The International Monetary Fund approved the immediate disbursement of about $138 million to El Salvador under the country’s $1.4 billion financing program, despite some performance criteria being missed.The IMF’s Executive Board completed the second and third reviews under El Salvador’s 40-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement on Thursday, it said in a press release.While certain performance criteria were not met, including on the Bitcoin accumulation front, the IMF granted waivers “based on strong corrective measures and renewed commitments.”The agency noted that progress had been achieved in financial sector reforms, fiscal transparency, AML/CFT reforms and the transfer of majority ownership and control of the government Chivo Bitcoin wallet to a private operator.“Efforts will continue to reduce the state’s involvement in Bitcoin-related activities, strengthen crypto‑asset regulation and governance, and enhance transparency regarding public-sector crypto‑asset holdings,” the IMF said, adding: “No further Bitcoin accumulation is envisaged beyond the documented donations.”Related: El Salvador’s post-review Bitcoin accumulation used no public funds: IMFCointelegraph reported on Sept. 4 that El Salvador used no public resources to accumulate Bitcoin after the first review of its IMF financing program in June 2025, according to the lender. The IMF said documents supplied by Salvadoran authorities verified that the accumulation came from private donations. According to the lender, the increase in El Salvador’s holdings therefore did not reflect additional Bitcoin purchases financed with government resources. The IMF also said majority ownership and operational control of the Chivo wallet had been transferred to a private operator, while the government retained a minority stake and custodial responsibilities.The explanation addressed how El Salvador’s holdings grew after the first review, when the country said in November 2025 that it had acquired 1,090 BTC worth $100 million, renewing questions about compliance with its $1.4 billion IMF program. Magazine: Exchanges reporting crypto gains to IRS becomes tax nightmareCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Russia’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday that some of its employees had received their wages in digital rubles for the first time.Being paid in the central bank’s digital currency is available for citizens of Russia on a voluntary basis, and began on Thursday, Oct. 1, according to a Ministry of Finance press release.The ministry did not disclose how many participants were paid in digital currency or the total payroll amount.During federal budget spending trials in 2025, about 16 million digital rubles ($192,245) was disbursed, so the ministry has applied proven rails to its own salary procedure, it said.Work on the introduction of the digital ruble to the budget process is being carried out by the Bank of Russia together with the Ministry of Finance, according to the release.Related: Russia proposes exchange trading of Bitcoin, Ether and Tether’s USDTCointelegraph had reported on July 2 that Russia planned to launch the central bank digital currency on Sept. 1, when major banks and retail companies began enabling transactions with the new currency.The digital currency was to launch as a complement to Russia’s fiat currency, the ruble, and would initially be accepted by financial and credit institutions, Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti was cited as saying at the time.The digital ruble, whose development began in 2021, was targeted by preemptive sanctions from European Union authorities, who announced restrictions on the currency in April.The European Council said that the sanctions package was in response to Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine,” which it started in February 2022.Magazine: Exchanges reporting crypto gains to IRS becomes tax nightmareCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.