US government holds about $20.5 billion in seized Bitcoin, on-chain trackers show
In brief
- Arkham and Onchain Lens estimate 306,795 BTC, worth about $20.48 billion, across 623 labeled government addresses.
- Total portfolio, including 17,432 ETH and stablecoins, is valued at $20.57 billion to $20.7 billion.
- The 2016 Bitfinex hack accounts for close to a third of the Bitcoin.
- March 2025 executive order directs that forfeited Bitcoin be held, not sold.
- No government Bitcoin sales have been confirmed under the reserve policy.
What the trackers see
The figures come from Arkham Intelligence and Onchain Lens, which label wallets tied to federal agencies. Alongside the Bitcoin, the same data shows 17,432 ETH worth about $33 million, plus smaller balances of WBNB, USDC and USDT.
Bitcoin makes up nearly all of it. At roughly $67,000 per coin, each $1,000 swing in BTC's price moves the portfolio's value by about $300 million (that's simply the math on a stack of more than 306,000 coins).
Seized, not bought
Washington didn't buy any of this. Most of the coins came from criminal and civil forfeitures tied to high-profile cases, and coins seized from the Silk Road darknet marketplace were one of the government's earliest crypto windfalls.
The second major source is the 2016 Bitfinex hack. That case alone delivered more than 94,000 BTC to federal hands, which means close to a third of the government's Bitcoin traces back to a single exchange breach.
From auctions to a reserve
For years, the default was to auction seized coins off. That changed in March 2025, when an executive order established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and directed that forfeited Bitcoin be held indefinitely as a reserve asset rather than sold. The same order set up a separate US Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin holdings like Ether and stablecoins, and those assets follow their own framework.
So is any of it moving?
On-chain tracking flagged roughly $1 billion in BTC moving to Coinbase Prime custody addresses. No sales of government Bitcoin have been confirmed under the reserve policy, according to Crypto Briefing. It's also hard for big transfers to go unnoticed: Arkham and Onchain Lens already label hundreds of federal addresses, so large moves tend to show up in public tracking quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Where did the US government's Bitcoin come from?
The government didn't buy its crypto. Most of the coins came from criminal and civil forfeitures tied to high-profile cases, including Silk Road. The 2016 Bitfinex hack alone delivered more than 94,000 BTC, close to a third of the government's Bitcoin.
Is the US government selling its seized Bitcoin?
A March 2025 executive order set up a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and directed that forfeited Bitcoin be held indefinitely instead of sold. Crypto Briefing reported that no government Bitcoin sales have been confirmed under that policy.
What happens to the government's Ether and stablecoins?
The same executive order created a separate US Digital Asset Stockpile for holdings other than Bitcoin, including Ether and stablecoins. Those assets follow a framework separate from the Bitcoin reserve.
