Argentina’s $250 Billion Underground Economy: How Milei Is Coaxing Dollars From Teddy Bears and Toilet Tanks

Argentina’s $250 Billion Underground Economy: How Milei Is Coaxing Dollars From Teddy Bears and Toilet Tanks

BUENOS AIRES—In the shadowy corners of Argentina’s economy, an estimated $250 billion sits idle—stuffed into children’s toys, buried in backyards, wedged into chair legs, and hidden in countless other improvised vaults across the nation. This staggering sum, roughly six times the country’s central bank reserves, represents decades of financial trauma crystallized into a national obsession with concealment. Now, President Javier Milei faces perha…

Milei Hunts for Over $250 Billion That Argentines Have Hidden in Secret Stashes

The nation of cautious savers has long stowed U.S. dollars in teddy bears and safe-deposit boxes. The president now needs the money for his free-market overhaul.