US Could Potentially Acquire Substantial Bitcoin Holdings If Venezuela's Alleged $60 Billion Reserve Proves True

By Omkar Godbole (Times are ET unless specified otherwise) As we step into 2026, the cryptocurrency market is off to a promising start: Bitcoin, currently priced at $92,777.17, is experiencing a surge, with a 1.3% increase over the past 24 hours and a 5% rise in the first five days of the year. Major alternative coins, including XRP, SOL, BNB, and ETH, have seen gains ranging from 1% to 3% over the past day, with XRP leading at 2.49%, followed by SOL at 1.27%, BNB at 0.54%, and ETH at 0.99%. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has risen by 1.25%, reflecting the strength of the most prominent and active assets, while the CoinDesk 80 Index (CD80) has shed its initial gains, indicating relative weakness in the broader alternative coin market. According to analysts, the recent price increase of bitcoin can be attributed to its safe-haven demand following the US action in Venezuela and the exhaustion of tax-related selling. Deribit data reveals renewed demand among traders for bullish option bets, primarily focusing on the $100,000 strike call. Laser Digital shared with CoinDesk via email, "We observed ETF inflows on January 2nd, following consecutive outflows in December, and the execution of 3000x lots of January-end BTC calls on the last day of December." Over the weekend, the US launched an attack on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro. Since then, speculation has been circulating on crypto social media that Venezuela might be in control of a substantial shadow BTC reserve, potentially comparable to that of the bitcoin treasury company MicroStrategy (MSTR), which holds BTC worth over $62 billion. However, these claims remain unverified. If the rumors are true, the US might seize these coins and add them to its strategic BTC reserve. 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 boosting supply and causing oil prices to plummet. This, in turn, could enable the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates more rapidly. However, analysts point out that having oil reserves and being able to produce them are two different things. Venezuelan crude from the Orinoco Belt is characterized as heavy, impure sour crude, making extraction and refinement challenging and expensive, requiring substantial investments. As a result, 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 significant news, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that the network has effectively resolved the blockchain scalability trilemma, achieving a balance between decentralization, security, and high transaction speed, thanks to key upgrades such as zkEVMs and PeerDAS. In traditional markets, the dollar index has risen for the fourth consecutive trading day, exceeding 98.50. Futures tied 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 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