Mayor suggests that the Panama Canal can prioritize Bitcoin payment vessels
Panama City Mayor Mayer Mayer Mizrachi proposed an unusual plan at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas on May 29. He suggested that if the cargo ship pays in Bitcoin, the freight ship can speed up the transit through the Panama Canal. This is a brief comment, but it raises a series of questions about how it works in practice.
Priority-to-pass Bitcoin payment
According to the group, Mizrachi spoke with El Salvador’s Bitcoin policy leaders Max Keizer and Stacy Herbert. He said vessels could “cut the boundaries” by paying for Bitcoin.
He came up with the idea to reward early adopters. It comes up in a casual tone, but it touches on a serious topic: payments can blend in time.
Ships can pay for Panama Canal transportation fees in Bitcoin
Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi said he is exploring the bitcoin payment methods for ships passing through the Panama Canal.
“What if you have the benefits of Bitcoin payment?” Mizrachi mused. “You’ll go faster.”
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Problems exceeding fees and fairness
According to the discussion, the current rules for the canal are on a first come first served basis. Changes will require approval from the Panama Canal Authority and the National Government of Panama.
If freight companies feel smaller operators are being priced, they may postpone it. U.S. President Donald Trump weighed late last year, believing that U.S. ships faced “unfair tolls” and hinted at the repossessment of the canal in December 2024. This event shows how sensitive the canal’s sensitivity changes are.
Handle $5 billion in business
According to the Panama Canal website, Waterways earned about $5 billion in revenue between October 2023 and September 2024. Nearly 10,000 ships passed by, carrying about 423 million tons of goods. This is about 5% of global maritime trade.
If Bitcoin payments are allowed, authorities will need a plan to handle price fluctuations. The checkout for the day may be 50 BTC, and the next one may jump to 60 BTC. Panama may need a fast exchange system to turn BTC into US dollar or other stable currencies.
Promote city-level encryption
Mizrachi also supports getting people to pay city fees (taxes, fines and licenses) in Bitcoin, Ether and USDC. He proposed the idea of a Bitcoin reserve in Panama City, which produces more than half of the nation’s GDP.
He pointed out that he didn’t need more laws to start a law. However, the real steps will depend on legislators and officials at the national level. For now, it remains a mayor’s proposal, not a binding plan.
He said Mizrachi claimed that more than $5 billion in Bitcoin transactions occur every year in Panama, although most of them are “closed doors.”
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