other digital assets were appearing in everyday commerce in Bolivia as the country endured a severe currency and dollar-liquidity crisis. Reuters documented small businesses offering discounts for payments in Bitcoin or dollar-linked stablecoins, while cryptocurrency ATMs and peer-to-peer trading services became more visible. For some merchants and savers, digital assets provided an alternative route to dollar exposure or cross-border value when physical U.S. currency was difficult to obtain.
The adoption took place against a stark macroeconomic backdrop. Bolivia’s foreign-currency reserves had fallen sharply, inflation was at levels not seen in decades, fuel shortages were persistent and the boliviano traded on the street at a substantial discount to the official exchange rate. The country had only recently reversed a long-standing prohibition on the use of cryptocurrency payment channels. On June 27, the Central Bank of Bolivia reported that virtual-asset transaction volume had risen from $46.5 million in the first half of 2024 to $294 million in the comparable period of 2025, with $430 million transacted during the first year after the regulatory change.
Those central-bank figures covered virtual assets generally and should not be read as Bitcoin volume. What made the June episode specifically relevant to Bitcoin was the documented merchant use of BTC alongside stablecoins during monetary stress. The scene in Bolivia illustrated a recurring part of Bitcoin’s global history: adoption often emerged not from a national launch or major bank product, but from households and businesses looking for practical alternatives when confidence in local money and access to dollars deteriorated.