The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) approved a pilot
Costa Rica just took a thoughtful step into the crypto era. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) approved a pilot that lets political parties receive donations in Bitcoin, Ether, and USD Coin. But don’t mistake it for a crypto free for-all every move is wrapped in transparency rules.
Each party can have just one wallet per token, registered with the Department of Party Financing. When a donation hits, it has to be valued, converted to colones within five business days, and sent straight to the party’s official bank account. That way, money moves quickly from the blockchain to the traditional banking system. Every crypto contribution also lands in the public registry, sitting right next to traditional donations. It’s old school accountability meeting blockchain transparency.
Treasurers will do the heavy lifting tracking values, verifying donors, and logging every conversion step. Donors, meanwhile, have to pass identity checks before their crypto counts. The idea is clear: “crypto in, transparency out.” The timing isn’t random either—it comes just before the next election, giving Costa Ricans abroad a new way to support their parties while keeping everything auditable.
Of course, there’s risk. Crypto markets swing wildly. Custody mistakes happen. And any slip could spark headlines. That’s why regulators will be watching conversion times, record accuracy, and custody security to see how well this works in practice.
If the test runs smoothly, the TSE might add more digital assets, lock in standardized valuation rules, or even connect blockchain hashes directly to public records. If it struggles, they’ll tighten the screws. In short, Costa Rica isn’t “going crypto” it’s running a smart, guardrails-first experiment in digital donations that could inspire other countries in the region to follow suit.
