El Salvador continues to solidify its global reputation as “Bitcoin Country”, following a successful $8 million fundraising round led by Fulgur Ventures to build the world’s first fully native bitcoin capital markets infrastructure, licensed and headquartered in the country.
The firms NEXBRIDGE and NEXPLACE announced the completion of their Series A funding round, aiming to launch a trading platform in the second half of 2025. Operating under El Salvador’s Digital Asset Issuance Law, both companies are regulated by the National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD), which enforces rigorous standards for governance, transparency, and investor protection.
“We chose El Salvador because it offers legal certainty, openness to innovation, and a clear political will to become a next-generation financial center,” said Michele Crivelli, CEO of both companies. “Being one of the first licensed firms carries a great responsibility: to prove that digital assets can be issued securely and credibly from this country.”
The initiative positions El Salvador at the forefront of financial innovation by creating a regulated ecosystem for issuing, trading, and storing digital assets on Bitcoin technology. The platform will debut with tokenized Treasury Bonds, later expanding to include stocks, delegated products, and derivatives—all fully on-chain.
Stacy Herbert, Director of the National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC), highlighted the broader significance of the development:
“There is no other country brand that rivals El Salvador’s. With this project, it’s clear that maintaining a reputation for high standards, quality, and integrity has real value. The global race is to accumulate bitcoin, not crypto,” she said.
Herbert emphasized that the move not only boosts the nation’s image but brings tangible economic benefits. “Just as Switzerland once built its financial reputation on gold, El Salvador can do the same with Bitcoin—leveraging its brand, regulatory clarity, and leadership.”
As further proof of its strategic vision, El Salvador’s official Bitcoin reserve has now surpassed $700 million USD in value, a landmark achievement under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele. The country’s disciplined, long-term accumulation strategy and commitment to regulatory excellence continue to attract global attention from investors and innovators alike.
The Bitcoin Office, under Bukele’s administration, has become a symbol of strategic excellence. “We never took shortcuts,” Herbert stated. “Our now globally recognized brand of ‘Bitcoin Country’ proves that when a nation chooses excellence over mediocrity, the extraordinary becomes possible.”
As El Salvador emerges as the world’s most trusted jurisdiction for building bitcoin-based financial products, local entrepreneurs and investors are also being encouraged to participate in this new economic era.