Citi Analysts Say U.S. Crypto Reserve Increasingly Likely, Await Further Clarification

Citi: U.S. Crypto Reserve More Plausible, But Key Questions Remain

The establishment of a U.S. strategic crypto reserve seems increasingly likely following President Trump’s recent announcement, Citi (C) stated in a Monday research note.

Over the weekend, Trump confirmed that XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA) would be part of the reserve, later adding Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to the list.

“The prospect of the U.S. government becoming a long-term holder of digital assets would significantly enhance the credibility of the crypto market,” wrote Citi analyst Alex Saunders.

According to Citi, the U.S. currently holds roughly $19 billion in cryptocurrencies, mostly from seized assets, while its gold reserves are valued at $750 billion. Since the government’s crypto holdings are primarily Bitcoin, acquiring additional assets like XRP or SOL would likely require direct market purchases.

Despite the bullish implications, Citi noted that a lack of clear selection criteria for assets remains a major uncertainty. The bank also warned that publicly disclosing acquisition plans in advance could lead to unfavorable price movements—drawing parallels to the U.K. government’s missteps with gold sales in the late 1990s.

Meanwhile, brokerage firm Bernstein suggested last month that the Federal Reserve could explore issuing debt or selling portions of its gold reserves to finance crypto purchases.