Government Bitcoin Adoption May Soon Accelerate, Says Samson Mow
Samson Mow, founder of JAN3, believes that governments are about to start buying bitcoin much faster. After years of slow progress, he thinks the change will happen quickly.
On the What Bitcoin Did podcast, Mow said, “I think we’re on the tail end of gradually, and we’re at the beginning phases of suddenly. These things happen very quickly… literally gradually then suddenly.”
Governments Have Been Cautious Until Now
For most of the last ten years, governments have been careful about bitcoin. Some saw it as a risky investment bubble. Others focused on making rules instead of using bitcoin. But Mow says this is about to change.
Countries are now talking about creating “strategic bitcoin reserves.” These are bitcoin holdings that would be part of a country’s national treasury or wealth fund. Mow says once one country makes a big move, others will follow quickly.
The United States and Strategic Bitcoin Reserves
The U.S. is one of the most watched countries in this area. President Trump signed an executive order to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. However, the government has not yet started buying bitcoin openly.
Mow said the U.S. is working on budget-neutral ways to buy bitcoin and has legislation like the Bitcoin Act. But since the U.S. has not started buying yet, other countries could move first. “The risk is that the U.S. is front-run by Pakistan,” Mow warned.
Right now, the U.S. government holds about 198,012 bitcoin. Most of these came from law enforcement seizures, not from planned purchases. Reports say about 29,000 BTC are officially held by the government. The rest are still tied up in court cases.
Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, said he expects the U.S. to make its bitcoin reserve official by the end of 2024.
Latin America May Lead in Bitcoin Adoption
While the U.S. debates, some countries in Latin America are moving faster. They are looking at bitcoin to help stabilize their economies and gain financial independence.
If one or more governments start building bitcoin reserves, it could encourage many others to do the same. Earlier this year, Fidelity Digital Assets said central banks and sovereign wealth funds are interested in bitcoin.
Bitcoin Price and Market Cycle
Even with these adoption plans, bitcoin’s price has not yet surged as expected for 2025. Mow said, “We should have had a bull run already. Like a massive run up.” Instead, bitcoin’s price has stayed between $110,000 and $120,000 and dropped 2% in the past month.
Some experts now think the next big price increase might happen in 2026. Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, said, “I bet 2026 is an up year.”
This has led to discussions about whether bitcoin’s usual four-year price cycle still works. The cycle is linked to bitcoin’s halving events but may change with new factors like ETFs and government adoption.
Conclusion
Government bitcoin adoption is expected to speed up soon. Countries are moving from cautious interest to active buying. The U.S. is preparing but has not started buying yet. Latin America may lead the way. Bitcoin’s price has not yet reflected these changes, but many expect a strong market in 2026.
