According to ChainCatcher, analyst Serenity revealed that, based on publicly available information, the Maduro regime in Venezuela has accumulated shadow reserves of Bitcoin and USDT worth over $60 billion, established since 2018 through gold swaps and requiring oil exports to be settled in USDT to circumvent sanctions.
Previously, due to the failure of Venezuela's Petro cryptocurrency experiment, the Maduro regime switched to using USDT as a substitute for petrodollars during crude oil sales. However, as Venezuela realized that USDT still had the function of freezing addresses, it began to exchange USDT for Bitcoin.
Venezuela's approximate Bitcoin holdings can be estimated as follows: Bitcoin accumulated through gold swaps between 2018 and 2020, with gold proceeds converted into Bitcoin at an average price of $5,000, currently valued at approximately $45 billion to $50 billion; Bitcoin acquired from crude oil exports between 2023 and 2025, currently valued at approximately $10 billion to $15 billion; and Bitcoin seized through mining operations between 2023 and 2024, valued at approximately $500 million. In total, the total value of BTC accumulated by Venezuela between 2018 and 2026 is estimated at approximately $56 billion to $67 billion, implying over 660,000 Bitcoins, with a minimum of 600,000.
Even with Maduro's arrest, it doesn't mean the US has complete control over these Bitcoins. The upcoming major trial surrounding Maduro will reshape the global Bitcoin market landscape.
