Trump signs executive order to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and digital asset stockpile

Key Takeaways

• President Trump signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve composed of Bitcoin obtained through federal forfeitures.
• The reserve will hold 200,000 Bitcoin as a store of value and will not proceed with premature sales to avoid losing taxpayer value.

President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, using the Bitcoin stash obtained through federal criminal and civil asset forfeiture proceedings, David Sacks, Trump’s AI and crypto czar wrote on X on Thursday.

The EO comes ahead of the White House Crypto Summit, the first of its kind, which is set to take place in less than 48 hours. According to an early report from Bloomberg, the President was considering a policy change to create a national digital asset stockpile by retaining Bitcoin and other crypto assets seized in criminal cases.

The reserve will hold an estimated 200,000 Bitcoin currently owned by the federal government, though a complete audit has never been conducted. The executive order mandates a full accounting of the government’s digital asset holdings.

“The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value,” said David Sacks, reiterating that the US government’s premature sale of confiscated Bitcoin resulted in a missed opportunity to gain approximately $17 billion.

The EO also authorizes the Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce to develop budget-neutral strategies to acquire additional Bitcoin—ensuring that such acquisitions do not impose extra costs on American taxpayers.

Introducing the US digital asset stockpile

Beyond Bitcoin, the EO also established the “US Digital Asset Stockpile,” which will include other digital assets that have been forfeited in criminal or civil proceedings.

The government will not actively acquire additional digital assets beyond those obtained through forfeiture. The Treasury Department will oversee the responsible management of this stockpile.

The announcement reflects President Trump’s push to make the US the “crypto capital of the world.” The administration has been vocal in its support for digital asset innovation and regulatory clarity.

Government officials, industry leaders, and policymakers are expected to discuss the implications of the strategic Bitcoin reserve and the broader role of digital assets in the US economy at the White House Crypto Summit tomorrow.