Colombia Has a New President: How Will De la Espriella Impact the Local Crypto Sector?

Colombia has a new right-wing president, Abelardo de la Espriella. In the latest election, he won over Iván Cepeda in the second round of Colombia’s presidential election. The president-elect arrives with a program that promises to bring blockchain technology to public contracting.

Most notably, de la Espriella was backed by Trump. So, how will he impact the local crypto sector?

Who is Abelardo De La Espriella?

Abelardo de la Espriella is a criminal lawyer, businessman, and media figure. He built his candidacy outside the traditional parties, although with support from conservative sectors. His movement, Defensores de la Patria, ran the campaign under the concept of “Patria Milagro.”

The victory represents a political shift to the right after the government of Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella’s program combines institutional restoration, state authority, a tough stance on security, reduction of the public apparatus, and open defense of conservative values.

The Colombian result is part of a clear regional trend. South America is experiencing a swing to the right after years of leftist governments. Javier Milei in Argentina, Daniel Noboa in Ecuador, and Santiago Peña in Paraguay paved the way with decisive victories in their respective countries.

The wave could continue. Bolivia elected its new president in October 2025, ending the government of the Movimiento al Socialismo party. A month later, Chile joined the center-right governments after José Antonio Kast’s victory.

De la Espriella’s international stance breaks with the outgoing administration. The new president-elect aligns himself with Donald Trump and supports the models of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador.

Regarding Venezuela, he maintains a critical position toward the ruling regime.

After the first round on May 31, the Ecuadorian president also congratulated him on X.

The shift towards Trump and Bukele is crucial for the crypto sector. Bukele made Bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, while Trump is pushing a historic pro-crypto agenda from Washington during his second presidential term.

The Blockchain Proposal of De la Espriella

The core of the technological proposal is not Bitcoin as a monetary asset, but blockchain as an infrastructure for government transparency. The “Blockchain 2030” program proposes recording public contracting in nationwide, traceable, and auditable systems.

The proposal combines blockchain with artificial intelligence to improve the DIAN’s identification system, public security, tax collection, and the overall reduction of the Colombian state apparatus.

The change could be significant for the local industry. An agenda with lower tax burdens, greater openness to private investment, and government digitalization could create a more favorable environment for blockchain, fintech, tokenization, digital identity, and decentralized auditing companies in Colombia.

Stablecoins would also gain prominence. According to data provided by Valora Analitik, more than half of crypto purchases by Colombians end up in stablecoins. The trend reflects a silent but strong “digital dollarization.”

The remittances market reinforces that potential. Colombia received $13.09 billion in remittances in 2025, a 10.6% increase from 2024. Many users now channel these funds through stablecoins because they are faster and cheaper than traditional banking.

Even so, the victory does not imply an official adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender nor does it contemplate the creation of a state reserve in BTC.

“This is not El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment. It’s not about adopting a currency as legal tender. It’s about using blockchain as infrastructure for government transparency. Smart contracts for public procurement. Citizen-auditable spending. Immutable records,” highlighted analyst Andrés Meneses on X.

How Colombia’s Crypto Vision Might Change

The current president, Gustavo Petro, maintained a lukewarm stance on the crypto sector during his administration. His government advanced the Central Bank’s digital peso project but never promoted specific regulations for crypto, leaving the sector in a gray area.

The contrast with De la Espriella is remarkable. While Petro’s government prioritized a central bank digital currency under state control, the new president bets on decentralized blockchain for government transparency and greater openness to the private sector within the country.

The ideological difference also has implications internationally. Petro built alliances with left-wing governments, including Maduro’s in Venezuela.

De la Espriella aligns with Trump, Bukele, and Noboa, who could quickly reorganize the regional crypto geopolitics.

On the other hand, the new government inherits the challenge of protecting users against pyramid schemes without stifling technological innovation.

With De la Espriella confirmed as president-elect, Colombia could become a new regional hub for state blockchain, stablecoins, and fintech services. This shift aligns with the pro-crypto wave already sweeping much of Latin America during this political cycle.

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