Bitcoin ownership in the US has moved ahead of gold. Data cited by River from The Nakamoto Project and Gold IRA Guide shows 50 million Americans own Bitcoin, compared with 37 million who own gold, a gap of 35%. The comparison returned to the spotlight as Bitcoin climbed above $77,000 this week.
US dominance extends beyond retail ownership
The report says the US lead is not limited to individual holders. Americans control 40% of the global Bitcoin supply, more than any other country. US public companies represent 94.8% of all corporate Bitcoin holdings worldwide. The US government itself holds about 198,000 BTC, equal to 65% of all Bitcoin held by governments globally.
The country still has the world’s largest national gold reserve at 8,133 tonnes. Even so, public debate is shifting toward whether part of that reserve should be reallocated.
Survey data shows support for converting some gold reserves
A separate survey from The Nakamoto Project, conducted with Qualtrics across 3,345 Americans, found that 4 in 5 respondents support converting some portion of US gold reserves into Bitcoin. The median recommendation came in at 10%. Among Americans under 45, that figure rose to 24%.
The numbers point to a clear age split. Younger respondents showed a much stronger willingness to move part of national reserves into Bitcoin.
Why the 2026 backdrop changes the weight of this data
According to the report, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Vanguard have opened Bitcoin ETF distribution to clients this year. That puts Bitcoin exposure in front of large networks of wealth advisers for the first time. Goldman Sachs also said 71% of institutional investors plan to increase their crypto allocation over the next 12 months.
At the policy level, the CLARITY Act is approaching a final Senate vote. JPMorgan said negotiations are down to two or three unresolved issues. If passed, the bill would give Bitcoin a more durable legal footing. The article also says XRP ETF inflows are projected to reach $5 billion on that development.
Adoption breadth does not mean ownership depth is equal
River argued that America’s story began with sound money, with wealth historically stored in gold-backed money, and that Bitcoin now carries that role forward. The report also included a caution: the data counts someone holding $50 of Bitcoin on Coinbase the same way it counts a major holder. Ownership depth remains uneven, and gold still dominates at the institutional and central bank level.
Still, the pace of Bitcoin adoption stands out. Bitcoin ETFs reached $10 billion in assets in seven weeks, while the first gold ETF took more than two years. The article adds that Bitcoin’s daily price volatility is now moving closer to that of gold and the S&P 500.