U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in remarks made at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s goal of positioning the U.S. as a global leader in cryptocurrency and digital asset innovation.
Bessent stated that the Washington administration has not backed down from its plan to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Speaking at a press conference in Davos, Bessent stated that the US wants to create the “best regulatory regime” for digital assets, adding that this approach will encourage creativity and innovation. Recalling that a presidential decree signed by Trump mandated that the US government hold Bitcoin as a strategic asset, Bessent also mentioned that expanding the reserve through “budget-neutral” methods is under consideration.
The Treasury Secretary did not answer a question about whether the approximately $6 million worth of Bitcoin seized as part of the plea agreement with Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill had been sold. Last week, Patrick Witt, a White House crypto advisor, stated that the Bitcoin had not been liquidated and that this did not violate Trump’s strategic Bitcoin reserve decision.
Trump established the basic framework for a strategic Bitcoin reserve with a presidential executive order he signed in March 2025. The order explicitly stated that the Bitcoins in the reserve would initially consist of assets seized in judicial or legal proceedings, and that these Bitcoins could not be sold. Bessent said the government’s priority was to “stop Bitcoin sales,” and that this step had been taken, after which the reserve could be expanded through asset seizures.
*This is not investment advice.
