Argentina’s Javier Milei eases peso controls as reserves reach seven-year high

Argentina’s central bank is loosening the reins on its currency for the first time in years, a move made possible by a reserve stockpile that hasn’t looked this healthy since 2019.

Gross reserves have climbed to $46.24 billion, giving President Javier Milei the financial breathing room to let the peso trade more freely.

What’s actually changing

On December 15, 2025, Argentina’s central bank announced it would allow the peso’s trading band to widen at the monthly inflation rate. That rate stood at 2.5% as of November 2025, a number that would have seemed like a fantasy just two years ago when Argentina was staring down triple-digit annual inflation.

Back in April 2025, Argentina lifted most of its capital controls, locally known as the “cepo.” That sweeping deregulation was backstopped by a $20 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which included an immediate $12 billion disbursement.

How the reserves got here

Milei’s administration, led on the economic front by Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Central Bank President Santiago Bausili, has pursued an aggressive strategy of fiscal austerity and reserve accumulation since Milei took office in December 2023.

The central bank’s dollar purchases have exceeded $5.5 billion in the early months of 2026, supported by strong export performance, with projections suggesting up to $30 billion in export inflows over the next six months.

Why this matters for investors

Milei’s approach is different in at least one measurable way: he’s actually building reserves before loosening controls, rather than doing it the other way around. The $20 billion IMF backstop provides an additional safety net. If capital outflows accelerate unexpectedly, the central bank has firepower to defend the peso without reimposing controls.

Argentina has long been one of the highest per-capita adopters of cryptocurrency in Latin America, driven largely by citizens using Bitcoin and stablecoins to hedge against peso volatility. Milei’s publicly supportive stance toward Bitcoin suggests the government may view digital assets as complementary to, rather than competing with, a healthier fiat currency.