The President of Colombia is officially a Bitcoin holder. In particular, Gustavo Petro received 100,000 sats from Samson Mow, CEO of JAN3, a blockchain company promoting Bitcoin adoption worldwide. On this occasion, the Colombian president praised Bitcoin and announced the creation of a working group on blockchain.
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Gustavo Petro unveils Bitcoin holder
The number of Bitcoin holders continues to grow. On December 01, 2023, one more holder, and not the least, was added to the list of Bitcoin holders: Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia. The leader of this Latin American country now holds 100,000 satoshis.
Gustavo Petro didn’t buy these sats. He got them from Samson Mow, CEO of JAN3, a company committed to promoting the adoption of Bitcoin worldwide.
But let’s not kid ourselves: 100,000 satoshis only represent 0.001 bitcoin. That’s worth around $38 today. So it’s not the financial value of this donation that’s critical, but the symbolism it represents for the Colombian president.
Bitcoin working groups soon in Colombia
On the sidelines of the reception of 100,000 satoshis, the Colombian president shared his perception of crypto in a video message. Gustavo Petro believes that blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies, holds great promise for the Colombian people. To this end, he will set up working groups in public administration and grassroots communities. These working groups will explore how the technology can benefit the country’s economy.
The president of colombia doesn’t intend to stop there. On his X account, Gustavo Petro mentioned the possibility of managing the entire healthcare billing system in real time using blockchain-based programming. Furthermore, Gustavo Petro envisages the use of blockchain to manage the properties of the Special Assets Society (SAE), and facilitate land titling for land restitution in the country.
Will Colombia follow in El Salvador’s footsteps and adopt Bitcoin?
With its hosts, Gustavo Petro discussed the use of bitcoin in the popular economy through free worker cooperatives.
On the road to Bitcoin adoption, Gustavo Petro is probably inspired by El Salvador’s experience. Thanks to the legalization of Bitcoin in 2021, El Salvador has succeeded in pay off all its debts and increase its tourism. The country has also introduced tax breaks in the tech sector, attracting several companies including Binance. In addition, the country’s Bitcoin reserve is growing as the market turns green.
In fact, El Salvador is not shy about getting involved to further the adoption of Bitcoin. In addition to setting up Bitcoin embassies in selected countries, Nayib Bukele regularly lobbies crypto-friendly politicians. Recently, the media CoinGape reported that the president Bukele had dispatched a team to Argentina as part of a “Bitcoin diplomatic mission” of peace and economic freedom. This mission followed the election in Argentina of Javier Milei, who makes no secret of his admiration for Bitcoin.
With the commitment of President Gustavo Petro, we can hope that Bitcoin has a bright future ahead of it in Colombia. El Salvador’s experience, Nayib Bukele’s openness and the mobilization of crypto ecosystem players like Samson Mow will be major assets for Colombia on the road to Bitcoin adoption.
I dream of a world where every citizen has total control over themselves, including their finances. I believe that Bitcoin is one of the tools that will achieve this revolution. Since 2019, I am learning about this cryptocurrency and spreading the word around.
