Overview
- Economy Minister José Gabriel Espinoza confirmed Monday that the government is conducting a technical review of a proposal to let USDT circulate alongside the boliviano and the U.S. dollar.
- Banks including state-controlled Banco Unión and Banco FIE have expanded USDT services for eligible customers and signed partnerships since 2025 to support regulated stablecoin activity.
- Regulators are drafting a comprehensive framework and have said stronger anti-money-laundering controls and improved monitoring will be prerequisites for broader stablecoin use because Bolivia remains on the FATF gray list.
- Persistent shortages of physical U.S. dollars have driven businesses and consumers to use USDT for payments, savings and cross-border settlements as an accessible dollar-linked option.
- Policy changes since mid-2024 removed prior crypto bans and triggered rapid growth in crypto volumes, and officials say any full public rollout will proceed incrementally through banks with new rules for deposits, payments and lending.