Alternative for Germany (AfD), the country’s second-largest opposition party, has introduced a motion in the Bundestag to establish a strategic national Bitcoin reserve positioning itself as one of Europe’s most pro-crypto political forces. The proposal mirrors a similar move in France and reignites debate over Germany’s controversial decision to sell tens of thousands of BTC earlier this year.
AfD Calls for Bitcoin as a Strategic, Inflation-Hedging Asset
The motion, filed on October 29, urges the German government to recognize Bitcoin (BTC) as a strategic, tax-favored asset capable of protecting the nation’s financial stability against inflation and currency volatility.
AfD argues that Bitcoin should be treated differently from other cryptocurrencies, advocating for tax-free status on BTC holdings after 12 months and warning against the EU’s overregulation of crypto wallets and blockchain services.
The proposal, titled “Strategisches Potenzial von Bitcoin erkennen – Freiheit bewahren durch Zurückhaltung in der Besteuerung und Regulierung” (“Recognizing the Strategic Potential of Bitcoin – Preserving Freedom Through Tax and Regulatory Restraint”), emphasizes that BTC could serve as a reserve asset for the country’s treasury.
“When politicians start talking about Bitcoin reserves, you know we’ve officially left the ‘magic internet money’ phase,” commented one user on X.
Another added, “They sold 50,000 BTC at $54K now it’s doubled. They missed over $3.5 billion in profit.”
Bitcoin Reserve Debate Rekindled After Germany’s Massive BTC Sale
AfD’s proposal comes months after Germany sold nearly 50,000 seized BTC in June 2024, originally confiscated from criminal cases. At the time, Bitcoin was trading around $57,900, meaning the sale generated roughly $2.9 billion.
If the government had held its position, those coins would now be worth over $5.6 billion at current market prices a missed opportunity that has drawn sharp criticism from both crypto advocates and fiscal analysts.
The new motion has reignited public debate about whether Germany, Europe’s largest economy, should reconsider its stance and begin accumulating Bitcoin as part of its official reserves.
European Momentum: France, Switzerland, and the Push for Bitcoin Reserves
AfD’s motion follows a similar initiative in France, where the UDR party, led by Éric Ciotti, recently introduced a bill calling for a national Bitcoin reserve. The French proposal aims to accumulate 2% of Bitcoin’s total supply (about 420,000 BTC) over the next seven to eight years through public mining, asset seizures, and savings plan allocations.
Like AfD, France’s UDR party opposes the EU’s digital euro initiative and advocates for tax exemptions on small daily Bitcoin payments of up to €200.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, parliament member Samuel Kullmann is campaigning to enshrine Bitcoin in the country’s constitution and to push the Swiss National Bank to hold BTC as part of its reserves highlighting growing political interest in Bitcoin as a sovereign monetary hedge.
Europe’s Bitcoin Reserve Landscape
According to data from Bitcoin Treasuries, only two European states the United Kingdom and Finland currently hold Bitcoin in their national reserves. Both Germany and Bulgaria are listed with zero holdings.
AfD’s proposal, if advanced, could make Germany the first major EU economy to formally adopt a Bitcoin reserve policy, a move that might reshape Europe’s stance toward decentralized financial assets.
A Shift in Political and Economic Perception
AfD’s growing pro-crypto stance stands in contrast to the EU’s more cautious approach. The party views Bitcoin as “stateless money” that promotes individual sovereignty and has explicitly opposed the European Central Bank’s digital euro project, which it perceives as a threat to financial privacy.
For now, the proposal’s prospects remain uncertain but its introduction signals that Bitcoin is entering mainstream political discourse in Europe’s largest economy.
“Germany may have sold its Bitcoin too early,” one analyst noted. “But this motion shows that policymakers are beginning to realize BTC isn’t just a speculative asset it’s a strategic one.”
