El Salvador continues to draw international attention as a global hub for Bitcoin innovation, earning praise from prominent voices in the industry. Swedish author and Bitcoin thinker Knut Svanholm described an atmosphere of “positivity and transformation” during Bitcoin Histórico, ahead of his presentation “We Are All Satoshis” at the National Palace this Thursday.
Svanholm—author of Everything Divided by 21 Million and Praxeology—expressed deep admiration for El Salvador’s pioneering role as the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. “El Salvador has legitimized Bitcoin, so when I come here I feel free,” he said, emphasizing that the country offers an environment of acceptance and financial freedom that attracts Bitcoiners from around the world.
“The fact that this country has embraced this idea, instead of opposing it, makes all the difference,” he added. For him, Bitcoin operates like a shared global system: “What’s good for Bitcoin is good for Bitcoiners, and what’s good for Bitcoiners is good for Bitcoin. We’re all part of the same financial cardiovascular system.”
Svanholm highlighted a profound shift he feels each time he visits the country. “I feel like a different person here. Speaking the truth and being on the right side of history are valued. You can feel it in the air, in the people. The whole country is bursting with positivity,” he said.
He also praised President Nayib Bukele, calling him “the Trojan horse” who happened to reach the presidency at a historic moment for technological and financial evolution. “He’s one of us,” Svanholm stated.
Reflecting on earlier experiences in Central America, including a visit to a remote Mayan village in Belize two decades ago, he said that technology has erased traditional barriers to opportunity. Today, he argued, “it’s better to be born in El Salvador than in Sweden or Spain,” noting that Salvadoran children now have access to the same global knowledge through Bitcoin and the internet.
Svanholm emphasized that the rapid progress happening in the country is remarkable. “I was here in January, and seeing how much everything has changed since then is incredible.” He hopes that the driving force behind this transformation will be the people themselves: “Not the country leading the way, but Salvadorans—as sovereign individuals.”
His upcoming presentation, We Are All Satoshis, is expected to be one of the standout sessions of Bitcoin Histórico, an event that gathers global and local leaders to discuss freedom, sovereignty, and the future of Bitcoin in El Salvador and beyond.