How Bolivia Plans to Use Crypto to Solve Its Fuel Crisis

• Bolivia plans to use USDT for fuel imports as the country faces a severe U.S. dollar shortage, approving a decree to allow YPFB to transact in digital assets
• Supreme Decree No. 5348 grants YPFB authority to acquire alternative currencies for importing oil derivatives, marking a shift in Bolivia’s fuel crisis strategy amidst financial instability
• Despite banning cryptocurrency trade in 2022, Bolivia turns to digital assets to address its fuel shortage and alleviate the pressure of dwindling USD reserves in its economy

Facing a major oil-derivative crisis, Bolivia intends to use digital assets to import oil, gasoline, and other derivatives into the country. 

According to a local report from El Deber — the Bolivian government signed a bill allowing the YPFB (Bolivian Fiscal Oilfields) to use crypto assets as a currency to import fuel into the country. 

On Tuesday, the government of Luis Arce approved Supreme Decree No. 5348, granting YPFB the authority to acquire foreign currency from the public banking entity and other financial institutions to purchase crude oil, diesel, and key inputs for gasoline production.

This decision was made after another financial crisis affected Bolivia’s purchasing power. The South American nation is facing an extreme U.S. Dollar shortage in its reserve, the world’s most used foreign-trade currency. 

The report claims that Bolivia will look to buy fuel using USDT — the world’s largest stablecoin pegged to the U.S. Dollar. On Tuesday, President Luis Arce approved the Supreme Decree granting the YPFB the authority to acquire alternative currencies to fix the fuel shortage crisis in the nation. 

Despite the innovative effort to achieve a shared objective, reports of a potential dollar shortage in Bolivia quickly led to a devaluation of local currencies. While the Boliviano briefly spiked to 6.93 against the U.S. dollar, the “parallel dollar” nearly doubled in value following claims that the government was running low on USD reserves.

Interestingly, Bolivia banned the trade of digital assets in 2022, yet their potential could provide an innovative solution to the current fuel shortage in the short term. By leveraging cryptocurrencies like Tether (USDT), which YPFB has already announced plans to use for fuel purchases, Bolivia could bypass the immediate need for USD reserves.

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