El Salvador just made its first gold purchase in more than 35 years—and it’s not a small one. In this Wealth Wednesday episode of the Latin Wealth Podcast, we break down why the central bank added ~14,000 troy ounces of gold, taking total reserves to ~58,000 ounces (about $207M), and what that signals alongside the country’s ongoing Bitcoin strategy. We compare gold’s role as a reserve diversifier to BTC’s volatility and upside, and look at how other nations (China, Turkey, India) have been accumulating gold as part of their foreign-reserve mix.
In the second half, we spotlight Mercado Libre (MELI)—Latin America’s largest commerce and payments ecosystem operating across 18 countries. We cover its marketplace, logistics network, and fintech arm Mercado Pago, user growth, revenue trends, and why the business looks like a regional blend of Amazon + PayPal. If you’re researching macro moves in Latin America or hunting for companies shaping the region’s digital economy, this one’s for you.
What you’ll learn
- Why El Salvador added gold for medium/long-term reserve diversification
- How gold’s “financial soundness” complements a national Bitcoin strategy
- El Salvador’s reported BTC stack and mark-to-market gains
- Mercado Libre’s flywheel: marketplace, next-day logistics, and fintech (wallets, bill pay, credit, insurance)
Chapters
00:00 Intro and why this episode matters
00:26 The headline: El Salvador buys gold for the first time since the 1990s
01:29 How much gold, why it matters, and who else is buying
02:29 Spot price context and gold’s long-term profile
04:29 Reserve mix: gold vs. Bitcoin for a small, dollar-exposed economy
06:23 Diversification lessons for individual investors
07:20 Countries accumulating both BTC and gold
08:19 Mercado Libre overview (18 countries, marketplace + payments)
09:46 Browsing the platform: what you can buy and do
11:10 Logistics moat and fintech stack (Mercado Pago)
13:04 Stock snapshot (MELI), long-term chart, and growth drivers
16:29 Users, revenue, and where growth is strongest
17:55 What to watch next: features, geography, and possible crypto rails
18:25 Final takeaways and viewer questions
Disclaimer
This content is for education only and not financial advice. Always do your own research and verify figures before making decisions.
Question for you
Should El Salvador keep adding gold, double down on Bitcoin, or balance both? And have you used Mercado Libre/Mercado Pago—what was your experience?