U.S. Government’s Substantial Bitcoin Holdings Exceed $5 Billion
According to a recent analysis, the U.S. government’s confirmed Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) holdings amount to $5 billion, a sum primarily stemming from three documented seizures. Specifically, the U.S. government’s Bitcoin holdings total 194,188 BTC, or approximately $5.3 billion, based on data from crypto firm 21.co, as reported by Cointelegraph. These figures are considered conservative estimates, as they rely on publicly available information.
These holdings trace back to three significant BTC seizures reported since 2020, including the Silk Road seizure in November 2020 (69,369 BTC), the Bitfinex Hack seizure in January 2022 (94,643 BTC), and the James Zhong seizure in March 2022 (51,326 BTC). The total of $5 billion is derived from these three seizures.
The government securely stores these BTC assets offline using hardware wallets, which are encrypted storage devices managed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service. It’s important to note that the government does not gain immediate control of the seized assets; instead, the U.S. Marshals Service, the primary agency responsible for liquidating seized assets, assumes ownership after a court issues a final forfeiture order and transfers the tokens.
The significance of these holdings lies in the potential impact on cryptocurrency prices and the broader digital asset market should the U.S. government decide to sell these assets. Jarod Koopman, executive director of the IRS’s cyber and forensics services section, has emphasized that the government doesn’t actively speculate on the market; rather, the timing of their asset liquidation is determined by their established procedures.
Notably, the government does not engage in HODLing (holding onto assets without the intention to sell) or waiting for the token value to appreciate before divestment. Instead of the traditional auction system based on court liquidation orders, the government now seeks to offload any seized tokens through crypto exchanges. In March 2023, a public filing indicated the disposal of 9,118 BTC on Coinbase by the government.
