Paul Atkins, the new chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, had a classic non-answer about Venezuela’s Bitcoin.
In a lively Fox Business chat with Stuart Varney, he basically said, “Who knows?” when it comes to whether the U.S. government might swoop in and seize the rumored haul.
The buzz kicked off with whispers that Venezuela’s Bitcoin could top a jaw-dropping $60 billion, around 600,000 BTC at today’s prices hovering near $92,000.
But plenty of blockchain sleuths and analysts are saying they can’t pin down solid proof for those eye-popping numbers.
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Atkins basically said Venezuela’s Bitcoin isn’t his call.
“I leave that to others in the administration to deal with; I’m not involved in that,” he said when pressed on whether the U.S. would just “take those Bitcoin off ‘em.”
The whole conversation came about after U.S. forces, under President Trump’s orders, nabbed then-President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to America to face serious charges in New York.
All eyes turn to whatever crypto treasures the old regime might have tucked away
Venezuela’s Bitcoin ties go back years. The country even rolled out an oil-backed digital token back in 2018.
Still, as of right now, no major blockchain tracker or intel outfit has fully confirmed that massive $60 billion figure floating around.
Meanwhile, the crypto world keeps watching Washington closely.
Atkins’ comments landed just days before the Senate Banking Committee dives into a markup on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY).
The House already gave it the green light back in July, but Senate progress is still ongoing and was further delayed by a lengthy 43-day government shutdown in the US.
As such, the fate of Venezuela’s Bitcoin remains one of the hottest open questions in crypto right now.
Here’s a look at what Atkins had to say:
