U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Fails to Make Open Market Purchases

Eighteen months have passed since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in the U.S.

The order, issued on March 6th, 2025, directed the federal government to treat Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset.

However, it did not instruct the government to purchase Bitcoin with taxpayer funds.

Instead, the reserve was primarily created by consolidating Bitcoin that the government already owned after it had been forfeited through criminal or civil proceedings.

The U.S. government reportedly holds around 328,000 BTC, largely from seizures and forfeitures, while governments globally hold about 435,000 BTC.