🔹 SEC Chair Paul Atkins says it’s still unclear whether the U.S. would seize Venezuela’s purported Bitcoin holdings following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro — “remains to be seen” what action, if any, might be taken.
🔹 Reports claim Venezuela may hold ~600,000 BTC (~$60 billion+ at current prices), but blockchain analysts have not verified these figures on-chain — no confirmed wallets or proof tied directly to the government.
🔹 The alleged Bitcoin “shadow reserve” reportedly stems from:
▪ gold proceeds converted to BTC,
▪ oil payment settlements in stablecoins later swapped to BTC,
▪ and seized domestic mining output from prior years.
🔹 If true, the stash would represent one of the largest Bitcoin holdings in the world, comparable to major institutional holders, but current independent tracking shows Venezuela’s publicly known BTC balance at only a few hundred BTC.
🔹 Key uncertainties remain:
• Whether the stash genuinely exists and is accessible,
• Whether the U.S. would freeze, seize, hold, or liquidate any such assets, and
• What impact a seizure or lock-up would have on Bitcoin’s market supply.
Bottom line: Rumored huge BTC holdings are still speculative and unverified; U.S. policy response is undecided.
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