Which Country is the Biggest Bitcoin Whale?

Key Insights

• The United States is the world’s biggest Bitcoin holder among countries, with over $15 billion worth of BTC, and $200 million in ETH and stablecoins
• The United Kingdom and Germany follow the US with substantial Bitcoin holdings.
• Despite being the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, El Salvador holds less Bitcoin than the US, UK, and Germany.
• The US government adds Bitcoin to its holdings almost every week, mostly through seizures from criminal activity.

The biggest crypto whales are believed to be individuals and sometimes, companies.

For example, MicroStrategy is the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in the world, with around 214,245 Bitcoins in its coffers, worth $14.46 billion, according to data from SaylorTracker.

When it comes to individuals, the largest single holders aside from Satoshi Nakamoto himself, are believed to be the Winklevoss Twins, with anywhere between 70,000 – 120,000 BTC worth around $6 billion.

But what if someone mentioned that world governments are actually some of the largest Bitcoin whales out there?

Let’s go over a recent report from Arkham Intelligence, detailing some of the richest Bitcoin whale countries.

United States Holds the Most

According to the report from Arkham Intelligence, the US currently stands as the largest holder of Bitcoin among countries worldwide, with a staggering 212,847 BTC in its custody.

This means that the United States government holds around $15 billion worth of the cryptocurrency, which is more Bitcoin than MicroStrategy and the Winklevoss twins own combined.

Moreover, Arkham Intelligence data shows that Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency the US government holds.

The crypto behemoth also holds about $200 million in other cryptos like Ethereum, as well as stablecoins like USDC and Tether.

United Kingdom and Germany Follows

Right after the US, we have countries like the UK and Germany, with massive amounts of Bitcoin.

For example, the United Kingdom holds a staggering 61,245 BTC valued at around $4.5 billion at the time of writing, and Germany follows with around 49,858 BTC, worth roughly $3.5 billion.

The interesting part about all of this is with El Salvador.

Despite being the first country to make Bitcoin legal tender, El Salvador has a smaller Bitcoin stash compared to the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, with only about 5,717 BTC, worth about $405 million according to data from NayibTracker.

How Do These Countries Hold the Maximum Bitcoins?

According to Arkham, all of this data is available via a new, recently developed tool.

This tool offers a real-time view of the balances, as well as the transaction histories of world governments, standing as one of the biggest milestones when it comes to transparency.

But where did these countries get so much Bitcoin?

Interestingly enough, as shown by the snapshot below, the US has been actively increasing its Bitcoin holdings.

We can see here, that the US government adds Bitcoin to its holdings almost every week, with the latest addition being 14.5 Bitcoin only a week ago.

Moreover, over the last year, the US government has also added upwards of 4,000 Bitcoin to its holdings, with most of these coming from seizures from criminals and criminal activity, as 94,600 BTC seized from the Bitfinex hack.

Overall, Arkham’s new tool is a game changer for the crypto industry, as it highlights the roles that world governments play behind the scenes, in the crypto landscape.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as financial advice. Investing in cryptocurrencies involves substantial risk, including the possible loss of your capital. Readers are encouraged to perform their own research and seek guidance from a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Voice of Crypto does not endorse or promote any specific cryptocurrency, investment product, or trading strategy mentioned in this article.