Bhutan joins bitcoin-stockpiling surge
The nation joins a slew of other countries hoarding crypto, a trend predicted to accelerate this year.
As the global race heats up to stockpile bitcoin and create crypto national strategic reserves, Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (a new special administration region) announced its “intention to recognize digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and BNB as part of its strategic reserves” on January 8.
Bhutan now holds $1.1 billion in bitcoin (11,688), $2.18 million in ethereum, and a slew of other coins, according to Arkham data.
The US holds the most bitcoin, at 198,109. It also holds $181.9 million in ethereum. There’s continued momentum as Trump enters office to create a national bitcoin strategic reserve, which could grow America’s stockpile to 1 million bitcoin.
Earlier this week, El Salvador, an early champion of bitcoin (it was the first to make bitcoin a legal tender in 2021), announced it added to its hoard, buying 11 bitcoin in December. The country now holds 6,022 bitcoin.
Fidelity Digital Assets recently said in its 2025 Look Ahead report that it expects the trend of nations acquiring bitcoin to accelerate this year.
Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy is a financial journalist who’s written for Dow Jones, The Financial Times Group, and Business Insider, among others.
