«Bitcoin reconstructs the economy of El Salvador after the war»: Juan Perucca

At the crossroads between a past marked by war and an uncertain future, El Salvador found in Bitcoin (BTC) a paradox, for many fascinating: a currency without borders for a nation that still battles to define his. After decades of conflict and economic dependence, this Central American country adopts the pioneer digital currency as a financial tool and also as a powerful manifesto of sovereignty, a bold effort to convert adversity into an opportunity for transformation.

«Bitcoin is not just money, it is a tool to return control,» said Juan Perucca during an interview with cryptootics. He is an Argentine educator who made his home to the Salvadoran rural communities. It is what happens in a country where The echo of war still resonates and the economy struggles to get up.

It is noteworthy that the people of El Salvador faced decades of suffering marked by two great tragedies: a devastating civil war and a subsequent wave of violence unleashed by the maras. Between 1980 and 1992, the Civil War faced the Military Government against the guerrillas of the Farabundo Martí Nacional (FMLN) Front, leaving a balance of more than 75,000 dead and thousands of displaced. This conflict, fed by social inequality and repression, destroyed entire communities, fragmented families and paralyzed the economy, that was dependent on the remittances of the Salvadorans who fled abroad, mainly to the United States.

After the signing of the Paz agreements of Chapultepec in 1992, in reality the expected peace did not arrive at all. In the following decades, Las Maras, such as Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18, emerged as a new threat. These gangs, originated in part by the deportation of young Salvadorans from the United States after the conflict, filled the void of power and opportunities in a country with weak institutions and a fragile economy. Violence shot, turning El Salvador into one of the most dangerous countries in the world, but there has recently occurred with the decrease in violence by the Nayib Bukele government.

In Santa Ana, now, Perucca counts on the visible and invisible wounds that he perceives of the conflictive past who are trying to leave behind the inhabitants of El Salvador. «Here in Santa Ves people who are missing arms, which fingers are missing, which lacks legs, who have marks on the face, guys without their parents or brothers,» he says with a mixture of empathy and urgency .

These physical wounds are only the surface of a deeper trauma that manifests itself in work and social. For the Argentine educator, the challenge is not only economic, but human: «First we are trying to contain, listen and integrate, and then see where we are standing with LA idea of ​​promoting the economy«He adds.

Its approach combines community and technological integration. «The challenge is not only economic, but human,» he adds. In this context, Perucca works to turn Santa Ana into a citcoin citadel, promoting a circular economy based on the pioneer digital currency. This circular economy implies that participants use bitcoin for local transactions – such as buying in markets or paying services – reinviring funds in the community and reducing the dependence of external currencies.

Women, the main allies in economic reconstruction

I arrived in El Salvador in July, and in eight months I have already formed a group of 50 people who feel part of a community, although it clarifies: «My vision is not to create a community, but to facilitate content and see what they do with that with that ».

«What I did during the first three months was going to buy vegetables and talk with the ladies, to become a friend, because it is not about throwing orange pills [enseñanza sobre Bitcoin] everywhere. Rather, it is about seeing where the other is, to locate it, to see if we can provide a service, a product, ”he explains. This method allowed him to connect with The women on the market, who, despite the difficulties, are a fundamental pillar of the local economy.

In his 10 -year experience forming communities (digital literacy courses for older adults), he has found a key audience: women. «I almost always work with women, because most people who went to my classes were women throughout Latin America,» he says.

In Santa Ana, this trend intensifies. «80% of the people who work in the Central Market of Santa Ana are women who attend there all day and who are the ones who hold their home,» he says. Men, for various reasons, are absent or perform other roles, leaving women as the main suppliers in a context of «heat, work and tourists.»

The IMF dilemma and the reform of the Bitcoin Law

Despite the advances, Perucca faces a challenge that goes beyond technical education: overcome perceptions and distrust rooted in a community marked by postwar period and political polarization. While working guiding communities to obtain knowledge about Bitcoin, he meets a significant barrier: the association that many do between Bitcoin and the Nayib Bukele government.

«In our efforts to move forward, one of the stumbling blocks we have had is that many inhabitants of Santa Ana express their belief that Bitcoin has something to do with the government. That is why we are explaining in our talks, that Bitcoin has nothing to do with the Bukele administration and we are just holding key classes in which we talk about the International Monetary Fund, the changes in the Bitcoin Law and everything that happens, because it really People have to know.

Juan Perucca, educator about Bitcoin in Santa Ana.

This is the reason why Perucca sees the reform on the Salvadoran Bitcoin Law as a positive and necessary change to boost the adoption of the digital currency.

As previously reported cryptootics, the Parliament of El Salvador approved a project promoted by President Nayib Bukele to reform the Bitcoin Law, adjusting it to the conditions of a 1.400 million dollars agreement with the IMF. This modification, promulgated in January 2025, eliminated the obligation to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, A pragmatic measure aimed at mitigating the financial risks indicated by the IMF, such as the volatility of the digital asset and its potential use in illegal activities.

However, this decision is generating an intense debate in the community that revolves around Bitcoin and among citizens, with many cataloging it as a betrayal of the original vision of economic sovereignty that Bukele defended in 2021, when El Salvador became First country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal currency.

For Perucca, the agreement with the IMF is not a cause for celebration. «It is very bad,» he sentenced with forcefulness, reflecting an entrenched distrust of the international body. From his perspective as Argentine, The IMF is not simply a lender, but an entity with geopolitical interests and economic that transcend the loan itself.

«The IMF is not someone who will give you money and nothing more and will charge you an interest, play in a lot of issues and its interest almost always has to do with the United States or corporations,» he explains, evoking the tumultuous Argentina’s relationship with the IMF, marked by economic crises and structural adjustments.

Bitcoin in the future of Santa Ana

Despite its IMF rejection, Perucca recognizes significant advances in El Salvador under the government of Nayib Bukele. «I have seen that the country has advanced in routes, in roads, in investments in the field,» he says, highlighting the positive impact on the rural communities where he works.

In addition, it emphasizes that the Salvadoran government continues to buy Bitcoin daily, maintaining a reserve that already exceeds 6,000 BTC (approximately 600 million dollars), which demonstrates its commitment to Its Bitcoin -based strategy, despite the IMF pressures.

Perucca emphasizes that, beyond discrepancies with certain government decisions, the division is not an option. «As much as we do not agree on some decisions, we do not have to divide, because if we divide, that is where those of outside eat us,» he warns. For him, the unit is key to take advantage of and resist external influences, a lesson that seems to have extracted from his work for almost all Latin American countries, forming individuals and helping them to enter the digital world, where he now takes momentum An important economy, thanks to Bitcoin.

In short, in a country that seeks economic prosperity, after having diminished the rates of violence, and where the postwar period continues to leave traces, Bitcoin represents a bold but complex bet. For Perucca, success does not depend only on technology, but on the ability of the community to heal its divisions and take advantage of opportunities. «Santa Ana has that charm,» he reiterates, and his work seeks to convert that potential into a more inclusive future, so we make a transaction at the same time.

For Perucca, the challenge transcends the economic; Rather, it is a matter of social reconstruction. «Before promoting projects, we must listen and heal. The war, in addition to ending entire families, also fractured trust, explains. Therefore, his method adapts to what he perceives from the community of Santa Ana, and that means the Community integration together with the technological, thinking that the future is nowto leave the past behind.