Recently, (July 2025) Bitcoin catapulted through all-time highs to reach $116k-£118K. The staggering amount of progress made by Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, in general, has made many naysayers question their doubts about crypto.
For those entrepreneurs still waiting on the sidelines, this article will give insight as to the facts that founders can learn and take on board when evaluating if they should give crypto a chance in their financial plans.
Here goes…
Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
Everything changed in the world of crypto when the U.S. government led by President Donald Trump announced the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Under these ground-breaking plans, the U.S. government would seek to officially hold Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies including Ethereum and Cardano as official reserve assets.
This important change of direction has led to a huge surge in demand from institutional investors, nation-states and ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds).
To read more about the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve look at these articles:
For entrepreneurs looking to evaluate whether crypto is a valuable option to consider it’s important not to get pumped up with the hype.
Therefore, rather than pontificate and try and justify the benefits of cryptocurrency we thought it would be more valuable to show you all the reams of data, including recent developments so you can make your own mind up.
Financial Institutions Holding Bitcoin
- Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC): Approximately $10.6B in holdings ~643k BTC
- Major banks via ETFs/trusts (approximate):
- JPMorgan – $200M in BTC ETFs
- Morgan Stanley – $270M in Grayscale trust
- Wells Fargo – $0.14M
- Institutional fund allocations: surveys show ~35% of institutions allocate 1–5% of portfolios to crypto; 60% allocate >1% EY
- 600+ financial institutions hold ~$3.5B in spot Bitcoin ETFs
Nation-States Holding Bitcoin
Based on public sources, these governments are known or estimated to hold Bitcoin:
- El Salvador: ($0.6–0.7B); the only country with Bitcoin as legal tender Margex
- Bhutan: ($1.3B), largely from green hydro-powered mining
- United States:
($21B–$24B), via seizures, now consolidated into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve - China: – 190,000–194,000 BTC from seizures (e.g. PlusToken)
- United Kingdom: ($7B)
- Ukraine:
($5.5B) - Finland, Georgia: minor holdings (~2k, ~66 BTC)
- Germany: nominal or unreported holdings
- North Korea
($0.2B) (via Lazarus Group), illicitly acquired.
Bitcoin Treasury Companies (Public & Private)
From BitcoinTreasuries.Net and other sources:
Public Companies
- MicroStrategy: Worth ~$68B ~576–597k BTC
- Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA): ($5.5B)
- Riot Platforms (RIOT): ($2.2B)
- Metaplanet Inc. (Japan): ($1.8B)
- Galaxy Digital Holdings ($1.5B)
- CleanSpark: ($1.4B)
- Tesla, Coinbase, Block, Hut8, GameStop, etc.: hold varying levels of BTC as treasury assets.
Private / Other Institutional Treasuries
- Sequence Communications: ($40M)
- GameStop, Figma, Trump Media & Technology Group: recently disclosed BTC allocations including ~$2.5B plan.
Aggregate corporate & private holdings totalled ~847k BTC (≈4% of supply) by mid‑2025
Key Drivers
- Strategic U.S. framework: Trump’s executive orders formalising U.S. Bitcoin reserves stimulate confidence and broader adoption.
- Corporate treasury strategy: Companies led by Michael Saylor are treating BTC as a hedge and store of value.
- Institutional & ETF inflows: Strong quarter-over-quarter corporate BTC accumulation, and increasing ETF investments.
- Global government participation: Beyond U.S., multiple sovereigns now hold Bitcoin—some via policy (e.g., El Salvador), others through seizures and mining.
Consolidated Summary
| Category | BTC Held (Est.) | % of Max Supply | % of Circulating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nation States | ~530,000 | ~2.5% | ~3.3% |
| Treasury Companies | ~1,050,000 | ~5.0% | ~6.4% |
| Financial Institutions | ~1,200,000 | ~5.7% | ~7.3% |
| Total Accumulated BTC | ~2.78M | ~13.3% | ~17% |
That means nearly 1 in every 6 Bitcoin is now held by large institutional or governmental players.
What Can Entrepreneurs Learn?
- Liquidity crunch: With major players accumulating long-term, less BTC remains available for retail or trading use.
- Price Pressure: Demand keeps rising while supply is increasingly locked up.
- Strategic Asset Shift: Bitcoin is being treated like digital gold, both by sovereign entities (e.g. U.S. Strategic Reserve) and corporations (e.g. MicroStrategy).
- Game Theory at Play: As more institutions and nations accumulate, others feel compelled to join or risk losing strategic and financial leverage.
- Risks: Although cryptocurrency adoption especially Bitcoin has skyrocketed, there is always the risk that the price could plummet overnight due to unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, entrepreneurs should be careful not to go ‘all in’ and invest everything into Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. If you decide to invest, only invest what are willing to lose.
Final Thoughts
When Donald Trump put forward plans for a Strategic Crypto Reserve in March 2025 wheels were set in motion that could change the world of finance forever.
Entrepreneurs should take note that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event that could possibly result in life-changing financial gains for those brave enough to enter the field.
The data clearly shows, that all the large players including nation-states, institutional funds, private companies and crypto treasury companies are creating a feeding frenzy.
Coupled with the limited nature of Bitcoin (only 21 million BTC) available. This could create larger increases in price as Bitcoin becomes scarcer and harder to obtain.
As more large players enter the market game theory should come into play and others will be compelled to join in or risk losing out on potential gains.
Of course, there are risks and entrepreneurs should be wary of going ‘all in’ on any crypto investments.
But the data does not lie and unforeseen circumstances aside, the future does look bright for crypto.
Good luck!
***Disclaimer: This article is not financial advice and is given for informational and entertainment purposes only. Readers should conduct their own research and not invest more than they can afford to lose. Crypto is extremely volatile, and as such can drop in value considerably without notice. Pop Up World has a global presence and is not specifically targeting any jurisdiction with its content. Any crypto references are not intended for UK businesses or consumers. You should always seek legal advice to understand if the use or investment in crypto is allowed in your jurisdiction.
***Disclaimer: This article is not financial advice and is given for informational purposes only. Readers should conduct their own research and not invest more than they can afford to lose. Crypto is extremely volatile, and as such can drop in value considerably without notice. You should always seek legal advice to understand if the use or investment in crypto is allowed in your jurisdiction.
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