Venezuela Bitcoin Holdings Could Reach $60B, Raising Supply Shock Fears

[TokenTsunami]

Recent reports suggest Venezuela may have accumulated 400,000–600,000 BTC, potentially worth up to $60 billion, through gold-for-crypto swaps, oil trades settled in stablecoins, and seized mining operations.

While headlines focus on politics, the real market relevance lies in supply. Frozen assets or strategic reserves would keep these coins off the market, reducing effective circulating supply.

For comparison, Germany’s sale of 50,000 BTC in 2024 triggered a sharp correction. Venezuela’s rumored holdings are far larger, but also far less likely to be liquidated.

As Bitcoin moves into 2026, structural supply dynamics may matter more than short-term geopolitical noise.

FULL ANALYIS : https://citytelegraph.com/news/295794/venezuela-bitcoin-holdings-60b-supply-shock/?utm_source=monday%205%20jan%20&utm_medium=post%20&utm_campaign=city%20venezuela-bitcoin%20distribution%20

[famososMuertos]

That source (OP) is pure speculation. "Officially," Venezuela hold one of the smallest amounts—around 240¹ BTC (or something close to that). Several sources confirm this, but in reality, the number is higher. Knowing exactly how many there are remains a mystery. My Colega, darbitmobilerecovery², believes the mystery might indeed be true.

Source:
(1)The 240 BTC figure comes from Bitcoin Treasuries via IA.
(2) the mystery  in Spanish:

:://::

[Furball808]

That source (OP) is pure speculation. "Officially," Venezuela hold one of the smallest amounts—around 240¹ BTC (or something close to that). Several sources confirm this, but in reality, the number is higher. Knowing exactly how many there are remains a mystery.

Seems to be only a theory that came from when a few years ago they sold their gold and it seems like no one knows what was the money used for after. There are even stories that Maduro just used it for wrong purposes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Venezuela

Venezuela was historically among the wealthiest economies in South America.

Following the death of socialist populist Hugo Chávez and the succession of Nicolás Maduro, millions of citizens have fled Venezuela as economic migrants. GDP has fallen by 80% in less than a decade.

Considering Venezuela’s economic state, I’d be really surprised to hear if they have some secret stash that Maduro no longer has access to.

[Yaunfitda]

And according to this report:

Analysts estimate that Venezuela has about $60 billion of defaulted bonds outstanding. However, total external debt including PDVSA obligations, bilateral loans and arbitration awards stand at roughly $150-$170 billion, depending on how accrued interest and court judgments are counted, according to analysts.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelas-billions-distressed-debt-who-is-line-collect-2026-01-04/

So their Bitcoin holdings alone could have paid off their debt and yet Maduro didn't do it? So I also highly doubt that Venezuela is holding such big amount of Bitcoin. And I'm nots sure why crypto related news has somewhat painted this news as ''true" with their click-bait articles.

[obuoma]

Venezuela cannot posses this quantity of Bitcoin and it remains hidden from everyone, Unless their deposed president was hiding them from the public, which is the only reason such can go unnoticed. Other sources I have read suggest they have less than 300BTC as a country and this makes is somewhat confusing to know what to believe at this point.

The country is supposed to be rich, they have everything needed to make a country rich if they manage their resources properly so they can consider going into Bitcoin even if it means investing 5% of their GDP. That will place them in a comfortable zone in the next decade because Bitcoin is definitely the future.

[moneystery]

There is no official source saying that they hold so much Bitcoin. The valid source I read says that they only hold 240 BTC, and even that data is from 2022, with no further information on the matter. https://www.coingecko.com/en/treasuries/governments/venezuela

Meanwhile, that large number is only based on unofficial estimates by analysts, so the number cannot be accounted for and is just a rumor. And logically, if they had that much Bitcoin, the condition of their country might not be like that, they might be a better country than it is now.

[buwaytress]

I have criticised El Salvador but at least they have a publicly-disclosed wallet so if anything happens in the future, you can ask their President about the wallet holdings.

But Maduro's regime (not criticising it any other way right now) has never been known to want anything to be transparent. You really think that BTC isn't already spent or reserved for the elite?

Remember Petro, by the way?

[Synchronice]

There is a massive gap between officially claimed 240 Bitcoins and speculated 600K Bitcoins. Bitcoin addresses that hold Bitcoins are publicly known and they are even ranked on certain websites, i.e. you can see a list of addresses that hold most of the coins and the list goes from high to low. 600K Bitcoin in a world where the supply is limited to 21 million Bitcoins and from these 21 millions, 19 millions are mined (two left) and few millions are owned by satoshi / are lost / are burnt / are seized. If Venezuela truly holds 600K Bitcoins, then we need addresses. I doubt there are thousands of Bitcoin addresses where 600K is distributed.

[Mpamaegbu]

Recent reports suggest Venezuela may have accumulated 400,000–600,000 BTC,

400k–600k leaves a big gulf. That margin in what quantity the country could be hodling is so wide that it makes it unrealistic. Even bitget and coingecko sites have it at 240 BTC. It's quite understandably if anyone doubts the information being put out there. The numbers may differ but what is certain is that Venezuela is hodling Bitcoin in her reserve. With what's happening with Maduro and the accusations of narcoterrorism allegations against him by the US, I'm beginning to think it could be the reason for which the country embraced Bitcoin because of anonymity in transactions. Wouldn't that be a possible cause?

For comparison, Germany’s sale of 50,000 BTC in 2024 triggered a sharp correction. Venezuela’s rumored holdings are far larger, but also far less likely to be liquidated.

A lot of us expected a dump in Bitcoin price after Maduro was abducted by the US Delta force but it seems the opposite is happening. Price has been rallying up since then.

[cutecui]

Recent reports suggest Venezuela may have accumulated 400,000–600,000 BTC, potentially worth up to $60 billion, through gold-for-crypto swaps, oil trades settled in stablecoins, and seized mining operations.

While headlines focus on politics, the real market relevance lies in supply. Frozen assets or strategic reserves would keep these coins off the market, reducing effective circulating supply.

For comparison, Germany’s sale of 50,000 BTC in 2024 triggered a sharp correction. Venezuela’s rumored holdings are far larger, but also far less likely to be liquidated.

As Bitcoin moves into 2026, structural supply dynamics may matter more than short-term geopolitical noise.

FULL ANALYIS : https://citytelegraph.com/news/295794/venezuela-bitcoin-holdings-60b-supply-shock/?utm_source=monday%205%20jan%20&utm_medium=post%20&utm_campaign=city%20venezuela-bitcoin%20distribution%20

Since Venezuela cannot possess this amount because there is no official source to support it

[AmoreJaz]

There is a massive gap between officially claimed 240 Bitcoins and speculated 600K Bitcoins. Bitcoin addresses that hold Bitcoins are publicly known and they are even ranked on certain websites, i.e. you can see a list of addresses that hold most of the coins and the list goes from high to low. 600K Bitcoin in a world where the supply is limited to 21 million Bitcoins and from these 21 millions, 19 millions are mined (two left) and few millions are owned by satoshi / are lost / are burnt / are seized. If Venezuela truly holds 600K Bitcoins, then we need addresses. I doubt there are thousands of Bitcoin addresses where 600K is distributed.

We don't really know the truth behind the curtain here. We can't just assume that they really did have about 600k. But this amount is really quite huge that can have some impact in btc market. Whatever amount they have, it is how they will handle such huge value. We can all just speculate and think of the possible repercussions but that's all there is.

[Donneski]

Fascinating claim but I will still take the estimates with caution given the lack of transparency. Venezuela’s history makes it hard to verify anything at scale.

That said, I think your broader point holds up. Long-term price behavior is increasingly driven by structural supply constraints not daily news cycles especially post-halving
(https://www.glassnode.com/insights/bitcoin-supply-dynamics-post-halving).

[serjent05]

Is it not easy to prove by providing the Bitcoin address that hold such funds?  Without the address to back up the claim then this is just a rumor worse just a bait to gather clicks.

There is a massive gap between officially claimed 240 Bitcoins and speculated 600K Bitcoins. Bitcoin addresses that hold Bitcoins are publicly known and they are even ranked on certain websites, i.e. you can see a list of addresses that hold most of the coins and the list goes from high to low. 600K Bitcoin in a world where the supply is limited to 21 million Bitcoins and from these 21 millions, 19 millions are mined (two left) and few millions are owned by satoshi / are lost / are burnt / are seized. If Venezuela truly holds 600K Bitcoins, then we need addresses. I doubt there are thousands of Bitcoin addresses where 600K is distributed.

We don't really know the truth behind the curtain here. We can't just assume that they really did have about 600k. But this amount is really quite huge that can have some impact in btc market. Whatever amount they have, it is how they will handle such huge value. We can all just speculate and think of the possible repercussions but that's all there is.

As I stated, no address to back up the claim, so it leans towards being a lie.  It is reasonable not to believe that Venezuela has 600k BTC in its holdings.  The news is somehow pre-cooked, uttering things that have solid evidence but are just speculation.  If this is not a speculation, articles are very excited to lay evidence and yet the article hon't have.

[kylakevych]

Recent reports suggest Venezuela may have accumulated 400,000–600,000 BTC, potentially worth up to $60 billion, through gold-for-crypto swaps, oil trades settled in stablecoins, and seized mining operations.

While headlines focus on politics, the real market relevance lies in supply. Frozen assets or strategic reserves would keep these coins off the market, reducing effective circulating supply.

For comparison, Germany’s sale of 50,000 BTC in 2024 triggered a sharp correction. Venezuela’s rumored holdings are far larger, but also far less likely to be liquidated.

As Bitcoin moves into 2026, structural supply dynamics may matter more than short-term geopolitical noise.

FULL ANALYIS : https://citytelegraph.com/news/295794/venezuela-bitcoin-holdings-60b-supply-shock/?utm_source=monday%205%20jan%20&utm_medium=post%20&utm_campaign=city%20venezuela-bitcoin%20distribution%20

If these numbers are even partially accurate, the key point really is liquidity rather than politics. Coins that are frozen, seized, or held as strategic reserves don’t behave like normal circulating supply, so their market impact is very different.

The Germany example is a good comparison — forced selling creates immediate pressure, while long-term or inaccessible holdings effectively tighten supply. That said, until there’s more transparency or on-chain confirmation, I’d treat the Venezuela figures with caution. Still, it’s an interesting angle when thinking about supply dynamics beyond just ETFs and miners.

[Amphenomenon]

Following the death of socialist populist Hugo Chávez and the succession of Nicolás Maduro, millions of citizens have fled Venezuela as economic migrants. GDP has fallen by 80% in less than a decade.

Considering Venezuela’s economic state, I’d be really surprised to hear if they have some secret stash that Maduro no longer has access to.

Since the government is corrupt and with the rate of decline in the economy growth, it is obvious that the unknown quantity of bitcoin accumulated are theirs, and the majority may not even be considered the country property ever again.

Nations of such doesn't like transparency and if they ever want/need to show proof, they will find a way to present still a false result.

[Hispo]

It would be possible for the government of Venezuela to have a big quantity of Bitcoin accumulated, but I doubt it is close to such amount.
If they have anything close to 60 billion dollars, it is product of illegal activities and corruption... Or perhaps the commerce of oil with countries like China or India, which used Bitcoin as a way to pay for oil and avoid economical sanctions imposed by the United States.

Still, those Bitcoins are very unlikely to be officially declared by the government, as they like to keep that information secret and away from prying eyes of the press and foreign entities. Let us remember Venezuela is one of the most corrupt countries on the planet.

[davis196]

1.I don't believe that the government of Venezuela holds such amount of BTC. If they truly had that amount of BTC, the national currency of Venezuela won't be in such bad condition. Does anyone remember the PETRO currency, which was introduced by Maduro? What happened with that currency? Was it backed by BTC or oil?
2. Should we really be afraid of such "supply shock" or price correction caused by massive selling? I see this as an opportunity to accumulate more BTC. There's no need for spreading FUD and speculations.
I really want to believe that Venezuela would rebuild its oil industry with the help of big US corporations like Exxon Mobile and triple its oil export. This would cause major GDP growth and it will stabilize Venezuela's national currency. Unfortunately, I'm a bit skeptical.

[Bastketsrus]

1.I don't believe that the government of Venezuela holds such amount of BTC. If they truly had that amount of BTC, the national currency of Venezuela won't be in such bad condition. Does anyone remember the PETRO currency, which was introduced by Maduro? What happened with that currency? Was it backed by BTC or oil?
2. Should we really be afraid of such "supply shock" or price correction caused by massive selling? I see this as an opportunity to accumulate more BTC. There's no need for spreading FUD and speculations.
I really want to believe that Venezuela would rebuild its oil industry with the help of big US corporations like Exxon Mobile and triple its oil export. This would cause major GDP growth and it will stabilize Venezuela's national currency. Unfortunately, I'm a bit skeptical.

I agree. The BTC claims from Venezuela sound exaggerated, and if they were true the economy would look very different. The Petro already showed that these ideas do not work without trust. A big sell off is not scary to me, just another chance to accumulate.