The way Bolivians entered cryptocurrencies is as if a dam had burst or a stampede had been unleashed. It is an example of how Parker Lewis, quoting Hemingway, says that mass adoption of Bitcoin will occur: gradually, and then suddenly.

Adoption in Bolivia is not limited to companies and individuals. Even the state oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos began to use cryptocurrencies for fuel imports, due to the shortage of foreign currency that led to a gasoline crisis. In July 2025, the Financial System Supervisory Authority (ASFI) implemented Resolution ASFI 540/2025, the first regulation of the cryptocurrency market in Bolivia. And while there were opposing positions to the regulation, Bolivians felt legal security in the sector for the first time.

Cryptocurrencies have become such a necessity in the country that it had to be addressed and supported by most of the presidential candidates in the recent elections. It was not a partisan issue. As our reporter Marianella Vanci said, Bitcoin was the winner of the elections in Bolivia.