IMF says no crypto as legal tender; community disagrees

Published at: Feb. 24, 2023

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently made another anti-crypto move, expressing its opposition to crypto becoming a legal tender. In response to this, members of the crypto community were quick to fire back, going on Twitter to express disagreement. 

The executive board of the IMF recently endorsed a crypto asset policy framework that included not granting crypto assets an official currency or legal tender status. The executives agreed with the framework and highlighted that it’s a necessary move to safeguard monetary stability. 

The best #Bitcoin promotion. https://t.co/vwW6YdzBhJ

— Dennis Parker (@Xentagz) February 23, 2023

From expressing their support for Bitcoin (BTC) to comparing the situation to other technological advancements, various members of the community fired back at the IMF’s attempt to discredit crypto as a legal tender.

According to one Twitter user, the IMF will never be able to accept BTC simply because they do not want any competition. On the other hand, another community member believes that governments who want to "exit debt slavery to central banks" will soon figure out that Bitcoin is the only way to do this.

A member of the community attempted to poke fun at the issue by comparing the IMF’s efforts to go against crypto to the fax machine complaining about the emergence of emails. They tweeted:

Meanwhile, Bitcoiner Carl Menger expressed happiness that countries are independent of the IMF and are able to “do their best for their citizens.” Another crypto community member believes that this is another historical moment that the community can look back on once it succeeds in making the world decentralized. 

Related: El Salvador’s ‘limited’ use of Bitcoin prevents forecasted risks, says IMF

The IMF has repeatedly been expressing its opposition to crypto being implemented as legal tender. On Feb. 15, members of the crypto community also voiced their opinions on the IMF pressuring El Salvador to reconsider their plans for Bitcoin. Some dismissed the news as “FUD,” while others interpreted it as a strong bullish signal for BTC.

Tags
Imf
Related Posts
Powers On... El Salvador is the unlikely leader for sovereign adoption of Bitcoin as national currency
Powers On... is a monthly opinion column from Marc Powers, who spent much of his 40-year legal career working with complex securities-related cases in the United States after a stint with the SEC. He is now an adjunct professor at Florida International University College of Law, where he teaches a course on “Blockchain, Crypto and Regulatory Considerations.” While attending the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami two weeks ago, several things struck me as interesting and significant. While many others have already reported on the conference, my focus will be on a handful of comments or events that I believe are …
Adoption / June 22, 2021
IMF urges El Salvador to remove Bitcoin's status as legal tender
Members of the executive board at the International Monetary Fund are urging lawmakers in El Salvador to no longer recognize Bitcoin as legal tender. The IMF reported on Tuesday that though digital payments had the potential to increase financial inclusion in the Central America nation, the use of Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender carried “large risks” related to financial stability, financial integrity, and consumer protection. The executive board directors urged El Salvador authorities to “narrow the scope of the Bitcoin law by removing Bitcoin’s legal tender status,” also expressing concern about the potential risks of issuing Bitcoin-backed bonds. The officials’ …
Bitcoin / Jan. 25, 2022
Quelle surprise: Central African banks scold the CAR for Bitcoin adoption
The governor of the Bank of Central African States, or Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (BEAC), has issued a scathing letter to the Central African Republic (CAR) regarding the country’s adoption of cryptocurrencies. In a letter addressed to the CAR Finance Minister Hervé Ndoba, governor of the BEAC Abbas Mahamat Tolli describes the “substantial negative impact” that the CAR adopting crypto will have on the monetary union of Central Africa. The CAR passed a bill announcing its intention to adopt cryptocurrencies in April. It is no surprise that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has already called the decision concerning. …
Adoption / May 9, 2022
Republic of Panama introduces bill for regulating crypto
Amid Bitcoin (BTC) becoming legal tender in El Salvador, another country in Central America is progressing on its way to enable freedom to use cryptocurrencies like BTC and Ether (ETH). On Monday, the Republic of Panama introduced a bill on regulating cryptocurrencies, aiming to make the country “compatible with the blockchain, crypto assets and the internet.” Announcing the news on Twitter, Panamanian pro-crypto congressman Gabriel Silva stressed that the new legal initiative has the potential to generate thousands of jobs, create new investment sources, as well as make the government “more transparent.” According to the draft bill document shared by …
Bitcoin / Sept. 7, 2021
What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1
Yat Siu of Animoca Brands Yat is the co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, which delivers digital property rights to the world’s gamers and internet users, thereby creating a new asset class, play-to-earn economies and a more equitable digital framework contributing to the building of the open Metaverse. “Regulation will start to become more defined in 2022, although how, exactly, remains to be seen. 2021’s milestone was probably the substantial growth in public awareness of blockchain — Collins Dictionary even declared ‘NFT’ the word of the year.” These quotes have been edited and condensed. The views, thoughts and opinions …
Decentralization / Jan. 8, 2022