Germany’s right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has proposed that the country should create a national Bitcoin reserve, saying that doing so would make Europe’s largest economy one of the first major countries to hold the rare digital asset as part of its official reserves.
The AfD party’s proposal, submitted to parliament in late October, calls for the German government to start stockpiling Bitcoin as a long-term strategic asset.
If the plan is approved, it would be a major shift from Berlin’s approach to Bitcoin. More than a year ago, the German government sold nearly 50,000 BTC seized in a criminal investigation, a decision that is now widely seen as a missed opportunity.
The sale took place between June and July last year and involved the disposal of a huge stash of assets worth around $3 billion at the time.
Today, these coins would be worth more than $6.5 billion, considering the price of Bitcoin has soared to more than $110,000. When they sold that lot, it caused a lot of criticism and a big debate about whether Germany had misjudged Bitcoin’s long-term potential.
Related: German government’s Bitcoin sale | Wrong play?
Many believe that German politicians, who ridiculed Bitcoin at the time, have now lost much of its potential value and are indicative of the dissatisfaction of Bitcoin supporters.
AfD’s new motion flips the narrative. The paper argues that rather than sell Bitcoin, Germany should hold on to it and treat it as a modern-day version of gold, a financial safety net that protects the country from inflation and global uncertainty.
The proposal states that Bitcoin’s scarcity and independence from central banks would make it a strategic reserve currency.
In its motion, the AfD describes Bitcoin as “money without a state” that protects the sovereignty of individuals and states.
The party argues that the European Union’s Market for Cryptoassets (MiCA) framework, designed for centrally issued digital tokens, should not apply to Bitcoin, where it has no issuer or control authority.
The proposal also asks the government to:
- Germany maintains tax exemption on Bitcoin for more than a year,
- Prevents private mining and Lightning Network activities from being classified as commercial operations.
- Protecting the self-custody rights of Bitcoin holders,
- Harness surplus renewable energy for mining activities to support the country’s energy transition.
AfD party lawmakers argue that Bitcoin’s design makes it an ideal hedge against inflation and a means of financial independence within the eurozone.
Party co-leaders Alice Weidell and Tino Chulpala have long expressed skepticism about EU monetary policy, describing Bitcoin as a tool of sovereignty in an era of increasing centralization.
Germany’s move follows similar efforts across Europe.
In France, MP Eric Ciotti and the center-right UDR party recently introduced a bill proposing that France create a “national Bitcoin strategic reserve” equal to about 2% of the total Bitcoin supply (about 420,000 BTC).
The French plan aims to fund accumulation through public mining, the reallocation of savings, and a portion of tax payments in Bitcoin.
