American President Donald Trump made numerous pro-crypto promises during his campaign last year. One of those included establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Earlier this month, he kept his word and signed an executive order to create such an initiative. He also ordered the formation of a Digital Asset Stockpile.
The strategic Bitcoin reserve is designed to hold BTC as a reserve asset and will be comprised of holdings acquired through criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings. The US Digital Asset Stockpile will serve the same purpose and consist of altcoins obtained through similar seizure efforts.
Reactions From the Community
The development became the talk of the town, and many industry leaders gave their two cents. One of them, Arthur Beitman, co-founder of the blockchain platform Tezos, recently told CryptoPotato that the strategic reserve is “an interesting concept” but suggested that only time will tell whether it will succeed.
“Usually strategic reserves are meant to match potential liabilities, e.g. oil. Foreign reserves play the dual role of matching potential liabilities from international trade and helping stabilize the domestic currency. But perhaps it’s meant as reparations from the government to the industry for past lawfare? Who knows,” he added.
Alex Shevchenko – CEO and co-founder of Aurora – said establishing a BTC reserve is a “turning point,” marking the recognition of the primary cryptocurrency as “a strategic financial instrument, not just by some businesses but by governments themselves.”
“US is positioning itself ahead of the curve. Other nations will have no choice but to respond. I believe we’re going to see many countries follow US innovation at this point. This isn’t just about the US leading in crypto, it’s about Bitcoin becoming a core asset in geopolitical finance,” the exec stated.
Additional Opinions
Other well-known people who weighed in on the initiative include Anthony Scaramucci and Michael Saylor. The former White House official said he believes in the BTC reserve “not because it will help Bitcoin, but because it will help the United States.”
It is important to note that Scaramucci was part of the US government during Trump’s first presidency. He was once a firm proponent of the Republican, but in 2019, he withdrew that support, citing concerns over the president’s behavior and rhetoric.
For his part, Strategy’s Executive Chairman described the creation of a strategic BTC reserve in America as a historical moment and “a turning point in the financial and geopolitical landscape of the 21st century.”
Despite the overall positivism, the ultimate crypto bear, Peter Schiff, will always find a way to criticize a major crypto development. Not long ago, the economist known for his affection toward gold claimed that political and financial interests drove the decision.
“Under pressure from his donors and conflicted cabinet members, Trump just signed a bogus executive order to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using the Bitcoin the government already owns,” he maintained.
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