Bukele refutes rumors: El Salvador did not transfer strategic Bitcoin reserves and only sold shares in Chivo Wallet

On September 6, El Salvador President Bukele spoke on Platform X, denying media reports that the country had transferred strategic bitcoin reserves to private institutions. He said that this change is only the transfer of the government's shares in Chivo Wallet, the national strategic bitcoin reserves have not been transferred, and approximately 7764 BTC are still controlled by the government. The incident originated from a loan evaluation document issued by the IMF, which disclosed that most ownership and operational control of Chivo Wallet were transferred to private operators, and that the government retained minority equity and user asset custody responsibilities. Some media misinterpreted it as the country's bitcoin reserves were transferred to private entities. Bukele criticized the reports as false information, while pointing out that Chivo's equity adjustment plan was proposed a year and a half ago and has nothing to do with Bitcoin reserves. The IMF simultaneously confirmed that El Salvador's subsequent new Bitcoin sources were private donations and no longer used public finances to purchase BTC.