US Treasury Secretary Confirms Seized BTC to Join SBR
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told journalist Christine Lee that the administration will halt all sales of seized Bitcoin and instead add it to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). Bessent emphasized that this initiative is part of a larger effort to bring digital-asset innovation onto US soil while keeping federal oversight of seized cryptocurrency.
When asked about the government's handling of BTC seized from developers linked to Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet, Bessent declined to comment on ongoing litigation but stressed that any seized BTC would be retained by the federal government after legal damages are resolved, rather than being sold at auction as in prior years. "This administration's policy is to add seized Bitcoin to our digital asset reserve," Bessent said, highlighting the first step in implementing the SBR: stopping all sales.
The reserve, established under a March 2025 executive order, treats Bitcoin as a long-term strategic asset, akin to gold or petroleum stockpiles. Bessent also framed the broader strategy as pro-innovation and pro-onshore, aiming to make the US the "best regulatory regime for digital assets" and citing bipartisan legislation such as the Genius Act, which codifies stablecoin rules at the federal level.
US Officials Deny Sale of Samourai Wallet Bitcoin
Last week, US officials denied reports that BTC forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers had been sold, confirming the assets will remain part of the SBR under Executive Order 14233. Patrick Witt of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets stated that the Department of Justice confirmed the 57.55 BTC, worth roughly $6.3 million, has not and will not be liquidated.
The clarification came after earlier reports suggested the US Marshals Service may have transferred the BTC to Coinbase Prime, fueling speculation of a sale that would have violated the executive order. Journalist Frank Corva reported that the US Marshals Service appeared to have sent the 57.55 BTC forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers directly to a Coinbase Prime address, which showed a zero balance, suggesting the BTC may have already been sold. If true, this selling would contradict Executive Order 14233, which requires forfeited bitcoin to be held in the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve rather than liquidated.
Patrick Witt's confirmation alleviated market concerns, signaling that the US government is strictly adhering to the executive order and using seized Bitcoin as a strategic reserve rather than a source of revenue.