Bhutan disputes $1B Bitcoin sell-off claims, says it doesn’t recall sales

On-chain data shows roughly 75% of the country's Bitcoin reserves have vanished since late 2024, but Bhutanese officials say they have no memory of selling.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team May. 16, 2026

Bhutan, the small Himalayan kingdom that quietly became one of the world’s most unlikely Bitcoin whales, is now at the center of a genuinely bizarre standoff. On-chain analysts say approximately $1 billion worth of BTC has flowed out of wallets linked to the country since mid-2025. Bhutanese officials say they “don’t recall” any sales.

The numbers tell one story

Bhutan held roughly 13,000 BTC as of October 2024, a stash accumulated primarily through the country’s state-owned investment arm, Druk Holding & Investments, which used cheap hydroelectric power to mine Bitcoin.

By spring 2026, that figure had dropped to somewhere between 3,100 and 3,400 BTC. That’s a reduction of roughly 9,500 to 9,900 BTC, or about 75% of its peak holdings.

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Estimated BTC movements for 2026 alone exceed $206 million, with between 2,800 and 3,000 BTC moved in just the first quarter of the year. If current trends continue, some analysts predict Bhutan could exit its Bitcoin position entirely by October 2026.

The government tells another

Bhutanese officials have pushed back against the sell-off narrative, asserting they don’t recall any Bitcoin sales. The discrepancy between what’s visible on the blockchain and what Bhutan’s government is willing to acknowledge has created a credibility gap that’s hard to ignore.

A sovereign outlier in a season of accumulation

Sovereign Bitcoin holdings across countries increased by approximately 26% from October 2025 to May 2026. While other governments were accumulating, Bhutan was, by all measurable indicators, doing the opposite.

Bhutan sits on massive water reserves flowing from the Himalayas, generating far more electricity than its population of roughly 800,000 needs. Redirecting that surplus into Bitcoin mining was a strategic move for a landlocked nation with a GDP of roughly $3 billion.

What this means for investors

Sovereign Bitcoin holdings matter to the broader market because they signal institutional legitimacy. A reduction of nearly 10,000 BTC spread over roughly 18 months introduces supply-side pressure, and if Bhutan does fully exit by late 2026 as some analysts project, the signal is worth watching.

For investors tracking sovereign adoption as a bullish signal, Bhutan’s situation is a reminder that the accumulation trend isn’t universal. A 26% increase in global sovereign holdings is encouraging. One country quietly liquidating three-quarters of its stack while denying it is less so.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.