Argentine Vice President and Senate President Victoria Villarruel held a significant private meeting about Bitcoin with El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele. This engagement took place during the second day of Bukele’s first official visit to Argentina. On the preceding day, Bukele had discussions with Argentine President Javier Milei at Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, along with meetings with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem, and the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Horacio Rosatti.
Bitcoin Treasury: Will Argentina Follow El Salvador’s Lead?
Within the high-level meeting between Bukele and Milei, numerous topics such as energy, trade, and security were officially addressed. However, no press conference or official statement was released concerning these discussions. The meeting between Vice President Villarruel and President Bukele extended beyond mere diplomacy, focusing intensely on Bitcoin (BTC) and its potential integration into national financial systems.
“I really wanted to take advantage of these brief minutes to talk to you about Bitcoin, because it is something that interests me a lot, as well as the Volcano Bonds project,” expressed Vice President Villarruel in a brief video that surfaced on social media platform X. In response, President Bukele conveyed his enthusiasm: “With pleasure, we can talk about Bitcoin and everything that is related to it.”
Operational and Regulatory Frameworks for Bitcoin
The discussions also delved into the operational and regulatory frameworks necessary for the integration of crypto assets. Villarruel expressed a significant interest in the role of El Salvador’s National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD) and its regulatory achievements. “You have the first control body of the National Commission, I am interested in that too because it is the first one I know that is constituted for this purpose,” she noted during her meeting with President Bukele.
This sentiment was later echoed on her social media, where she displayed a keen eagerness to further understand El Salvador’s strategies in Bitcoin and crypto asset regulation. Villarruel wrote via X: “Visit of the President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele to the Senate of the Argentine Nation. We were able to talk about the implementation of Bitcoin, the creation of the CNAD (National Commission of Digital Assets) which is the first organization that provides a legal framework and regulation for crypto assets.”
Strengthening Ties: Argentina and El Salvador
In May earlier this year, a delegation including Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and leaders from Argentina’s National Securities Commission (CNV) visited El Salvador. They met with Juan Carlos Reyes, President of El Salvador’s National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD), to discuss the intricacies of managing digital assets at a national level.
“We want to strengthen ties with the Republic of El Salvador and therefore, we are going to explore the possibility of signing collaboration agreements with them,” commented Roberto E. Silva, President of the CNV during these discussions.
At the time of this writing, Bitcoin (BTC) traded at $61,618, reflecting a growing interest and dynamic market for the cryptocurrency.
