U.S. government transfers $770 million in Bitcoin to Coinbase

U.S. government transfers $770 million in Bitcoin to Coinbase
Why is the U.S. government moving Bitcoin?

​Over the past two days, the U.S. government transferred 9,261 Bitcoin worth approximately $770 million to Coinbase Prime. The funds came from addresses linked to cryptocurrency seizures related to investigations into major hacks and other crimes.

According to Galaxy Research analysts, roughly half of the transferred Bitcoin had previously been seized from hackers involved in the Bitfinex exchange hack. Another portion of the assets was linked to known Binance-related seizures.

Meanwhile, the origin of 2,456 BTC remains unknown. These coins were transferred to a U.S. government address on Coinbase Prime and, according to analysts, may be connected to new law enforcement seizures.

Why is the government transferring Bitcoin to Coinbase?

Since 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service has used Coinbase Prime to store seized digital assets. The platform provides institutional custody services for cryptocurrencies confiscated during criminal investigations.

Similar transfers have previously sparked speculation about potential sales of government Bitcoin holdings. However, in March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

The order stipulates that seized Bitcoin transferred into the reserve must not be sold. Instead, the government intends to hold these assets as a long-term strategic reserve.

Therefore, transferring funds to Coinbase Prime does not necessarily mean preparations are underway for a sale. The transactions may simply involve moving assets between government wallets and custody infrastructure.

The U.S. Bitcoin reserve remains an unfinished project

Despite the executive order signed by Donald Trump, a fully operational U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has yet to be established. The order provides for the use of seized Bitcoin that becomes government property after legal proceedings are completed. However, authorities are not required to purchase cryptocurrency on the open market. Additional acquisitions are permitted only if they do not impose new costs on taxpayers.

The process of establishing the reserve also remains opaque. Authorities have not published a detailed public report specifying how much Bitcoin has officially been transferred into the reserve, where it is stored, or how it is managed. A White House report published in July 2025 stated that the Treasury Department was continuing work on the practical implementation of the system. Moreover, not all seized Bitcoin can be added to the reserve, as some assets must be used to compensate victims or fulfill other legal obligations.

As a reminder, Bitcoin ETFs recently recorded their largest daily outflow since June.

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