Venezuela's Alleged Bitcoin Reserves Spark Debate Amid Lack of Evidence

According to BlockBeats, recent actions by the United States against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have reignited discussions about Venezuela's potential undisclosed Bitcoin reserves. Investigative journalist Bradley Hope suggests that the Venezuelan government may have converted gold into Bitcoin over the years, potentially amassing up to 600,000 BTC. However, major blockchain analysis firms have yet to find any on-chain evidence supporting this claim. Hope's figure of 600,000 BTC is not based on blockchain data but rather on mathematical calculations derived from Venezuela's gold sales since 2018. Frank Weert, co-founder of Whale Alert, stated that if Venezuela indeed holds such a significant amount of Bitcoin, it would be nearly impossible to completely evade tracking by blockchain analysis firms, and the claim requires "very strong evidence." Despite this, analysts note that Venezuela has long attempted to utilize cryptocurrencies. The country launched a national digital currency, Petro, backed by oil, and has used crypto payments in energy and cross-border transactions. Due to high inflation of its national currency, Venezuela ranks among the top 20 countries globally in cryptocurrency adoption as of 2025. Currently, Venezuela's official holdings of crypto assets remain highly opaque. Institutions such as Arkham, Chainalysis, and Elliptic have not confirmed the existence of large-scale Bitcoin wallets directly linked to the government. Analysts believe that even if such assets exist, they may be highly concealed through mixers, cross-chain transactions, and offshore OTC channels.