In the early days of 2026, US President Donald Trump launched a military operation against Venezuela, arresting President Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to the United States.
As tensions between the US and Venezuela continue, allegations have emerged that Venezuela holds large amounts of Bitcoin (BTC).
While these allegations continue to be discussed, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins has made statements on the matter.
According to the SEC chairman, the US government may seize Venezuela’s Bitcoin assets.
Speaking to Fox Business, Paul Atkins did not make a definitive statement regarding the alleged seizure of Venezuela’s BTC reserves. However, he did not rule out the possibility of seizure.
Atkins adopted an ambiguous stance on the possibility of the US seizing Bitcoin held by Venezuela, while drawing a line on the SEC’s powers.
Atkins stated that it has not yet been confirmed whether Venezuela holds Bitcoin, and that it is unclear what steps the US would take if such an opportunity arose.
“We’ll see what measures are taken regarding this. However, this is a matter that other people in management need to address, and I’m not involved.”
Following the US capture of Nicolás Maduro, claims have emerged that Venezuela possesses a secret reserve of Bitcoin and USDT, allegedly used to circumvent international sanctions. While some estimates suggest the country’s assets are as large as $60 billion, major blockchain analytics firms and information platforms state that they have been unable to verify this figure on the blockchain.
*This is not investment advice.
