US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
What the March 2025 executive order establishes, which Bitcoin may qualify, and why unofficial wallet estimates are not an audited reserve balance.
In the cited White House order or fact sheet
Subject to the order's conditions
Signed by President Trump
What is the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?
The US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was established by executive order on March 6, 2025. The order directs the Treasury Secretary to administer custodial accounts collectively called the reserve and treats deposited Bitcoin as a reserve asset under the order's no-sale rule and applicable law.
As of July 29, 2026, the cited White House and Treasury sources do not publish a verified aggregate reserve balance. The order required agencies to provide a non-public accounting to Treasury and the President's Working Group. Wallet-attribution estimates, seized amounts, pending forfeitures, and Bitcoin already deposited in the reserve are different measures and should not be added together as an official total. The order directs Treasury and Commerce to develop budget-neutral acquisition strategies but does not itself report an acquisition or reserve balance.
Primary sources: Executive Order 14233 and the White House fact sheet, and Treasury's 2026–2030 strategic plan.
Reserve Treatment
Deposited Bitcoin is maintained as a US reserve asset under the order's no-sale rule and applicable law.
Final Forfeiture Matters
A seizure is not enough: the order's capitalization rule applies to finally forfeited Treasury Bitcoin meeting its conditions.
Conditional Acquisition
The order requests budget-neutral strategy development; it does not identify a completed purchase method or guarantee future growth.
How does the reserve work?
Bitcoin may first come into federal custody through a criminal or civil case, but seizure alone does not make it reserve property.
The order defines reserve-eligible Government BTC as Bitcoin that is finally forfeited or received for a civil money penalty, subject to statutory and victim-related obligations.
Treasury Bitcoin meeting those conditions capitalizes the reserve; other agencies were directed to review whether they have authority to transfer eligible Bitcoin.
Bitcoin deposited in the reserve is subject to the order’s no-sale rule, applicable law, court orders, and the exceptions listed in the order.
Treasury and Commerce were directed to develop possible additional-acquisition strategies only if they are budget neutral and impose no incremental taxpayer cost. The order does not announce a purchase program.
Note: The executive order also created a separate US Digital Asset Stockpile for eligible non-Bitcoin digital assets that are finally forfeited. The Treasury Secretary may determine stewardship strategies for those assets, including potential sales, subject to law and the order's listed exceptions.
Jan 23, 2025
Executive Order 14178 creates a presidential working group and directs it to evaluate a potential national digital asset stockpile.
Mar 6, 2025
Executive Order 14233 establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the separate US Digital Asset Stockpile.
30-day direction
The order directs agencies to account for Government Digital Assets and review transfer authority. It does not require that accounting to be published.
60-day direction
The order directs Treasury to evaluate legal and investment considerations, including whether legislation is needed; it does not say the evaluation will be public.
May–Jun 2025
Arizona, New Hampshire, and Texas enacted different digital-asset measures. Their official legislative records define materially different programs.
No official aggregate published
Reserve balance status as of July 29, 2026
Order text:Bitcoin deposited in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve “shall not be sold” and is maintained as a reserve asset, subject to applicable law and the order's provisions.
Eligible source
Final forfeiture
Treasury Bitcoin must be finally forfeited in a criminal or civil proceeding, or received for a civil money penalty, and must meet the order's other conditions.
Agency transfer
Authority review
Other agencies were directed to review their legal authority to transfer eligible Government BTC. The order does not say every seized coin transfers automatically.
Published total
Not disclosed
The cited official sources require an agency accounting to federal officials but do not publish a verified aggregate balance or wallet list.
Methodology: This page does not combine blockchain-wallet attribution, government custody, seizure announcements, pending forfeiture claims, or finally forfeited reserve assets. Those categories can overlap and do not establish a public official reserve total.
Reviewed July 29, 2026 against Executive Order 14233 and the accompanying White House fact sheet. Those sources publish rules and reporting duties, not an aggregate BTC figure.
Selected enacted state measures
Official legislative records reviewed July 29, 2026. These laws have different funding, custody, and investment rules and are not interchangeable with the federal reserve.
Arizona
HB 2749
Created a Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund funded through specified proceeds from unclaimed digital assets; it is not a general authorization to invest 10% of state funds in Bitcoin.
Official legislative recordNew Hampshire
HB 302
Authorized the state treasury to invest under statutory conditions in precious metals and qualifying digital assets.
Official legislative recordTexas
SB 21
Established the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as a special fund outside the state treasury, administered by the comptroller.
Official legislative recordComparing Government Bitcoin Holdings
Cross-country rankings should be treated cautiously. This page omits approximate country totals because they are not drawn from a single official, consistently defined, date-matched dataset.
Definitions differ
Published country estimates may mix seized assets, final forfeitures, state mining, purchases, custody for victims, and attributed blockchain wallets.
Dates differ
Blockchain balances and legal ownership can change independently. A wallet snapshot is not necessarily a current government accounting.
No common official dataset
This guide did not identify a primary government source that audits every country's holdings under one methodology, so it does not publish a ranking.
US figure remains undisclosed
Executive Order 14233 required agency accounting to US officials but the cited order and fact sheet do not state a public aggregate reserve balance.
Methodology note: Reviewed July 29, 2026. A comparable ranking would need the same ownership definition, legal status, custody boundary, valuation date, and official reporting standard for every jurisdiction.
“The government is buying Bitcoin with taxpayer money.”
The order initially capitalizes the reserve with qualifying finally forfeited Treasury Bitcoin. It also directs Treasury and Commerce to develop possible additional-acquisition strategies, but only if they are budget neutral and impose no incremental taxpayer cost.
“The government can sell the reserve whenever it wants.”
Bitcoin deposited in the reserve is subject to the order's no-sale rule. The order must still be implemented consistently with applicable law and contains exceptions for court orders, victim returns, law-enforcement uses, and statutory obligations.
“This makes Bitcoin a government-controlled currency.”
Holding Bitcoin does not by itself change the Bitcoin protocol or give the US government unilateral control over the network. Reserve policy concerns government custody and management of assets.
“Only the federal government is doing this.”
State policy is separate from the federal order. By July 2026, official legislative records show enacted but materially different measures in Arizona, New Hampshire, and Texas; they should not be treated as one uniform policy.
“The reserve guarantees Bitcoin’s price will go up.”
No. The order makes no price promise, and the cited official sources do not publish a verified reserve balance from which to calculate market impact. Bitcoin prices depend on many factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?
The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is the collective name Executive Order 14233 gives to Treasury-administered custodial accounts for qualifying Government BTC. The order was signed March 6, 2025 and treats Bitcoin deposited there as a US reserve asset.
How many Bitcoin does the US government hold?
As of July 29, 2026, the cited White House and Treasury sources do not publish a verified aggregate balance. Private wallet-attribution estimates, seized assets, pending forfeitures, government custody, and Bitcoin deposited in the reserve are different measures and may overlap.
When was the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve established?
The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was established on March 6, 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order creating both the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate US Digital Asset Stockpile.
Can the government sell Bitcoin from the reserve?
The order says Bitcoin deposited in the reserve shall not be sold and shall be maintained as a US reserve asset. Implementation remains subject to applicable law, court orders, victim-related obligations, law-enforcement uses, and the order's listed statutory exceptions.
How does the US acquire Bitcoin for the reserve?
The initial capitalization rule covers qualifying finally forfeited Treasury Bitcoin and Bitcoin received for civil money penalties, subject to the order's conditions. Other agencies were directed to review transfer authority. Treasury and Commerce were also directed to develop possible budget-neutral acquisition strategies, but the order itself does not announce purchases.
What is the US Digital Asset Stockpile?
The US Digital Asset Stockpile is a separate set of Treasury-administered custodial accounts for qualifying non-Bitcoin digital assets that are finally forfeited. The Treasury Secretary determines stewardship strategies in accordance with law, and the order permits dispositions in specified circumstances.
Which US states have their own Bitcoin reserve?
State measures differ. Official records reviewed July 29, 2026 show that Arizona enacted HB 2749 for an unclaimed-property-derived Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund, New Hampshire enacted HB 302 authorizing certain treasury investments, and Texas enacted SB 21 establishing a state strategic Bitcoin reserve. Check each legislature for current implementation details.
How does the US Bitcoin Reserve compare to other countries?
There is no single official, consistently defined cross-country dataset cited by this guide. Country comparisons often mix seizures, final forfeitures, state mining, purchases, custody for victims, and attributed wallets, so this page does not rank governments by an approximate BTC total.
Does the Bitcoin Reserve affect Bitcoin's price?
The order does not guarantee any price effect. The cited official sources do not publish a verified aggregate reserve balance, and Bitcoin prices depend on many market and macroeconomic factors.
Is the Bitcoin Reserve like Fort Knox for crypto?
The comparison is only an analogy. Executive Order 14233 creates Treasury-administered custodial accounts for qualifying Bitcoin and gives deposited Bitcoin reserve-asset treatment; it does not describe a physical facility or call the reserve 'Fort Knox.'
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