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Cryptocurrencies: 9549 / Markets: 112989

Market Cap: $ 3 756 989 468 481 / 24h Vol: $ 523 064 392 273 / BTC Dominance: 59.613031454844%

Н News

How many Bitcoins does the U.S government have?

You hear about MicroStrategy stacking sats, maybe even whispers about Satoshi’s untouched pile. But guess who else is sitting on a monstrous Bitcoin fortune? The U.S government. We’re talking over 200,000 BTC, easily worth $18 billion or more depending on the market’s mood swings.

How’d they get it? Not through savvy trading, that’s for sure. They busted criminals.

For years, Washington treated seized Bitcoin like confiscated cars – Auction it off, fast. The U.S Marshals ran these fire sales, dumping huge lots, often for pennies on the dollar compared to today. Think about Tim Draper snapping up Silk Road coins for cheap back in 2014. While the feds pocketed millions, they likely fumbled billions in potential gains looking back. Ouch.

Then, March 2025 hit like a bombshell. A White House Executive Order slammed the brakes on the auction block. Suddenly, there’s a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” (SBR). The new rule? Bitcoin forfeited to Uncle Sam and parked in the SBR stays there. No selling allowed. It’s a night-and-day switch, treating Bitcoin less like dirty cash and more like digital gold bars.

This isn’t just some bureaucratic reshuffle; it’s a move with shockwaves. It touches America’s financial playbook, the sanity of crypto markets, and even how nations worldwide view digital money. So, how deep does this rabbit hole go?

Getting an exact number is like nailing jelly to a wall, but blockchain watchers generally agree – The U.S government controls somewhere around 200,000 BTC. Arkham Intelligence, Chainalysis, BitcoinTreasuries.net – They all point to figures in that ballpark (give or take 10k BTC). At prices hovering near $90k lately, that’s a serious chunk of change, potentially pushing towards $19 billion.

Where did it all come from? Three massive busts basically built this hoard –

Blockchain sleuths track these coins relentlessly, tagging government wallets (like the ones starting bc1qa5… and bc1qaz…). Still, total transparency isn’t quite there. Government agencies haven’t exactly been shouting their holdings from the rooftops historically.

Here’s the Kicker: – That Bitfinex Bitcoin Might Walk Away

Pay attention to this – The nearly 95,000 BTC from the Bitfinex case might not stay in Uncle Sam’s pocket. Because Lichtenstein and Morgan were nailed for money laundering, not the original hack, recent court actions (as of early 2025) strongly suggest those billions in BTC are heading back to Bitfinex itself as restitution. The DOJ even argued for it.

If that happens, nearly half the government’s headline-grabbing Bitcoin stash vanishes. That’s a massive plot twist waiting to happen.

The old way was simple – Seize crypto, call the Marshals, auction it off. Critics screamed about the missed opportunity – Selling roughly 195,000 BTC for maybe $366 million over the years, coins now worth $17 billion or more. Reports even surfaced about the Marshals struggling to manage the crypto they held.

Enter the 2025 shift –

Naturally, not everyone loves this HODL strategy. Some economists point to Bitcoin’s wild price swings and argue the government shouldn’t gamble taxpayer assets (even indirectly). Just sell it fast, they say. But the sheer scale of the lost billions from past sales makes for a powerful story pushing the “hold” narrative forward. Actually running a secure “digital Fort Knox,” though, is a whole different challenge than just auctioning stuff off.

When a whale this big even twitches, the market pays attention.

The bottom line? The threat of government selling often hits harder than the reality. The SBR tries to muzzle that threat, at least for Bitcoin. Don’t forget the indirect power too – Regulations, official statements, even just creating the SBR sends potent signals.

Uncle Sam’s U-turn isn’t happening in a vacuum. Around the world, it’s a mixed bag –

There’s no global playbook. Some stumble into crypto via law enforcement (US, China, Germany), others make deliberate bets (El Salvador, Bhutan), some are influenced by global lenders (Ukraine, El Salvador).

So, the U.S government pivoted hard. From selling Bitcoin cheap to locking it up in a strategic reserve. It’s a fascinating, high-stakes gamble. But the story’s far from over. Key questions hang heavy in the air:

Uncle Sam’s journey from accidental whale to would-be strategic HODLer is one of the biggest stories in crypto right now. Its choices will ripple through markets, influence other governments, and keep shaping Bitcoin’s wild ride. Stay tuned.

Source

Н News

How many Bitcoins does the U.S government have?

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