El Salvador was the headline-grabbing country last year. Adopt as legal tender. The move is controversial both in and outside of the country, heralded for its potential to bring financial services to large portions of El Salvador’s unbanked population and Its top-down approach to implementation was criticized. This creates a feeling of insecurity and makes Salvadorans feel like they don’t have a choice. El Zonte, however, accepts Bitcoin.BTCPayments made through organic development that are pre-law were accepted as a form of payment.

These arguments, while for and against the law, don’t actually exist in contradiction to one another. Although the government may have made the decision, the move is opening up financial services to new segments of the country. But not all government are willing to make Bitcoin a legal currency. We need to ask a different question: Can we promote crypto adoption in emerging countries like El Salvador, without having governments involved?