Bitcoin as a Strategic Reserve: Policy, Legal, and Compliance Implications

As governments around the world begin to explore bitcoin as a sovereign reserve asset, the legal and operational challenges of holding decentralized digital assets at scale are coming into focus. With the U.S. now consolidating over 200,000 BTC under a newly created Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, federal agencies must confront unprecedented questions around custody, classification, transparency, and compliance. This article examines how sovereign crypto ownership reshapes the legal landscape—where sovereign immunity meets private key management, and where agencies once tasked solely with regulation must now coordinate as market participants. The implications for global reserve policy, national security, and financial law are only beginning to unfold.