Taiwan should reconsider Bitcoin reserve in case of war, says think tank

Taiwanese lawmaker Ko Ju-Chun said last year that the country’s Ministry of Justice holds 210 Bitcoins, worth $14 million, confiscated during criminal investigations.

Taiwan should reconsider adopting Bitcoin as a reserve asset to hedge against global turmoil and the risk of war, according to a research fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute.

In a report on Tuesday, Jacob Langenkamp said that should China pursue reunification with Taiwan by military force, either through a blockade or full invasion, Bitcoin (BTC) would be the only reserve asset that would remain fully accessible and spendable.

“Uniquely for Taiwan, Bitcoin provides geopolitical resilience: in a PRC blockade or invasion, gold is stranded or seized and USD reserves face potential restrictions, but Bitcoin remains fully accessible without physical transport,” he added.

Nation-states have begun to explore the idea of launching strategic Bitcoin reserves, seen as a bullish signal for Bitcoin.

Last year, Taiwan’s central bank sought to investigate establishing a national Bitcoin reserve. However, the bank ruled it out in December, citing volatility, liquidity and custody concerns and instead identified the US dollar as a safer alternative.

Taiwan is heavily exposed to the risks of US dollar debasement, Langenkamp said, because its central bank reserves are at least 80% in USD-denominated assets, as is most of its trade.

Growing US debt, Federal Reserve monetary expansion, a potential AI market downturn and declining semiconductor revenues could also accelerate dollar debasement, he said. 

“Bitcoin can couple with gold to offer that hedge against USD debasement. It can provide another opportunity for the CBC to adopt a reserve asset before its peers and benefit the people of Taiwan with the subsequent price appreciation,” Langenkamp added.

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Langenkamp also argued that the CBC's concerns about Bitcoin's liquidity and volatility are valid, but contended that both issues will diminish as the asset matures and gains adoption among nations.

“The CBC's concerns are valid but addressable with institutional expertise on custody, liquidity, and volatility,” he added.

Despite ruling out a Bitcoin reserve for now, the CBC committed to testing the technology further in a digital asset sandbox using the crypto the country already holds.

Taiwanese lawmaker Ko Ju-Chun revealed on X last year that the country’s Ministry of Justice holds 210 Bitcoin, worth $14 million, confiscated during criminal investigations.

BitBo doesn’t list Taiwan in its country reserve rankings; its disclosed holdings would make it the seventh-largest national Bitcoin holder, behind El Salvador but ahead of Finland.

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Source: CoinTelegraph