As El Salvador Marks 5 Years of Bitcoin Experiment; Here are Top 5 Governments with BTC Holdings

El Salvador marked five years since its Bitcoin experiment began, but the country is scaling back its pro-Bitcoin stance after IMF pressure tied to its $1.4 billion bailout. The government has made Bitcoin acceptance by merchants voluntary rather than mandatory and reportedly cut its Bitcoin fund exposure by 50%, though it still holds 7,474 BTC. The article frames this as a setback for Bitcoin’s adoption narrative in El Salvador and a sign that sovereign BTC policy is vulnerable to external financing conditions. It also highlights the broader landscape of government Bitcoin holdings, with the U.S., China, the UK, Bhutan and El Salvador ranking as the largest holders. Market impact is more sentiment-driven than price-driven, potentially tempering bullish adoption expectations for BTC in the near term.