US Could Potentially Acquire a Substantial Bitcoin Reserve Amid Venezuela's Alleged $60 Billion Stash

By Omkar Godbole (Times are ET unless specified otherwise) As we enter 2026, the crypto market is off to a positive start: Bitcoin is trading near $92,700, having risen by 1.3% over the past 24 hours and 5% in the first five days of the year. Major alternative cryptocurrencies such as XRP, SOL, BNB, and ETH have seen increases ranging from 1% to 3% over the past day, with XRP experiencing a 2.49% gain, SOL a 1.27% gain, BNB a 0.54% gain, and ETH a 0.99% gain. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has risen by 1.25%, indicating strength in the most prominent and active assets, while the CoinDesk 80 Index (CD80) has relinquished its initial gains, signaling relative weakness in the broader alternative cryptocurrency market. Analysts attribute the rise in bitcoin's price to safe-haven demand following the US action in Venezuela and the exhaustion of tax-related selling. Data from Deribit reveals renewed demand from traders for bullish option bets, primarily the $100,000 strike call. According to Laser Digital, 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 executed on the last day of December." Over the weekend, the US launched an attack on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro. Since then, speculation has emerged on crypto social media that Venezuela might be in control of a shadow bitcoin reserve exceeding $60 billion, potentially comparable to that of the bitcoin treasury company MicroStrategy (MSTR), which holds bitcoin worth over $62 billion. These claims, however, remain unverified. If the claims are true, the US may seize these coins and add them to its strategic bitcoin reserve. As QCP Capital noted in a market note on Monday, "The prospect of the US adding any seized BTC to its strategic reserve reduces the likelihood of forced selling and highlights BTC's growing strategic importance as nations compete to accumulate." Another trending narrative suggests that President Donald Trump may soon tap into Venezuela's 300 billion barrels of oil reserves, potentially increasing supply and leading to a drop in oil prices. This, in turn, could enable the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates more quickly. However, having oil reserves and being able to produce them are two distinct things. Several analysts have pointed out that the Venezuelan crude from the Orinoco Belt is heavy, impure sour crude, making extraction and refinement difficult and expensive, requiring significant investment. This implies that the reserves may not be tapped into in the near future, limiting their impact on oil prices. In other words, the anticipated disinflationary impulse by BTC bulls may not materialize soon. In other key news, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated 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 has risen for the fourth consecutive trading day, surpassing 98.50. Futures linked to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 have traded higher. This week, we can expect a series of key US data releases, starting with the ISM Manufacturing PMI later today, followed by the non-manufacturing PMI, the ADP Employment report, and nonfarm payrolls data in the coming days. Stay alert! Read more: For an analysis of today's activity in alternative cryptocurrencies and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today. What to Watch Token Events Conferences Market Movements Bitcoin Statistics Technical Analysis Crypto Equities Crypto Treasury Companies ETF Flows Spot BTC ETFs Spot ETH ETFs Source: Farside Investors While You Were Sleeping