President Donald J. Trump has signed an Executive Order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile.

“Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve...With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, there is a strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” read a statement from the White House on Thursday.

The move, announced ahead of the White House Crypto Summit, signals a major shift in how the U.S. government handles Bitcoin and other digital assets seized in criminal and civil cases.

Bitcoin as a reserve asset

Under the order, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve will be capitalized with Bitcoin owned by the U.S. Department of Treasury, which has been forfeited as part of asset seizures. Other government agencies will evaluate their authority to transfer additional Bitcoin holdings into the reserve.

“The United States will not sell bitcoin deposited into this Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which will be maintained as a store of reserve assets,” the statement read.

The Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce have also been directed to develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring more Bitcoin, ensuring that taxpayers do not bear any additional costs.

Beyond Bitcoin, the executive order also creates a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile, which will hold other digital assets seized through forfeiture.

“The government will not acquire additional assets for the U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile beyond those obtained through forfeiture proceedings.”

While Bitcoin will be permanently held, other digital assets in the stockpile could be sold based on recommendations from the Treasury Department.

Fixing a broken crypto policy

The executive order aims to bring order to the government's handling of seized cryptocurrencies, which have long been scattered across different agencies without a clear strategy.

“The Executive Order begins to resolve the current disjointed handling of cryptocurrencies seized through forfeiture by, and scattered across, various Federal agencies,” the statement added.

The government has already lost over $17 billion by selling seized Bitcoin prematurely instead of holding it. “Premature sales of bitcoin have already cost U.S. taxpayers over $17 billion.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed support for cryptocurrency, promising to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.”

“President Trump promised to make the United States the ‘crypto capital of the world,’ emphasizing the need to embrace digital assets to drive economic growth and technological leadership.”