Venezuela’s cryptocurrency reserve is estimated at a record $ 67 billion

Bitcoin BTC $92,459.95 Mezo Wrapped BTC 2.81% Market capitalization $52.5 million VOL. 24 hours $1.92 billion jumped sharply to $ 93,000 after the news of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s detention by U.S. security forces on drug trafficking charges. However, for the crypto market, the main factor was not politics but information about possible gigantic BTC reserves in Venezuela.

According to researchers Bradley Hope and Clara Preve, the country’s government could have accumulated a hidden reserve in bitcoin and stablecoins worth $ 56 to $ 67 billion. The beginning of this process is attributed to 2018, when Caracas began selling gold from the Orinoco mining district and converting part of the proceeds into BTC. Just one tranche of 400,000 bitcoins, bought for about $ 5,000, is now estimated at $ 36 billion.

Further accumulation occurred through payments for oil in USDT, which were partially converted to BTC, as well as through the confiscation of mining operations and oil-for-cryptocurrency schemes in 2023−2025. Total estimates reach more than 600,000 BTC, putting Venezuela among the largest cryptocurrency holders in the world — along with BlackRock and MicroStrategy.

For the market, this means a potential shock: Germany’s sale of 50,000 BTC in 2024 caused a 15−20% drop. A stockpile 12 times larger could have a completely different large-scale impact. Analysts are considering three scenarios: freezing the assets and transferring them to the US Treasury; using them as a strategic reserve; or an emergency sale, which is considered the least likely.

If bitcoins remain frozen or become part of the strategic reserve, this will effectively mean the removal of a significant portion of the supply from the market. Such a «lock-up» could support high BTC prices in the first quarter of 2026, even despite short-term volatility. According to experts, Venezuela’s true influence is now determined not by oil but by its cryptocurrency assets.