Who Holds The Most Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is commonly perceived as a decentralized currency devoid of control from any singular entity, institution, or individual. Nonetheless, it is also worth noting that within the crypto space, there are entities and individuals who hold a large amount of Bitcoin globally. A lot of people are always curious to find out about the biggest holders of Bitcoin and whether they are individuals, countries or companies.
These are Bitcoin Whales who hold a significant amount of Bitcoin under their name. If these Bitcoin Whales decide to sell their Bitcoin one day, the market could see a significant price below and uncertainty.
In this article, we are going to take a look at the top individuals, companies, and countries that own the most amount of Bitcoin.
Individuals That Hold The Most Bitcoin
1. Satoshi Nakamoto (~1 Million BTC)
Satoshi Nakamoto was not only the founder of the first and largest cryptocurrency in the world, but also one of its first miners. When Bitcoin was introduced on the blockchain, each block yielded a reward of 50 BTC since he/she was the only miner on the network at the time, he/she did not really have to share his/her rewards with anyone.
From January to July 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto is believed to have mined close to 1 million BTC which he or she holds to this day. It is also reported that Nakamoto could have mined more blocks but wanted to give the other miners a fair chance to earn Bitcoin block rewards. At about $83,300 per BTC (CoinGecko, October 9, 2026), 1 million BTC would be worth roughly $83 billion.
2. Winklevoss Twins (70,000 BTC)
If you don’t remember the Winklevoss twins, they are the infamous sibling duo that ended up suing Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing the idea of Facebook from them. Zuckerberg settled the lawsuit for $65 million.
In 2012, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss founded Winklevoss Capital, with one of their initial investments being Bitcoin, which they acquired for $11 million at a rate of $10 per BTC. This investment likely stemmed from the funds they received from Zuckerberg. Since then, the twins have ventured into approximately 25 blockchain-related startups, with Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange, standing out as one of their notable investments.
3. Tim Draper (~29,500 BTC)
Tim Draper, the renowned venture capitalist and entrepreneur, has long been a staunch advocate of digital currencies. In 2011, the CEO of CoinLab introduced Draper to Bitcoin, recognizing its profound potential. Draper, foreseeing its long-term value, instructed him to purchase $250,000 worth of Bitcoin on Mt. Gox when the cryptocurrency was trading at a mere six dollars.
Despite the tumultuous Mt. Gox crash in 2014, where Draper lost all of his holdings, he remained undeterred in his belief in Bitcoin.
In the same year, Draper made an acquisition by purchasing around 29,500 Bitcoins confiscated by the US Marshals from the defunct online marketplace “Silk Road” at a bargain price of $632 per coin, totaling $18.7 million.
4. Michael Saylor (17,732 BTC)
Michael Saylor asserts that Bitcoin is revolutionary due to its lack of central control, finite supply in contrast to the US dollar, and its operation without requiring permissions from any entity.
He also sees the current financial system as bleeding in power. This means that due to inflation each year, your fiat currency is bleeding in value each time the government decides to print more money through quantitative easing (QE).
To him, Bitcoin represents a liberating tool for humanity, readily available to all at their fingertips, akin to mobile education.
Companies That Hold The Most Bitcoin
The numbering below is not a current ranking: in October 2026, CoinGecko put Twenty One Capital and Metaplanet ahead of MARA, Tesla and Block.
1. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy (~848,000 BTC)
Michael Saylor’s company is probably the most passionate, ardent and committed supporter of Bitcoin. His first investment of $250 million into Bitcoin in August 2020 sparked an investment frenzy. Soon after his purchase, companies like Square and Tesla started investing their corporate reserves into Bitcoin as a store of value.
Update: MicroStrategy, renamed Strategy in February 2025, held about 848,000 BTC after buying 334 BTC between September 28 and October 4, 2026.
2. MARA Holdings, formerly Marathon Digital (35,577 BTC)
As of January 31, 2024, Marathon Digital Holdings held a total of 15,741 unrestricted Bitcoin. This information was reported in their latest press release on February 2nd, 2024. They had been steadily increasing their holdings, with a significant jump from 13,396 BTC at the end of October 2023. The company, renamed MARA Holdings in August 2024, reported 35,577 BTC on June 30, 2026.
3. Tesla (11,509 BTC)
In February 2021, Tesla made a significant investment, purchasing $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin, which translated to roughly 43,000 BTC at the time.
In May 2021, the company briefly accepted Bitcoin as a payment method for its vehicles. However, this decision was reversed just two months later due to environmental concerns about Bitcoin mining’s energy consumption.
In Q2 of 2022, Tesla sold over 75% of its Bitcoin holdings, amounting to roughly 30,000 BTC, for $936 million. This decision surprised many and led to speculation about Tesla’s long-term commitment to Bitcoin.
Since then, Tesla has not bought or sold any additional Bitcoin. Its filings list the remaining 11,509 BTC, bought for $386 million, as of June 30, 2026.
4. Block, Inc (~9,117 BTC)
We are well acquainted with Jack Dorsey’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies. He made the decision to step down from his role at Twitter to dedicate himself entirely to his venture, Square, now rebranded as Block.
He holds a strong conviction that Bitcoin possesses the potential to foster global harmony and foresees its eventual displacement of the US dollar.
Under his leadership, the digital payments firm has amassed a significant reserve of 9,117 Bitcoins as of June 30, 2026, according to its quarterly filing.
Countries That Hold The Most Bitcoin
1. Bulgaria (~213,519 BTC)
There are some governments out there who are not totally clear about their crypto holdings. For example, we all know the Russian government holds crypto, but they will only provide estimates for how much crypto their citizens collectively hold, not any government estimates. It’s not that unusual for governments to be secretive about their crypto holdings.
There are rumors suggesting that Bulgaria, a comparatively small nation, may possess approximately 213,519 Bitcoins as a result of a dark web operation conducted several years ago. Despite official denials from the government regarding the seizure of these funds, widespread speculation persists that they indeed acquired them.
2. United States (~200,000 to 324,000 BTC)
The United States has accumulated a significant amount of Bitcoin through seizures from illegal activities, such as the Silk Road case. Since a March 2025 executive order, forfeited coins go into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and are not to be sold. Estimates of the total range from about 200,000 BTC (White House adviser David Sacks, March 2025) to about 324,000 BTC (Arkham, July 2026).
In March 2023, the government sold 9,861 bitcoins, part of a larger seizure of over 50,000 Bitcoins linked to James Zhong, for approximately $216 million.
In January 2024, the Department of Justice announced plans to sell additional Bitcoins, worth around $117 million, seized from individuals involved in Silk Road activities. While additional sales were announced, the exact number of Bitcoins sold in that instance has not been publicly disclosed.
3. China (~194,000 BTC)
Even though crypto is effectively banned for the average Chinese citizen, the Chinese government has one of the biggest stashes of crypto seized in various crypto-related crackdowns, with 194,000 Bitcoin and 833,000 ETH, according to a report by analysis company CryptoQuant in 2022. However, it is unclear if the government still holds all of this Bitcoin.
4. El Salvador (~7,790 BTC)
El Salvador has been getting a lot of attention over the years because of its public entrance into Bitcoin. The country declared Bitcoin to be legal tender on September 7, 2021, and also started accumulating onto its balance sheet. In January 2025, as part of an IMF loan deal, lawmakers made accepting bitcoin voluntary for businesses.
Based on estimations, El Salvador’s total Bitcoin holdings could be somewhere between 2,381 and 2,744 as of November 2023. It’s also worth mentioning that President Bukele has stated the country has no intention of selling its bitcoin holdings, suggesting they view it as a long-term investment.
UPDATE: El Salvador has moved over 5,000 BTC into a cold wallet currently stored in a physical vault within the national territory. This disclosure shows that El Salvador has been holding more Bitcoins than previously believed, with public trackers placing its trove at less than 3,000 BTC. By early October 2026, it held between 7,760 and 7,792 BTC.
Learn the Risks Before Buying Bitcoin
And that brings us to the end of our list. If this article inspires some confidence in you to invest in Bitcoin or any other crypto, remember that this asset class is a volatile space, so don’t invest without enough knowledge of how it all works and the pros and cons of crypto investments.
