U.S. Congress Pushes Treasury to Unpack Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

The proposed legislation tasks the Treasury with a range of responsibilities. It must spell out custody procedures and cybersecurity standards to safeguard the reserve’s digital assets, describe interagency transfer protocols, and explain how the reserve will be accounted for on the federal balance sheet. The report must also identify potential third-party contractors for asset custody, assess the risks or obstacles to implementation, and evaluate the reserve’s impact on the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. Should the bill pass both chambers of Congress, these requirements would become binding statutory obligations.

This is not the first federal move toward institutionalizing a Bitcoin reserve. In March 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order establishing both a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile filled with cryptocurrency assets seized by government agencies. The order mandated audits of current holdings and empowered agencies to chart out budget-neutral acquisition strategies for additional assets, highlighting that the program would come at no extra cost to taxpayers.

The reserve has been likened to a digital Fort Knox, with past Treasury practices of selling Bitcoin holdings early highlighted as a source of missed potential gains. Current policy does not include direct government purchases of new Bitcoin. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that while the government does not intend to purchase new Bitcoin directly, it is exploring budget-neutral pathways for future acquisitions and has pledged to halt further sales of existing holdings.

The new bill is significant for several reasons. First, it compels the Treasury to formalize how it will manage and secure digital assets, creating a transition from ad hoc practices to structured governance. Second, the development of a well-regulated reserve could enhance Bitcoin’s credibility as a legitimate institutional asset, potentially encouraging wider adoption among financial institutions and investors. Finally, it has sparked debate, with critics, particularly from the Democratic side—raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest, fiscal prudence, and whether a government-managed crypto reserve truly serves the public interest in a lawful and transparent way.

Momentum is also growing beyond Washington. Several U.S. states have begun pursuing their own strategies to build Bitcoin reserves. Texas passed legislation in June 2025 creating its own state-level Bitcoin reserve, enabling the state to purchase cryptocurrency as part of its asset planning. The move made Texas the third state after Arizona and New Hampshire to formalize such an initiative.

Beyond government-level initiatives, private institutions and public pension funds have quietly begun to explore the notion of incorporating digital assets into their reserve strategies. Financial firms with significant capital, such as hedge funds and university endowments are studying structured Bitcoin custody models as hedges against inflation. While not on the scale of a national reserve, these private considerations illustrate the growing intersection between institutional finance and digital asset governance. The congressional push for transparency and structure could establish benchmarks that inform how non-government entities approach similar strategies.

If enacted, the congressional bill could offer the first comprehensive federal blueprint for digital asset custodianship, interagency coordination, and legal clarity over federal holdings. The report would also shed light on how the reserve interacts with law enforcement proceeds and existing Treasury funding, potentially influencing broader debates over the role of digital assets in national financial strategy. A successful passage would transform the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve from an executive order into a fully documented and accountable framework, marking a significant evolution in U.S. digital asset policy.