Donald Trump issued a key procrypt assertion throughout the 2024 Nashville Crypto Convention. He notably said, “For too lengthy, our authorities has violated fundamental guidelines that every one Bitcoiners know wholeheartedly. He repeated this when signing the legislation that created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Previously, the US authorities bought at the least 195,091.75 BTC for $366,493,104. At the moment, these Bitcoins are value $22.2 billion, however the nationwide reserve is between 29,000 and 200,000 Bitcoins.
abstract
- The US is the nation that bought the biggest bitcoin between 195,000 and 199,000 items between 2014 and 2023.
- We missed income from these gross sales quantities to about $21 billion
- It’s broadly believed that the US owns round 200,000 bitcoins, however official information confirms solely 29,000. The remaining bitcoin may be confiscated by thieves and scammers and returned to the victims
US Bitcoin Gross sales 2014 – 2023
Till 2013, there was no Bitcoin within the US. The Drug Enforcement Bureau received 11 Bitcoins throughout its battle with the Silk Street Market. As soon as the operation was completed, a few of the Bitcoin related to the Silk Street was stolen, however the quantity of Bitcoin holdings within the US elevated dramatically.
In 2014, the US authorities started promoting Bitcoin that had been confiscated by auctions. In June, the US bought 29,657 Bitcoins obtained from the Silk Street and bought traders Tim Draper. He paid about $19 million. As of August 5, 2025, these Bitcoins are over $3 billion.
Between December 2014 and November 2015, the US bought 144,341 Bitcoins confiscated from the Silk Street in a worth vary of $270-380 (less expensive than throughout the draper buy). On the time of press, these Bitcoins value practically $16.6 billion.
Through the subsequent public sale, the US bought a lot much less bitcoin. Due to Bitcoin’s long-term worth rise, the US has earned a lot larger returns within the US greenback, promoting a lot smaller quantities of Bitcoin. For instance, in August 2016, the federal government bought 2,719 BTC for $1,600,000 from a number of sources, together with Silk Street drug supplier Matthew Gillm.
In March 2018, the US received $42,000,000 to promote 3,813 Bitcoin confiscated from numerous criminals. The US ex-s then eliminated 2,170 bitcoins. This was obtained primarily from Sean Bridges, the Secret Service agent who stole Bitcoin that was confiscated throughout the investigation of the Silk Street. The bidder paid $18.7 million.
It was March 2023 that the US publicly bought Bitcoin. The federal government bought 9,861 bitcoins from Jameszon and stole them from the Silk Street Market. The federal government received $215,000,000 (or misplaced about $900 million when utilizing fashionable Bitcoin costs). After this sale, the US moved round 36,000 bitcoins in a number of transactions to Coinbase, however no gross sales have been reported. Maybe the transaction was made solely to vary the custodian.
How a lot BTC did the US promote? Have extra international locations bought extra?
We report on the quantity of BTC bought by the US. Some have named a price of about 195,000 BTC, whereas others have named a sale of about 199,000 BTC. That’s, the US bought $22.2 billion and $22.6 billion value of Bitcoin at $114,000 per Bitcoin, incomes between $366.5 million and $422.2 million. The income missed are over $21 billion.
In 2024, Germany bought 54,000 BTC infamously at a worth of round $57,900, shortly earlier than the worth of BTC doubled. In any case, Germany missed about $3 billion, however not within the US quantity.
learn extra: German BTC gross sales have solely 4,925 bitcoins left to switch
In 2021, Finland bought 1,900 BTC confiscated from a drug crime. The federal government has received about $47 million. Most of this cash was arrange for donations to Ukraine.
With over 10,000 BTC on its steadiness sheet, Bhutan is taken into account one of many high BTC holders within the nation. Nevertheless, the federal government generally sells Bitcoin. Nevertheless, these gross sales are far lower than the gross sales made by the US or Germany.
I do not know all of the circumstances of nations that promote Bitcoin, however the jurisdiction is just not bought as a lot because the US.
How a lot BTC does the US personal now?
Many use Arkham’s intelligence company to evaluate US authorities cryptocurrency holdings. Analyze and place blockchain information to point out the cryptographic possessions of varied giant entities. In line with Arkham, the US at present owns 198,022 BTC (over $22 billion as of August 5, 2025), practically 60,000 ETH (over $210 million as of August 5, 2025), and plenty of different cryptocurrencies value lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
Did the US authorities promote 170,000 BTC ($20 billion)?
no. This freedom of data requires response from the US Former S-Service (USMS). It cites it as holding 28,988 BTC ($3.4 billion), however different sectors of the US authorities have seized and held Bitcoin, together with the FBI.
– Arkham (@arkham) July 23, 2025
Nevertheless, it is very important distinguish between “possession” and “retention.” Not all US crypto property are owned by the federal government. The US holds it as a result of the property confiscated are authorities property, and seized property function proof of the crime and might be returned to the sufferer of crime sooner or later.
For instance, 667.624 Bitcoin seized from the founding father of fraud operation Hash Fraa in 2022 is just not held by the US ex-sert s service. The identical applies to a whopping 94,000 Bitcoins seized from Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein. These seized property might finally land within the pockets of victims of Hash Flaa fraud. The Division of Justice has already advisable that you simply return the stolen Bitcoin in a hack to Bitfinex.
In line with information obtained by journalist Lola Leetz in July 2025, the US ex-s owns practically 29,000 bitcoins, a lot decrease than what’s proven on the Arkham web site. That does not imply that the US bought the remainder of the Bitcoin (a frequent false allegations repeated by many, together with Sen. Cynthia Ramis). Slightly, that implies that the standing and way forward for practically 170,000 Bitcoins is unclear, and it’s too early to argue that the US really owns them. It is higher to say that the federal government is maintaining them for now.
Eugeniy Kitkin, EMCD’s chief enterprise growth officer, made clear, “Alternatively, the seized Bitcoin will probably be held briefly — awaiting court docket choices and authorized resolutions. They aren’t but authorities property, and plenty of could not.”
Shawn Younger, chief analyst at MEXC Analysis, provides that in terms of strategic Crypto Holdings, individuals want to raised perceive authorized nuances.
“For now, accumulating corporations like micro-strategic methods stay the principle reserves of institutional BTC. These contradictions spotlight the necessity for a extra clear schooling than the general public, specializing in how digital property are handled inside authorized and institutional frameworks.
You would possibly prefer it too: The US ex-sert s service has revealed it holds practically 29K of Bitcoin, fairly than the anticipated 207K. What does that imply?
