As October slowly comes to an end, it has been a particularly eventful month — especially after news broke that U.S. authorities had seized 127,271 bitcoin linked to a wanted Chinese national. Although the announcement was made only five days ago, federal agents had actually confiscated the bitcoins back in July 2024.
With this hefty addition, data from Arkham Intelligence suggests that the U.S. government (USG) may be sitting on a massive treasure chest of 325,447.12 BTC — a stash worth over $34 billion. Previous data from Arkham indicated that the USG’s holdings were around 198,000 BTC, but the addition of the extra 127,271 BTC has made the total figure a matter of debate.
If the USG indeed holds $34 billion worth of bitcoin, that represents about 1.55% of the total 21 million bitcoins that will ever exist. Right below the U.S. is the United Kingdom. Some claim that the Chinese government owns 190,000 BTC, but on-chain analysts dispute this theory — noting that these coins were actually sold back in 2020.
The U.K. government reportedly holds 61,245.01 BTC, worth about $6.56 billion, followed closely by the UAE Royal Group — a powerful conglomerate of around 60 companies linked to Abu Dhabi’s ruling family — which currently holds 6,465 BTC, valued at nearly $692 million.
Next in line is Bhutan, holding 6,370.64 BTC through Druk Holdings, worth about $682 million. Both the Royal Group and Druk mine their bitcoins — the UAE entity through Citadel Mining, and Druk via a partnership with Bitdeer. El Salvador controls 6,354.18 BTC, making it the fifth-largest government holder of bitcoin, with its stash valued at roughly $680 million based on current exchange rates.
As an extra twist, North Korea’s notorious Lazarus Group still holds about 803.93 BTC, worth around $86.13 million. This marks a sharp decline since March 2025, when the state-backed hacking collective controlled over 14,000 BTC across its known wallets.
Of course, the exact bitcoin holdings of these governments, nation-states, or their affiliated entities remain subject to scrutiny and debate.
