El Salvador’s Bitcoin holdings may exceed $1B by 2026, analysts warn

El Salvador holds approximately 7,474 BTC, currently valued somewhere between $478 million and $481 million. Analysts project that figure could cross $1 billion by the end of 2026, assuming the accumulation strategy holds and Bitcoin’s price cooperates. In February 2026, a sharp move in Bitcoin’s price wiped roughly $300 million off the paper value of El Salvador’s reserves almost overnight. How a country buys Bitcoin every single day El Salvador’s accumulation strategy is exactly as straightforward as it sounds. The government has committed to purchasing one Bitcoin per day, a policy that has continued since the country became the first nation to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender back in September 2021. Beyond the daily purchase program, the country supplements its holdings through Bitcoin mining operations. The combination of consistent buying and mining income has pushed the reserve to its current level without any single dramatic acquisition. President Nayib Bukele has shown no indication of reversing course. No large-scale sell-offs have been reported, and official communications continue to frame Bitcoin as a long-term component of El Salvador’s economic architecture. The $1 ...