In collaboration with local crypto exchange Bitcoin Romania (BTR), Poșta Română, Romania’s national postal service, has installed its first Bitcoin ATM at a branch in the city of Tulcea.
The initiative is set to expand, with upcoming installations planned in Alexandria, Piatra Neamț, Botoșani, and Nădlac.
This rollout is part of a wider effort to modernise the country’s postal infrastructure through digital innovation and to bring new financial services to underserved regions.
Placing Bitcoin ATMs within public institutions like post offices signals a notable shift: national governments and policymakers are increasingly recognising and responding to the rising demand for digital assets.
Bitcoin adoption is steadily advancing across multiple fronts—from individual investors and businesses accepting BTC as payment, to corporations and even nation-states incorporating it into their treasuries and strategic reserves.
In January, Binance reported that nearly 30 million wallets held more than $100 in Bitcoin, marking a 25% increase year over year.
Yet despite this momentum, global adoption remains limited—even in the most crypto-forward countries.
According to a Q1 2025 report from Bitcoin financial services firm River, only 4% of the global population owns Bitcoin.
The highest concentration of holders is in the United States, where ownership stands at an estimated 14%.
River’s analysis also notes that Bitcoin’s total addressable market remains well below 1%, largely due to modest retail uptake and limited institutional allocation.
The firm’s researchers estimate that Bitcoin could eventually capture up to 50% of the global store-of-value market—a category encompassing cash, stocks, real estate, gold, and other assets held for long-term preservation of wealth.
That market is valued at approximately $225 trillion, compared to Bitcoin’s current market cap of just over $2 trillion.
The implication is clear: while adoption is still early, the potential upside remains vast.
Could Bitcoin be on the cusp of moving from niche asset to mainstream reserve?
According to data collected on the chain, China's cryptocurrency holdings are estimated at $11 billion, and the US government's holdings are ranked first at $12.2 billion. In terms of companies, Musk's Tesla ranked only fourth, lagging behind MicroStrategy's $14.768 billion.
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