Panama Canal could accept Bitcoin, mayor suggests a strategic reserve

By Canuto

The mayor of the city of Panama, Mayer Mizrachi, raises a bold change when exploring the adoption of Bitcoin as a form of payment for traffic for the iconic channel and for a strategic reserve of the city.

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The mayor of the city of Panama proposes to accept Bitcoin for passing through the channel.
Payments in BTC could give faster access to the main commercial route, according to their vision.
It also suggests the creation of a Bitcoin strategic reserve.
Panama already made advances in the adoption of cryptocurrencies for municipal payments.
The proposal is inspired by pro cryptocurrency policies adopted by El Salvador.

The ships that cross the Panama Canal could pay in Bitcoin Now that the city of Panama, historically a key center for international trade, explores expanding the use of cryptocurrencies for public payments.

The mayor of the Panamanian capital, Mayer Mizrachi, shared on Thursday his proposal to take Bitcoin to one of the most important trade routes in the world. Speaking at the 2025 Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Mizrachi raised the possibility of allowing load ships to pay in Bitcoin thus obtaining a benefit: Transmit faster.

“What if you have an advantage payable in Bitcoin?“Mizrachi reflected. “You would go faster”.

Amazing Panel with Max, Stacy, Mike, & Panama City Mayor Mizrachi 🔥🚀 pic.twitter.com/e5sqqhbzkj

– The Bitcoin Conference (@thebitcoinconf) May 29, 2025

Panama Canal visualizes payments in Bitcoin

The Panama Canal is one of the most relevant infrastructure for world maritime trade, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific.

It manages about 5% of all world maritime trade and saves ships of travel weeks in South America. Almost 10,000 ships passed through the channel in the last fiscal year, transporting more than 423 million tons of goods.

The channel generated around USD $ 5 billion in income for Panama between October 2023 and September 2024, according to the Panama Canal website. Under the new proposal, ships and companies interested in crossing the channel could pay their rates using Bitcoinwhich could even allow them to get priority access.

The vision points to a potential revolution in the operational management of the channel, where cryptocurrency payments would expedite processes and offer concrete incentives for technological adoption in the international logistics field.

While this idea is still in the exploration phase, its implementation could mark a turning point in the relationship between public infrastructure and digital assets on a global scale. If approved, the mechanism would allow Panama to position themselves as a regional pioneer in the real integration of cryptocurrencies in critical public services.

Bitcoin strategic reserve?

Panama City already made history this year when it adopted Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as mechanisms for municipal payments after the capital of the capital voted in favor of a proposal to modernize public finances.

The legislation, introduced in April, enables residents to pay taxes, fines and municipal fees through assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (Eth) and the Stablecoins USDT and USDC. This regulation puts the city at the forefront of regional financial digitalization, facilitating access and inclusion for citizens and companies in the metropolitan area.

Mizrachi’s comments reflect their broader impulse for the adoption of Bitcoin In the public services of the city, however, his vision is not there. During the event, the mayor also hinted at the creation of a strategic reserve of Bitcoin For the city.

Mizrachi had already hinted at the possibility of creating a Bitcoin reserve for Panama City after meeting with the key figures of the industry, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert, in mid -May. “Bitcoin reserve”, The mayor had published in his X account at that time, feeding speculation.

Bitcoin Reserve 🚀

– Mayer Mizrachi (@Mayer) May 16, 2025

The mayor is inspired by El Salvador

During the event in Las Vegas, Mizrachi appeared again this idea in vogue among several jurisdictions around the world.

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic reserve of Bitcoin In the United States. Since then, at least two states of the country have approved laws that allow creating state cryptocurrency reserves.

In a public intervention during the conference, Mizrachi emphasized the inspiration he has received from the policies of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who changed the financial landscape of the neighboring country of Panama with the legalization of Bitcoin.

The comments of suggesting that Panama is exploring to replicate the initiatives implemented El Salvador, which in 2021 became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. Keiser and Herbert were two key figures behind that announcement, which took place precisely four years ago, during the celebration of the Bitcoin 2021 conference.

Panama to the financial avant -garde

While the materialization of these proposals would help position Panama at the forefront of financial innovation, there are still regulatory, technical and international acceptance obstacles for overcoming before the broad use of Bitcoin Be a reality.

Regarding the regulation, Mizrachi called for not accelerating things and warned legislators to avoid interfering too soon with the growing sector of cryptocurrencies.

The mayor also said that the use of Bitcoin In Panama it is more widespread than it seems, estimating more than USD $ 5 billion in annual transactions. Although he argued that much of this activity occurs in silence.

Although for now the proposal of Bitcoin For the Panama Canal remains conceptual, it is a clear sign of Panama’s growing interest in the innovation of Blockchain and financial alternatives in global trade. Mizrachi has suggested that it could be an opportunity and a first step towards the consolidation of a more diverse, resilient and modern digital economy.

Article written with the help of AI, edited by Hannah Pérez / Diariobitcoin

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Panama Canal could accept Bitcoin, mayor suggests a strategic reserve