{"id":61965,"date":"2026-01-18T14:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T11:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/?p=61965"},"modified":"2026-01-18T11:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T08:43:41","slug":"us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"US Government Ends Bitcoin Sell-Off Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"615\" data-end=\"889\">The <strong>US government<\/strong> has officially ended its long-standing practice of liquidating seized <a href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-denies-bitcoin-sale-allegations\/\"><strong>Bitcoin<\/strong><\/a>. Washington confirmed that the government will retain the 57.55 BTC seized during the Samourai Wallet investigation and record it on its balance sheet.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"891\" data-end=\"1056\">This move marks a clear shift in how Bitcoin is perceived at the federal level \u2014 no longer treated as disposable financial residue, but as a strategic reserve asset.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_71 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition\/#The_Silk_Road_Era_Is_Over\" title=\"The Silk Road Era Is Over\">The Silk Road Era Is Over<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition\/#No_Sale_Stronger_Balance_Sheet\" title=\"No Sale, Stronger Balance Sheet\">No Sale, Stronger Balance Sheet<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition\/#Market_Context_and_Price_Dynamics\" title=\"Market Context and Price Dynamics\">Market Context and Price Dynamics<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 data-start=\"1058\" data-end=\"1086\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Silk_Road_Era_Is_Over\"><\/span>The Silk Road Era Is Over<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1088\" data-end=\"1319\">For years, the US government routinely auctioned off Bitcoin seized in major operations such as Silk Road, converting digital assets into cash with little hesitation. As of January 18, 2026, that approach has fundamentally changed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1321\" data-end=\"1638\">Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Digital Assets Advisory Council, confirmed that Executive Order 14233 places these assets directly into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). His statement eased growing market concerns that a government-led sale could introduce sudden supply pressure.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1640\" data-end=\"1923\">Earlier this month, a technical review by the US Marshals Service had fueled speculation that Bitcoin seized from Samourai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill could be liquidated. The Department of Justice\u2019s confirmation has now decisively closed that chapter.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1925\" data-end=\"1959\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"No_Sale_Stronger_Balance_Sheet\"><\/span>No Sale, Stronger Balance Sheet<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1961\" data-end=\"2213\">The approximately $6.3 million worth of Bitcoin seized from Samourai Wallet developers now represents a new direction in US digital asset management. Market participants had closely watched whether the US Marshals would move these coins onto exchanges.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2215\" data-end=\"2483\">Instead, political pressure from pro-crypto figures \u2014 including Senator Cynthia Lummis \u2014 and a broader strategic reassessment prevailed. Lummis emphasized that avoiding liquidation was critical for maintaining confidence in the government\u2019s approach to digital assets.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2485\" data-end=\"2521\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Market_Context_and_Price_Dynamics\"><\/span>Market Context and Price Dynamics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2523\" data-end=\"2848\">Bitcoin is currently trading near $95,116, with a market capitalization of roughly $1.90 trillion and a dominance level of 58.95%. While the asset experienced a 14% pullback over the past 90 days, a 4.30% rebound in the last 60 days suggests resilience \u2014 reinforced by institutional and sovereign-level signals like this one.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2850\" data-end=\"3092\">By choosing to hold rather than sell, the US has softened fears of government-driven price pressure. Still, key questions remain unanswered: how large the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could become, and under what conditions it might be expanded.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3094\" data-end=\"3331\">For now, the message is clear. Bitcoin has quietly taken a place on the US balance sheet. Upcoming enforcement and asset management decisions will clarify whether this move represents a pause or a permanent change in policy.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3094\" data-end=\"3331\"><i>You can also freely share your thoughts and comments about the topic in the comment section. Additionally, don\u2019t forget to follow us on our\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/coinengineernews\"><i>Telegram,\u00a0<\/i><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CoinEngineer\"><i>YouTube<\/i><\/a><i>, and\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coinengineers\"><i>Twitter<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0channels for the latest\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.io\/news\/\"><i>news<\/i><\/a><i>\u00a0and updates.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US government has officially ended its long-standing practice of liquidating seized Bitcoin. Washington confirmed that the government will retain the 57.55 BTC seized during the Samourai Wallet investigation and record it on its balance sheet. This move marks a clear shift in how Bitcoin is perceived at the federal level \u2014 no longer treated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":53849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[657,2],"tags":[16934,27300,27299,27298],"class_list":["post-61965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en","category-news","tag-bitcoin-balance-sheet","tag-bitcoin-liquidation-risk","tag-government-asset-strategy","tag-us-digital-reserves"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>US Government Ends Bitcoin Sell-Off Tradition - Coin Engineer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The US confirms seized Bitcoin will not be sold, ending auctions and positioning BTC as a strategic reserve asset on its balance sheet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coinengineer.net\/blog\/us-government-ends-bitcoin-sell-off-tradition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Government Ends Bitcoin Sell-Off Tradition - 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