Bitcoin Price Surges Amid Rumors of Hidden Reserve Following Maduro's Downfall

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless otherwise stated) The new year begins on a positive note for crypto, with Bitcoin trading near $92,700, up 1.3% over 24 hours and 5% in the first five days of 2026. Major alternative coins such as XRP, SOL, BNB, and ETH have seen gains of 1%-3% over the past day, with XRP rising 2.49%, SOL up 1.27%, BNB increasing 0.54%, and ETH gaining 0.99%. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) rose 1.25%, indicating strength in the most active assets, while the CoinDesk 80 Index (CD80) gave up early gains, signaling relative weakness in the broader alternative coin market. Analysts attribute the rise in Bitcoin's price to safe-haven demand following the U.S. action in Venezuela and the exhaustion of tax-related selling. Deribit data shows renewed demand from traders for bullish option bets, particularly the $100,000 strike call. Laser Digital noted in an email to CoinDesk, "We observed ETF inflows on January 2nd, following consecutive outflows in December, and 3000x lots of January-end BTC calls were traded on the last day of December." Over the weekend, the U.S. captured President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, sparking speculation on crypto social media that Venezuela might control a shadow Bitcoin reserve worth over $60 billion, comparable to that of Bitcoin treasury company Strategy (MSTR), which holds BTC valued at over $62 billion. However, these claims remain unverified. If true, the U.S. might seize these coins and add them to its strategic BTC reserve, reducing the likelihood of forced selling and highlighting BTC's growing strategic importance as nations compete to accumulate. QCP Capital stated in a market note on Monday, "The prospect of the U.S. adding any seized BTC to its own strategic reserve underscores BTC's rising strategic importance as nations compete to accumulate." Another trending narrative suggests that President Donald Trump could soon tap into Venezuela's 300 billion barrels of oil reserves, potentially increasing supply and leading to a crash in oil prices. This could allow the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates more rapidly. However, analysts point out that having reserves and being able to produce them are two different things. Venezuelan crude from the Orinoco Belt is heavy and impure, making extraction and refinement difficult and expensive, requiring significant investment. This means that the reserves may not be tapped into in the near future, limiting their impact on oil prices. As a result, the anticipated disinflationary impulse by BTC bulls may not materialize soon. In other key news, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced that the network has effectively solved the blockchain scalability trilemma, achieving a balance between decentralization, security, and high transaction speed, thanks to key upgrades like zkEVMs and PeerDAS. In traditional markets, the dollar index rose for the fourth consecutive trading day, surpassing 98.50. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 traded higher. This week, a series of key U.S. data releases is expected, starting with the ISM Manufacturing PMI, followed by the non-manufacturing PMI, the ADP Employment report, and nonfarm payrolls data in the days ahead. Stay alert! Read more: For analysis of today's activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today What to Watch Token Events Conferences Market Movements Bitcoin Stats Technical Analysis Crypto Equities Crypto Treasury Companies ETF Flows Spot BTC ETFs Spot ETH ETFs Source: Farside Investors While You Were Sleeping