US Government Remains a Top Bitcoin Holder With Seized Stash Valued at $5.6 Billion

US Government Remains a Top Bitcoin Holder With Seized Stash Valued at $5.6 Billion

As of March 25, 2023, the U.S. government held 205,515 bitcoins worth $5.6 billion, which is approximately 1.06% of the circulating supply, according to current statistics. The cache of bitcoins is a result of three forfeitures that began in 2020. Glassnode’s on-chain data reveals that on March 9, about 9,860 bitcoins worth roughly $269 million were sent to a Coinbase address. Uncle Sam’s Crypto Stash: How the U.S. Government Became a Top Bitcoin Holder

The U.S. government currently holds 205,515 bitcoins valued at $5.66 billion based on today’s exchange rates. The bitcoins were confiscated in three cases, including the Silk Road bitcoin seizure in November 2020, the 2022 Bitfinex hack confiscation, and the seizure of bitcoins from James Zhong last year. Of the total, 69,369 BTC was seized from “Individual X,” 94,643 BTC was taken from Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan, and 51,326 BTC was seized from Zhong in November 2022.

According to a report from Glassnode on March 9, 2023, some of these bitcoins have moved, reducing the total from 215,338 to 205,515 BTC. “Approximately [40,000 bitcoins] from wallets associated with U.S. Government law enforcement seizures are on the move,” Glassnode reported. “The majority of these appear to be internal transfers (so far). However, around 9,861 [bitcoin] seized from the Silk Road hacker have been sent to our Coinbase cluster.” Screenshot from Glassnode on March 9, 2023.

The current estimate of 205,515 bitcoins (BTC) comes from a Dune Analytics set of metrics created by 21Shares, an exchange-traded product provider. The data shows the U.S. government’s addresses and transaction history. Of the current seized cache of BTC, 44% came from the Bitfinex forfeiture, 32.2% from “Individual X,” and 23.8% from the Zhong seizure. Additionally, the U.S. government may possess more bitcoins than what is tallied up in 21Shares’ data set. The summary notes that the 205,515 BTC is “a lower-bound estimation” based solely on “publicly available information.”

The U.S. government’s seized 205,515 bitcoins constitute a considerable stash compared to that of other large holders. Although smaller than Grayscale’s cache of 643,572 BTC, it surpasses Microstrategy’s stash of 132,500 BTC. Furthermore, compared to the whales in the bitcoin-rich list of addresses, it would be the second largest (if consolidated), falling behind Binance’s bitcoin cold wallet, which holds 248,597 BTC at the time of writing.

The federal government’s bitcoin stash is also larger than the roughly 140,000 BTC in the Mt Gox cache. This isn’t the first time the U.S. government has been a top holder; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was the second-largest BTC holder after seizing the original Silk Road marketplace. However, the government’s stash at that time was depleted after the U.S. Marshals held bitcoin auctions to sell the crypto assets in 2014. Tags in this story Binance, Bitcoin, BitFinex, Blockchain, BTC, BTC holdings, Coinbase, confiscated, Crypto, crypto assets, crypto market, crypto wallet, Cryptocurrency, Decentralized, Digital Currency, Exchanges, FBI, forfeiture, Gov. Bitcoin, Government Bitcoin, Government Holdings, grayscale, James Zhong, Law Enforcement, microstrategy, Mt Gox, on-chain data, seized, Silk Road, silk road hacker, Stash of BTC, U.S. Government, Virtual Currency, Whales

What do you think about the U.S. government’s current bitcoin stash? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Jamie Redman

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today. Greenpeace Unveils "Skull of Satoshi" to Spark Debate Over Bitcoin"s Environmental Impact; Creator Clarifies It "Wasn"t Meant to Be Anti-Bitcoin" NEWS | 3 hours ago Report: Terra Co-Founder Do Kwon Plans to Appeal Detention Extension After Arrest in Montenegro NEWS | 5 hours ago

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Previous articleStablecoin Market Sees Fluctuations With Some Coins Gaining and Others Reducing Supply Next articleReport: Terra Co-Founder Do Kwon Plans to Appeal Detention Extension After Arrest in Montenegro Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Read disclaimerShow comments More Popular NewsIn Case You Missed ItDraft Law Regulating Aspects of Crypto Taxation Submitted to Russian Parliament

A bill updating Russia’s tax law to incorporate provisions pertaining to cryptocurrencies has been filed with the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The legislation is tailored to regulate the taxation of sales and profits in the country’s market ... read more.Bitcoin ATM Operator Indicted in New York Allegedly Running Illegal Business Attracting Criminals Argentinian Securities Regulator Launches Innovation Hub to Discuss Regulated Crypto Investments FBI Issues Alert Concerning Malicious State-Sponsored North Korean Hackers Targeting Crypto Firms Terra"s Algorithmic Dollar-Pegged Crypto UST Is Now the Third-Largest Stablecoin