Trump signs executive order establishing US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
The White House confirmed that the United States has formally designated Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset, directing the Treasury to hold seized and purchased BTC indefinitely.
Crypto — March 3, 2026
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday formally establishing a United States Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, directing the Treasury Department to treat all government-held Bitcoin as a long-term sovereign asset rather than disposing of it at auction.
The order also directs the Treasury and Commerce departments to evaluate 'budget-neutral strategies' for acquiring additional Bitcoin, potentially through reallocation of existing assets rather than Congressional appropriations.
The US government currently holds approximately 198,000 Bitcoin—valued at roughly $16.6 billion at current prices—seized from criminal and civil forfeiture proceedings including the Silk Road and Bitfinex hack cases.
'We are going to make sure the United States is the crypto capital of the world. We're never selling our Bitcoin,' Trump said at a signing ceremony attended by prominent crypto executives.
The announcement triggered an immediate rally in Bitcoin, which jumped 7.2% in the hour after the signing to briefly touch $90,000 before retreating to around $85,500.
Critics, including several Democratic senators and traditional finance advocates, questioned the financial prudence of the policy. 'Treating a volatile speculative asset as a national reserve is fiscally irresponsible,' said Senator Elizabeth Warren in a statement.
The move positions the United States as the first G7 nation to formally hold Bitcoin as a sovereign reserve asset, potentially putting pressure on other governments to consider similar policies.
