Paul Atkins, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), didn’t rule out the potential for authorities seizing Venezuela's reported Bitcoin holdings after US forces deposed and captured the country's president.
In a Monday interview with Fox Business' Stuart Varney, Atkins responded to reports that Venezuela holds as much as $60 billion value of Bitcoin (BTC), although several analysts said they were unable to confirm these claims. The SEC chairman said it “stays to be seen” what motion, if any, the US would take if given the chance to seize the reported 600,000 BTC.
“I’ll leave that to others in the federal government – I’m not involved in that,” Atkins said when asked if the US would “take those Bitcoins away” from them.
Reports about Venezuela's Bitcoin holdings emerged after U.S. forces, acting on President Donald Trump's orders, captured then-President Nicolás Maduro last week and brought him to the United States to face criminal charges in New York.
At the time of publication, blockchain analysts and intelligence platforms had not confirmed the reported $60 billion in cryptocurrencies, however the Maduro regime has previously been implicated in certain elements of the industry. For example, the country launched an oil-backed digital currency in 2018.
The Senate will increase the market structure on Thursday
Atkins' comments got here a number of days before the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to deliver an announcement on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY).
House Democrats passed the bill in July and it has been into consideration within the Senate for months, likely slowed by a 43-day government shutdown in October and November.
Banks and a few crypto firms have also raised concerns concerning the stablecoin rewards provisions within the bill, and lots of Democrats are reportedly calling for stricter ethics guidelines and clarifications on decentralized finance.
The bill might be delayed because of the 2026 midterm election campaign and a possible government shutdown in late January. However, early drafts of the laws showed that lawmakers were trying to offer the Commodity Futures Trading Commission more power to manage digital assets.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph's editorial guidelines and goals to offer accurate and up-to-date information. Readers are advised to independently confirm the knowledge. Read our editorial policies https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
