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Finance

Bitrefill Enables Salvadorans to Pay Many of Their Bills With Bitcoin

Salvadorans will be able to pay for 150 different services with bitcoin via on-chain or Lightning Network transactions.

By Andrés Engler
AccessTimeIconNov 17, 2021 at 9:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:09 p.m. UTC
El Salvador's Bitcoin Adoption Is 'Trendsetting,' Says Voyager Digital CEO
El Salvador's Bitcoin Adoption Is 'Trendsetting,' Says Voyager Digital CEO

Bitrefill, a startup that provides users with ways to pay for their daily needs with bitcoin, has launched a bill-paying service in El Salvador.

  • The company said Wednesday that Salvadorans will now be able to pay for more than 150 services with bitcoin on Bitrefill’s platform through Lightning Network or on-chain transactions.
  • Among the services available to pay with bitcoin are bills from the Social Fund for Housing, a government institution that provides loans for home purchases; and AES, a company that provides electricity in the Central American country, the company announced during the Adopting Bitcoin conference held in El Salvador.
  • Bitrefill will provide the service in El Salvador through PuntoXpress, a local platform that allows the payment of basic services and cell phone recharges. To carry out the process, users must provide an email address to receive a receipt and, if applicable, claim a voucher code, Bitrefill said.
  • El Salvador established bitcoin as legal tender on Sept. 7 and also launched Chivo, a government wallet that supports U.S. dollar and bitcoin. The Bitcoin Law stipulates that businesses must accept bitcoin as a form of payment, although there is some confusion about its exact requirements.
  • “Even with the government’s mandate to make bitcoin legal tender, some businesses and services have yet to accommodate the payment method into their operations,” Bitrefill stated, adding that the company will give businesses a solution to accept bitcoin without the need to fret over custody or liquidation.
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    Andrés Engler
    Andrés Engler

    Andrés Engler is a CoinDesk editor based in Argentina, where he covers the Latin American crypto ecosystem. He holds BTC.

    Follow @andresengler on Twitter