U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Wednesday that the nation holds between $15 billion and $20 billion in Bitcoin reserves. In a statement shared by Matthew Sigel on X, He announced the government will stop selling Bitcoin, marking a major shift in how the reserves are managed. “Stop selling Bitcoin,” Bessent said, signaling the change in policy.
According to Bessent, the nation’s Bitcoin reserves are among the largest state-controlled holdings in the world. Most of these coins were acquired through asset seizures over the past several years. He made it clear that there are no plans to buy more Bitcoin, with future reserves expected to come only from seized assets.
Bessent also addressed the country’s gold holdings, stating the U.S. will continue to keep gold as a store of value but is unlikely to revalue it. This approach keeps gold and Bitcoin side by side as part of the nation’s reserve strategy.
The announcement came as Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $123,360 before quickly falling back to $118,357. TradingView data shows the crypto is still up 27.51% so far this year, 96.39% over the past year, and 908.89% higher than five years ago. The sharp retreat followed heavy institutional selling after months of steady gains fueled by strong demand and limited supply.
Bessent’s comments have sparked attention in political circles. Senator Cynthia Lummis has previously proposed the BITCOIN Act, a plan aimed at building a formal strategy for Bitcoin reserves to strengthen U.S. financial resilience.
The Treasury’s decision shows it plans to keep Bitcoin for the long term, alongside gold. By sticking to its gold policy and stopping Bitcoin sales, the U.S. is placing itself firmly in both markets. By keeping the current gold policy while halting Bitcoin sales, the U.S. positions itself as a significant player in both markets.
The U.S. confirming its Bitcoin reserves and ending sales is the clearest sign yet of its growing role in the crypto space.
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