U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent stated at a Senate Finance Committee hearing that the Treasury Department is advancing President Trump's executive order to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve with "deliberate speed," emphasizing the adoption of "best practices" to ensure the long-term sustainability of the mechanism. Bessent noted that the strategic Bitcoin reserve is a new frontier and its implementation is relatively complex, so the government is carefully developing the custody and management framework. Currently, the U.S. government holds approximately 328,400 Bitcoins, valued at around $20.6 billion, primarily obtained from criminal and civil asset forfeitures.
Additionally, Bessent called on Congress to advance the digital asset market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, which he believes is crucial for maintaining the U.S.'s leading position in digital asset innovation. The bill aims to clarify the regulatory framework for digital assets and define when crypto tokens fall under securities or commodity regulations. Relevant legislation has now entered the Senate review process. (Decrypt)