El Salvador Finance Minister guarantees: businesses will not be penalized if they refuse Bitcoin payments

The external opinions on El Salvador's move to make Bitcoin a legal tender have been mixed. Alejandro Zelaya, the Minister of Finance of El Salvador, stated that the use of Bitcoin will be "completely optional," meaning that businesses will not be penalized if they do not accept Bitcoin payments.

Alejandro Zelaya stated in a local media interview on the 17th that the US dollar will continue to be the main reference currency in El Salvador, used by businesses, government, and everyone as the primary medium of exchange.

However, Alejandro Zelaya's statement contradicts Article 7 of the Bitcoin Law passed in June, which mandates that Bitcoin must be accepted as a form of payment by "every economic agent."

When asked by the host whether this article should be amended or deleted, Alejandro Zelaya did not provide a direct response.

Despite the passage of the Bitcoin Law in El Salvador, making Bitcoin a legal tender option, there are still ambiguities in the actual implementation of the policy, raising doubts about whether Bitcoin can truly become a circulating fiat currency within a country.

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