(Author's note: In this shot, I offer an interpretation of recent events in Guatemala through the lens of someone in the country.)
On November 10, account x opens for the bitcoin Office of El Salvador <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/bitcoinofficesv/status/1855757598798033275″>aware the following meme:
It seemed harmless enough. I know I didn't think much about it when I found it. I remember laughing when I saw it and then went on with my day.
However, a week ago, a colleague of mine, a prominent Guatemalan Bitcoiner, shared with me that the meme went viral in Guatemala. And not just a bunch of viral retweets, more like viral like wildfire.
Many Guatemalans, particularly Guatemalan bitcoiners, are fans of Bukele. So when the bitcoin Office jokingly noted that Bukele is thinking about buying Guatemala, the reaction of many in the country was essentially “good.”
This put the powers that be in the country on their heels, catalyzing the top brass of the Guatemalan government and the Guatemalan central bank to begin investigating bitcoin.
My source tells me that it is possible that this could result in the Guatemalan government and central bank recognizing the value of bitcoin and offering appropriate guidance to banks and other institutions that want to keep the asset on their balance sheets.
I plan to speak to more people on the ground in the coming weeks to provide more substantive reports.
This article is a Carry. The opinions expressed are entirely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of btc Inc or bitcoin Magazine.
