Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

The idea is that a state keeps bitcoin as a reserve asset, similar to gold, instead of selling coins it acquires. In March 2025 a US executive order established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve funded with bitcoin the federal government already owned, mostly coins forfeited in criminal and civil cases, together with a separate stockpile for other digital assets.

The order says the reserve should not sell its bitcoin and allows only budget-neutral ways to acquire more, so it does not commit taxpayer money to new purchases. Bills in Congress and in several US states have proposed reserves of their own, and some passed at state level. Other countries hold bitcoin from seizures or, in El Salvador's case, from direct purchases.

Supporters see it as a hedge and a signal of legitimacy; critics point to price volatility and to the risk that policy changes with each administration. The size of government holdings is often estimated from public blockchain data rather than from official accounts.