The U.S. Treasury Department is actively exploring how to best manage the incoming national Bitcoin reserve.
Discussions are underway between Treasury officials and executives from top crypto custody firms in this regard, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Notably, the meetings took place this week. It aims to address the complexities of securing and safeguarding the U.S. Bitcoin holdings.
Specifically, the U.S. Treasury Department met with executives from three prominent crypto custody firms. Anchorage Digital, one of the companies involved, confirmed its participation in the talks.
Nathan McCauley, CEO of Anchorage, stated that the Treasury officials had raised critical questions about best practices to custody a national Bitcoin reserve and manage large digital asset stockpiles.
He also mentioned that the Treasury inquired about the potential effects of custody solutions on stablecoins. McCauley praised the Treasury’s approach, stating:
“The Treasury Department is asking all the right questions. It’s evident that officials are carefully considering the U.S. entry into the digital asset space, fully aware that they are shaping history.”
Third-Party Custody for Immediate Security, Self-Custody for the Future
Furthermore, sources familiar with the matter indicated that the Treasury Department is still in the early stages of developing a plan for securing the Bitcoin reserve.
For now, the Treasury favors using third-party custodians to ensure the immediate safety of the assets. However, there is a long-term vision of transitioning to self-custody, where the government would hold and manage the Bitcoin directly, using cold storage solutions secured by private keys.
How Does the US Hold Current 200K Bitcoin?
As of now, the U.S. government holds approximately 200,000 BTC. In July 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service partnered with Coinbase to help custody its large-scale digital assets. They include Bitcoin, particularly crypto assets from civil forfeiture.
Moreover, in a tweet on Wednesday, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed that the company is working with 145 government entities across federal, state, and local levels in the U.S.
Armstrong noted that following the interest in the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, more government organizations are reaching out to Coinbase for custody services.
Across federal, state, and local, Coinbase now works with 145 government entities in the U.S. and 29 government entities outside the U.S.
In the wake of the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve launching, we're seeing many more take an interest.
We'd like to help everyone custody,… pic.twitter.com/2R0Dy3BuHe
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) March 12, 2025
During a recent event hosted by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, industry executives from companies like BitGo, Casa, and Anchorage Digital discussed the potential state of the government’s Bitcoin stash.
Some humorously speculated that the Bitcoin could be stored in less-than-secure locations, such as a closet or an unsecured hard drive.
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