Crypto assets of the Federal Republic revealed: This is how many Bitcoins German authorities own
Bitcoin has long since established itself as a reserve currency. While institutional investors and countries are increasingly stocking up on “digital gold” and increasing their holdings, the German government is still holding back. How much BTC does the Federal Republic currently own?
Values in this article
Shares
31.32 EUR 0.07 EUR 0.22%
currency
89,552.8321 EUR 1,059.9877 EUR 1.20%
$102,763.1360 $1,124.6785 1.11%
2,923.6126 EUR 52.2041 EUR 1.82%
$3,354.8867 $56.9304 1.73%
138.6689 EUR 3.2335 EUR 2.39%
$159.1245 $3.5702 2.30%
0.1444 EUR 0.0025 EUR 1.79%
$0.1657 $0.0028 1.70%
0.4732 EUR 0.0184 EUR 4.05%
$0.5430 $0.0207 3.96%
315.0283 EUR 19.3668 EUR 6.55%
$361,4994 $21.9174 6.45%
2.1132 ADA -0.0857 ADA -3.90%
0.0000 BTC -0.0000 BTC -1.18%
6.9248 DOGE -0.1240 DOGE -1.76%
0.0003 ETH -0.0000 ETH -1.79%
0.0072 SOL -0.0002 SOL -2.33%
1.8416 ADA -0.0729 ADA -3.81%
0.0000 BTC -0.0000 BTC -1.11%
6.0346 DOGE -0.1025 DOGE -1.67%
0.0003 ETH -0.0000 ETH -1.70%
0.0063 SOL -0.0001 SOL -2.24%
0.0028 XMR -0.0002 XMR -6.06%
• Germany liquidated around 50,000 confiscated Bitcoins in 2024
• According to data from Arkham Intelligence, the current supply is 0.007 BTC
• The federal government still does not see Bitcoin as a store of value and means of payment
Experts cite geopolitical uncertainties, increasing national debt and the devaluation of fiat currencies such as the US dollar as reasons for the growing interest from institutional and government investors, according to Reuters. While the United States and China continue to replenish their inventories, Germany is lagging behind in the crypto race.
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Liquidation instead of accumulation: Germany sells confiscated BTC
It wasn’t until the summer of 2024 that a large-scale sale of confiscated Bitcoin by German authorities caused an international stir. According to media reports, the state of Saxony sold around 50,000 BTC from criminal proceedings on behalf of the federal government. According to the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, the proceeds amounted to around 2.6 billion euros. The confiscated coins came from illegal transactions with pirated copies and were quickly sold in line with the current legal situation. Today the tokens would have an equivalent value of 4.5 billion euros (as of November 4th, 2025).
As can be seen from data from the analysis platform Arkham Intelligence, the Federal Republic’s current holdings are now only 0.00708 BTC, which corresponds to the equivalent of around 638 euros (as of November 4th, 2025). At the beginning of 2023, the federal government had already confirmed in a response to a minor inquiry that “selected federal authorities” had smaller crypto holdings – but not for investment purposes. This means that state crypto ownership in Germany remains negligible.
Other countries consider BTC as a new reserve currency
While Germany has almost completely liquidated its crypto holdings, other countries are pursuing an opposite strategy. According to a recent analysis by Capital.com, the US has around 198,000 BTC, followed by China with 190,000 BTC. Both countries are largely holding the coins through confiscations and have thereby expanded their positions as leading state-owned Bitcoin holders.
Great Britain and Ukraine also hold significant amounts of Bitcoin, partly as a result of criminal proceedings and partly as part of strategic reserves. The Federal Republic, on the other hand, has almost completely abandoned its once bulging “federal wallet”, which at times contained more than 55,000 BTC. The MZ sees the procedure as evidence of Germany’s cautious attitude towards cryptocurrencies.
The federal government remains skeptical
In a response to a small question from the AfD parliamentary group, the federal government explained that the high volatility represents a key obstacle to its widespread use as a store of value or means of payment. Sole legal tender of the Eurozone Therefore, euro banknotes and euro coins remained. At the same time, the government emphasizes that there are no plans to fundamentally ban cryptocurrencies or the operation of BTC networks.
Instead of ownership, the federal government is increasingly relying on regulation. A draft law on crypto regulation from 2025 stipulates that providers of crypto asset services will in future be required to report certain transactions to the tax authorities, according to a statement from the Bundestag. The government primarily wants to create tax transparency and make money laundering more difficult.
Germany stays at a distance
So while governments and institutions like Deutsche Bank increasingly view Bitcoin as a strategic asset and future reserve currency, Germany remains at a distance. The federal government’s official justifications reflect a conservative attitude, which is also reflected in the sale of the confiscated stocks.
In view of global developments in the crypto sector, the Federal Republic acts as a counterpoint to the USA or China, which hold or even expand their holdings over the long term. It remains to be seen whether Germany will reconsider this approach in the future.
Editorial team finanzen.net