• Turns out, the United States government is sitting on the biggest pile of Bitcoin in the world as of early 2025!
• And they’re not alone! China, the UK, Ukraine, Bhutan, and even El Salvador are also in the Bitcoin holding game.
• How do governments get their hands on Bitcoin? Seizures from criminals, mining it themselves, and even just straight up buying it on the market!

Remember when President Trump made headlines recently? He signed an executive order to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Clever move! He’s planning to use the Bitcoin the government *already* has. This kicked off a real buzz in the crypto world, especially because Trump went a bit further and included some altcoins in the reserve too, not just Bitcoin.

Crypto bigwigs wasted no time jumping in with their opinions on this national crypto stash. It really spotlighted something important in the Bitcoin scene: governments are becoming major players! This whole thing just reinforced the idea that countries are acquiring Bitcoin in various ways – buying it, seizing it, you name it.

So, who are the top dogs when it comes to government Bitcoin holdings in 2025? Let’s dive into the countries with the biggest national Bitcoin portfolios! We’ll look at how they got their Bitcoin and what their plans are to potentially add to their stash. Plus, we’ll touch on nations that are still figuring out what they want to do with crypto custody.

Top 6 Countries Stashing Bitcoin Reserves in 2025:

United States of America

As of early 2025, the US government is holding a whopping 207,189 Bitcoins. Interestingly, most of this massive amount comes straight from law enforcement seizures, and we know exactly where it came from.

Think about the big Bitfinex hack back in 2016. That’s a major source! US law enforcement managed to claw back 94,643 BTC from Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan. This seized treasure is now part of the government’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

But the Bitfinex hack wasn’t the only Bitcoin jackpot. In 2020, the US Justice Department scooped up 69,370 BTC from a wallet linked to the infamous Silk Road dark web marketplace. And the seizures didn’t stop there! There were other hauls contributing to the US Bitcoin pile, including another 12,267 BTC from Bitfinex, 9,800 BTC snagged from James Zhong (another Silk Road player), and even another 2,818 BTC related to – you guessed it – a Bitfinex hack.

All these seizures, along with some smaller catches here and there, add up to the impressive 207,189 Bitcoins the US government was sitting on in early 2025.

Related: Donald Trump Makes It Official: Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, Altcoin Stockpile Is Law

China: The Quiet Bitcoin Giant

Just like the US, China is holding a serious amount of Bitcoin. Even though they’ve never officially said how much they have, we know they seized close to 195,000 BTC back in 2020 from the PlusToken Ponzi scheme.

Here’s the interesting part: the Chinese government moved these coins to the national treasury in 2023. However, they haven’t said if they sold them off or not. But, crypto experts mostly believe China held onto their Bitcoin and might be considering creating their own Bitcoin reserve down the road.

Related: China Mulls Strategic Bitcoin Reserve? Policy Shift Speculation Shakes Crypto Market

United Kingdom: Bitcoin Confiscation in the Fight Against Money Laundering

The UK is following in the footsteps of China and the US, getting its hands on Bitcoin through confiscation. However, the amount the UK has seized is noticeably smaller compared to the US and China.

Looking at the numbers, it seems the UK was holding around 61,245 BTC. Law enforcement agencies are the main reason for the UK’s Bitcoin collection. For them, cracking down on money laundering has been a big priority, and that focus has led to these Bitcoin seizures.

Ukraine: Crypto Donations Amidst Conflict

The conflict with Russia pushed Ukraine to look for alternative ways to get donations. The Ukrainian government started accepting donations in Bitcoin, mainly to fund their defense efforts and help with the humanitarian crisis caused by the war.

By the first quarter of 2025, Ukraine had collected a total of 46,351 BTC. This volume makes Ukraine the fourth-largest government holder of Bitcoin as of early 2025.

Bhutan: Bitcoin Mining for a Stronger Economy

The Kingdom of Bhutan is known to be involved in cryptocurrency mining as part of a bigger plan to explore digital assets. Their Bitcoin reserve is estimated to be around 13,029 BTC, placing them as the fifth-largest government-owned Bitcoin holder.

Bhutan quietly started mining Bitcoin back in 2019, flying under the radar of many crypto analysts for years. Amazingly, their Bitcoin reserve is worth almost 30% of their entire GDP! Reports suggest that Druk Holding & Investments (DHI), which is state-owned, mines between one and five Bitcoins every single day.

It’s interesting to note that Bhutan turned to Bitcoin as a way to boost revenue, especially after their main industry, tourism, took a huge hit during the pandemic. Since then, crypto mining has become a significant income source for this Himalayan nation.

El Salvador: Bitcoin as Legal Tender and a National Reserve

El Salvador made history in September 2021 by making Bitcoin legal tender, the first country in the world to do so. President Nayib Bukele spearheaded this Bitcoin project to boost financial inclusion, create jobs, and make it easier for people to send and receive money from abroad.

Bukele has been leading El Salvador’s Bitcoin accumulation project, including outright Bitcoin purchases. By 2025, El Salvador held around 6,105 BTC, making them the sixth-largest national Bitcoin reserve holder. It’s worth remembering that El Salvador pushed forward with their Bitcoin plan despite criticism from major institutions, including the IMF.