The strategic bitcoin reserve is a reserve asset, funded by Treasury's forfeited bitcoin, announced by President Donald Trump in March 2025. Separately, a digital asset stockpile for non-bitcoin assets was also created. Trump has previously stated that he wants the US to become the "crypto capital of the world".[1][2][3][4]

Even before the establishment of the reserve, the United States was already the largest known state holder of bitcoin, estimated to hold 207189 BTC, as of January 1, 2025. Other top holders include China, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Bhutan, El Salvador, with the last two actively building up their national bitcoin reserves by mining or buying bitcoin.[5][6][7]

The reserve has provoked mixed reactions, from some economists criticizing the idea[8], to governments of several states initializing similar projects.[9][10][11]

History

During his first presidency, Trump voiced his disapproval of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.[12] Trump later changed his mind, and in 2024 promised to create a "strategic national Bitcoin stockpile" in the US.[13] Trump's vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, was the first known Bitcoin owner to run for vice-president.[13]

President Donald Trump with Republican senators, 19 January 2025. On the top right - Cynthia Lummis

In January 2025 Trump signed an executive order, titled "Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology," established the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to explore a national digital asset stockpile, initially suggested to use seized cryptocurrencies.[14] The recent Truth Social announcement by President Trump specified the reserve would include Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Ripple (XRP), Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin (BTC) aiming to make the US the "Crypto Capital of the World" and support industry growth.[15][16][17] The announcement caused the prices of Solana, Cardano, and XRP to jump after Trump's announcement, followed by the prices gradually declining on Monday.[18]

The reserve is intended to elevate the digital asset sector, responding to what Trump described as previous Biden administration attacks. It marks a shift from a vague stockpile concept to naming specific cryptocurrencies, potentially purchased or held by the government for strategic purposes. The working group, chaired by the White House AI & Crypto Czar David Sacks, is expected to provide recommendations by July 2025.[2]

The next day after signing the second executive order, Trump held a "Digital Asset Summit" in the White House, attended by representatives of major American crypto companies, including Gemini, Robinhood, Kraken, MicroStrategy, Coinbase, Paradigm, and others.[19]

A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile

A strategic reserve is a stockpile of resources kept by governments to provide a safety net during hard times. Examples include the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve and United States Bullion Depository for gold.[20]

On March 6, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve.[21][22] The executive order establishes:[21][22][23]

  • A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as a permanent reserve asset, funded by Treasury's forfeited bitcoin. Agencies will explore transferring their bitcoin to this reserve. The US won't sell these coins and may develop taxpayer-neutral strategies of acquiring more bitcoin.
  • A U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile for non-bitcoin digital assets forfeited to Treasury. No additional assets will be acquired beyond forfeitures. Treasury may determine stewardship strategies, including potential sales.
  • A requirement for all agencies to fully account for their digital asset holdings to Treasury and the President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets.

Federal agencies must account for all digital assets and review transfer authority within 30 days. Also, the Treasury Secretary must evaluate legal and investment factors and propose legislation within 60 days.[11]

Reactions

In a February 2025 survey of economists, not a single economists agreed that a strategic crypto reserve would benefit the US economy or that holding crypto assets would lower the risk of central banks' international reserves portfolios.[8]

On February 27, 2025, the Texas Senate Banking Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 21 (SB-21), proposing the creation of a Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.[9]

According to a representative of S&P Global Ratings, “The significance of [Trump's] executive order is mainly symbolic, as it marks the first time Bitcoin is formally recognized as a reserve asset of the United States government.”[24]

Deutsche Welle, a German state-owned broadcaster, lists the following pros and cons of the proposed US national bitcoin reserve[20]:

  • Enhances financial stability by diversifying national reserves.
  • Boosts the legitimacy of cryptocurrencies among financial institutions.
  • Utilizes seized assets without additional taxpayer cost.
  • Represents a speculative investment with unclear strategic benefits, which could vanish in a market crash.
  • Could enable government manipulation of the crypto market, as is common with gold and fiat currencies.
  • Faces legal and political challenges regarding legitimacy, unless it gains the necessary congressional support.

Similar initiatives in other countries

Bitcoin holdings of El Salvador

In 2020, Iran announced pending regulations that would require bitcoin miners in Iran to sell bitcoin to the Central Bank of Iran, and the central bank would use it for imports.[25] Shaparak, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran, maintains control over 42 cryptocurrency exchanges.[26][27]

As of 2024, Bhutan, through the country's sovereign investment arm, is running a large-scale bitcoin mining operation, utilizing the country's abundant hydroelectric resources. This allowed Bhutan to accumulate $750 million in bitcoin holdings, representing 28% of the small country's GDP.[7]

In January 2025, the Czech National Bank announced that it will consider holding as much as 5% of its 140 billion euro ($146 billion) reserves in bitcoin.[10]

As of March 2025, El Salvador has over 6102 BTC in its bitcoin reserves (worth $550 million at the time).[6]

Authorities of several countries have accumulated large bitcoin holdings. As of January 2025, the largest known state holders included:[5]

  • United States (207189 BTC)
  • China (194000 BTC)
  • United Kingdom (61000 BTC)
  • Ukraine (46351 BTC)
  • Bhutan (13029 BTC)
  • El Salvador (6003 BTC)

See also

References

  1. ^ Mott, Filip De (March 2, 2025). "A key part of the bitcoin bull case has lost steam. What to know about efforts to start a bitcoin reserve". Business Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Ishmael, Stacy-Marie; Shen, Muyao (March 2, 2025). "Trump Sparks Crypto Rally by Saying More Coins to Be in Reserve". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  3. ^ Hunnicutt, Trevor (March 3, 2025). "Trump names cryptocurrencies in strategic reserve, sending prices up". Reuters. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Durkee, Alison (March 2, 2025). "Trump Announces 'Crypto Strategic Reserve'—Here's What To Know". Forbes. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Franjkovic, Teuta (June 6, 2023). "Top 10 Biggest Holders of Bitcoin and the Billions They Are Worth". CCN.com.
  6. ^ a b Renteria, Nelson; Campos, Rodrigo (March 6, 2025). "El Salvador announces more bitcoin purchases, gives IMF assurances". Reuters. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Sergeenkov, Andrey (September 17, 2024). "How Bhutan Quietly Built $750 Million In Bitcoin Holdings". Forbes. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Crypto Holdings by US Public Authorities". Clark Center Forum. 2025.
  9. ^ a b Birnbaum, Dave (February 27, 2025). "Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Advances Amid Market Volatility". Forbes. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Czech central bank to consider holding bitcoin as reserve asset". Reuters. January 29, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Distinctions Between Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile". natlawreview.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "Michael Bloomberg has taken Andrew Yang's place as the cryptocurrency candidate". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Cryptocurrency's growing role in US elections". Economist Intelligence Unit. October 9, 2024.
  14. ^ "Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology". The White House. January 23, 2025. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  15. ^ Macheel, Tanaya (March 2, 2025). "Trump announces strategic crypto reserve including bitcoin, Solana, XRP and more". CNBC. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  16. ^ Bambrough, Billy (March 3, 2025). "Trump Reveals U.S. 'Crypto Reserve' Price Bombshell—Sending XRP, Solana, Cardano And Bitcoin Soaring". Forbes. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  17. ^ Niemeyer, Kenneth (March 3, 2025). "'Crypto Capital of the World': Trump selects cryptocurrencies for new strategic reserve". Business Insider. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  18. ^ Suderman, Alan (March 3, 2025). "Trump sends crypto prices soaring after surprise announcement of strategic government reserve". Associated Press. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  19. ^ O'Halloran, Suzanne (March 4, 2025). "Trump creates Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, other cryptocurrencies to be used in stockpile". FOXBusiness. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Bitcoin as a US strategic reserve: Does it make sense? – DW – 03/07/2025". dw.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Bose, Nandita; Ward, Jasper (March 7, 2025). "Trump signs order to establish strategic bitcoin reserve". Reuters. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile". The White House. March 7, 2025.
  23. ^ "Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile". The White House. March 7, 2025.
  24. ^ Bose, Nandita; Ward, Jasper (March 7, 2025). "Trump's order to establish strategic bitcoin reserve draws mixed initial reaction". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  25. ^ "Iran: New Crypto Law Requires Selling Bitcoin Directly to Central Bank to Fund Imports". Asharq Al-Awsat. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "۴۲ شرکت‌ رمرزارز اطلاعات خود را به شاپرک ارائه کردند". Islamic Republic News Agency. March 4, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  27. ^ حیدری, هانا (March 4, 2025). "مرکز ملی فضای مجازی: رمزارزهای جهان روا مانند بیت‌کوین و اتریوم رمزپول نیست و بانک مرکزی فقط تنظیم‌گر رمزپول است".
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bitcoin_reserve
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