El Salvador—apart from being Bitcoin-friendly—has gone from being one of the most murderous places on the planet to an aspiring digital nomad tech paradise. President Bukele uses the country’s coffers to buy Bitcoin and has more or less defeated the nation’s once-infamous street gangs.
But despite being popular with the country’s citizens, NGOs have criticized Bukele for alleged human rights abuses—and for imprisoning 2% of the country’s population in a mega jail.
But the move to attract crypto businesses may be working out: Just last week, crypto exchange Bitfinex announced that its derivatives arm would relocate to El Salvador.