The UK now ranks 3rd in global Bitcoin adoption, but court rules mean it can’t keep its 60,000 BTC as a reserve
The JAN3 Bitcoin index placed the United Kingdom third in its 2025 B20 after weighing policy advances and more than 60,000 BTC in law-enforcement custody. UK records classify the coins as seized criminal property subject to court proceedings. A March 2026 Treasury answer said central government held no cryptoassets.
JAN3 promoted the UK result this month alongside its full B20 ranking. The scorecard gave the UK 6.44 and a BB rating, behind the United States at 7.42 and Bhutan at 6.64. Its evidence window ran through to the end of 2025.
The publisher’s framework combines national Bitcoin holdings, state mining, legal and tax treatment, strategic-reserve policy, pro-Bitcoin political leadership, and the extent to which Bitcoin can be used in the economy. Britain’s placement reflects that composite approach, not a government decision to build a Bitcoin treasury.
JAN3 cited roughly 61,000 BTC in government custody as one reason for the score. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that authorities seized more than 60,000 Bitcoin in a major investment fraud and money laundering case. Prosecutors described it as alleged criminal property. They said confiscation and civil proceedings would determine its disposition.
Why seized Bitcoin is not a reserve
UK asset-recovery guidance describes seizure as a temporary step while proceedings continue. Following a court order, authorities may sell recovered cryptoassets to compensate victims or direct the proceeds to the public purse and economic-crime enforcement.
The ownership distinction is also explicit in the government’s dated statements. In a March 2, 2026, parliamentary answer, the Treasury said neither it nor central government held cryptoassets at that time.
A September 2025 answer said there were then no plans to change the seized-asset or official-reserve frameworks or commission a review of Bitcoin as a reserve asset.
The Property (Digital Assets etc) Act took effect on Dec. 2, 2025, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. It removed a categorical obstacle that could prevent certain digital or electronic things from being treated as personal property. Its scope concerns property rights, not legal tender or reserve policy.
The Financial Conduct Authority also permitted retail access to qualifying crypto exchange-traded notes on approved UK exchanges from Oct. 8, 2025, subject to promotion and consumer-protection rules. The government has said its wider crypto regulatory regime will begin in 2027.
The scorecard rewards several kinds of engagement under one score. Britain’s 6.44 combines regulation and access with enforcement custody, while its dated official reserve policy remained separate from the large seized balance.
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