Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are in US custody
and have pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court to narco-terrorism,
cocaine trafficking and weapons charges.
Meanwhile, data that track sovereign and
corporate Bitcoin treasuries attribute around 240 BTC to the Venezuelan state,
valued in the tens of millions of dollars at recent prices.
Separate reports, however, claim that the Maduro
government may have accumulated a much larger, undisclosed Bitcoin position
while under US sanctions.
According to Whale Hunting, the total holdings could reach
up to 600,000 BTC, implying a notional value of about 60 billion dollars at
current market levels, although these figures remain unconfirmed and rely on
indirect evidence.
If those estimates are correct, the alleged reserve
would represent close to 3% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply and place Venezuela
among the largest known holders.
Alleged Accumulation via Gold Sales
Sources cited in recent analyses link the rumored
reserve to steps Venezuela allegedly took to obtain hard currency while cut off
from much of the global financial system.
According to these accounts, the government sold
physical gold from the Orinoco Mining Arc and used some of the proceeds to buy
Bitcoin, with one tranche estimated at roughly 2 billion dollars executed at an
average price near 5,000 dollars per coin.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇻🇪 US government could seize Venezuela’s Bitcoin & crypto reserves, CNBC says. pic.twitter.com/B6NN05qJFi
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) January 5, 2026
Additional reports say Venezuela’s state oil company
asked some buyers to pay in Tether (USDT) rather than using the traditional
banking system to avoid sanctions-related blocks.
Related: Why Oil Prices Are Falling? Brent and WTI Slip after Maduro Capture in Venezuela as Gold Surges
This alleged reserve-building aligns with domestic
policy shifts. Last year, Venezuelan authorities banned Bitcoin mining and
seized thousands of ASIC machines, citing energy concerns, while also
discontinuing the state-backed Petro token. This was a part of earlier efforts to curb the sector.
Everyone’s focused on the oil… But here’s what’s being missed 👀Venezuela is reportedly among largest Bitcoin holders… Over 600,000 $BTCWorth $55+ BILLION at current pricesThis isn’t just an energy story.It’s a sovereign Bitcoin narrative.And the market hasn’t priced… pic.twitter.com/C5K94i8nfG
— cryptothedoggy (@cryptothedoggy) January 5, 2026
If US investigators identify and secure wallets linked
to Venezuelan state Bitcoin holdings, the coins could become subject to a
complex legal process rather than immediate sale.
A New Focus on Undisclosed Sovereign BTC Exposure
For the Bitcoin market, that kind of freeze would
remove a large block of supply from active circulation and delay any
significant liquidation risk linked to Venezuela. According to market analysts risk sentiment remains strong.
“Overall, risk sentiment is strong and events in Venezuela
did not weigh on positive momentum. However, this does not mean that the recent
events in Venezuela have been dismissed by traders,” said Kathleen
Brooks, Research Director at XTB.
“Instead, they could keep upward pressure on defense stocks
as investors assess who could be the next target for the US, and as Russia and
China get emboldened to violate UN law to meet their own foreign policy goals.”
In 2019, Maduro directed Banco de Venezuela, the nation’s largest bank, to accept deposits of the Petro, Venezuela’s state-backed cryptocurrency. The directive mandated its use across all its branches, according an announcement from the country’s Finance Ministry.
US forces transferred Maduro and his wife from
Venezuela to the USS Iwo Jima and then to New York, where they entered
not-guilty pleas before a federal judge on Monday.
Their detention marks a major escalation in US action
against Venezuela’s former leadership after years of sanctions and diplomatic
confrontation.
This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.
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